In any profession, organization, or forum, communication is a key aspect. How individuals in one body or firm communicate with each other and with the people they serve is a factor that may determine the success or failure of the body or firm (Sahoo & Sahu, 2009) . Interpersonal communication refers to how individuals pass messages between each other. One may expect little use of interpersonal communication in veterinary practice. However, such communication plays a formidable function in the practice. Generally, communication can be divided into four key elements:
Encoding: The sender decides what he/she wants to submit and puts it in symbols that the receiver can understand. The process is based on the sender’s believes, knowledge, and assumptions about the receiver.
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Medium of Transmission: This is the channel that the sender uses to convey the message to the receiver. Channels fall into two broad categories; written and oral. Visual channels are becoming increasingly popular as technology develops.
Decoding: This process is conducted by the receiver. It involves the receiver interpreting the message by listening, viewing, or watching and then sending impulses to the brain to interpret the message.
Feedback: This is the response that the sender gets from the receiver. Feedback is crucial in communication as it helps the sender to gauge how well the receiver has interpreted the message. It helps to indicate differences in background between the receiver and the sender and any communication barriers (Adler, Rodman, & Du Pré, 2016) .
In veterinary practice, just like any other profession, there are skills that individuals can apply to ensure that they communicate effectively. The first skill is for one to become an engaged listener. The same effort we put into talking or passing the message is the same effort that should be put in listening to or reading the message. Engaged listening is different from just hearing as in the former, one gets subtle intonations or signs from the receiver that tell the sender that the message is being passed (Brownell, 2010) . To listen actively, the receiver should fully focus on the sender and the message being passed, avoid directly interrupting the conversation, and show interest in what the sender is conveying. Secondly, to communicate effectively, much attention has to be paid to nonverbal signs. The sender and receiver are constantly using body language to send information. One’s interest in the subject matter being handled between the sender and receiver can be judged through body language. For the sender, using open body language such as not crossing the arms and maintaining eye contact with the receiver can enhance effective communication. For the receiver, leaning in the favorite ear and responding with subtle nonverbal cues such as nods helps to alert the sender that the message is being interpreted well.
If two coworkers are communicating, they have to be audible and clear enough for the conversation to be fruitful. For instance, a veterinary practitioner may want to as an intern to fetch a specific type of medicine. The vet in this situation has to be audible enough as the intern may still be getting acquitted to medicine names in the practice. In such instances, discrimination and prejudices tend to occur. These are vices that tend to hinder communication and mostly happen when the communication is downward, i.e. from a person in a higher rank his/her junior. Secondly, veterinarians deal a lot with clients more than they do with the animals being treated. This means that the vet has to interact a lot with the client as that is the source of all the information that the veterinary will use to diagnose diseases in the dog. People tend to be different and some clients can be naturally difficult to deal with. In veterinary practice, the practitioner has to utilize strategies that will help him obtain information from the client without irritating or making the client feel less about himself. When entangled in such a case, the practitioner must practice being patient with the client. The client may express feelings in a negative way, be mad, or say something negative that may provoke the practitioner into getting moody. However, patience, good listening skills, and better interpersonal skills are essential for the veterinary to squeeze useful pieces of information from the client. Such skills are important as the information obtained is critical since it is being updated in the patient’s record or in brochures.
References
Adler, R. B., Rodman, G. R., & Du Pré, A. (2016). Understanding human communication (Vol. 10). Oxford University Press.
Brownell, J. (2010). The skills of listening-centered communication. Listening and human communication in the 21st century , 141-157.
Sahoo, C. K., & Sahu, G. (2009). Effective employee engagement: The mantra of achieving organizational excellence. Management and labour studies , 34 (1), 73-84.
