Communication and Persuasion in Nurse Anesthesia

As a few others have mentioned, nursing is all about communication. Communication is key for success in any sort of medical field. There needs to be clear, direct communication between nurses, and to patients, parents, doctors, residents, interns, and whoever is involved with the patient. Without this clear correspondence, there can be dangerous, and often times fatal mistakes.

I am looking into going more specifically into Nurse Anesthesia. A certified registered nurse anesthetist cares for a patient before, during, and after a medical procedure or surgery by performing a patient assessment, preparing the patient for anesthesia, administering and maintaining the anesthesia to ensure proper sedation and pain management, and oversees recovery.Similar to an RN, in this profession I will need to keep communicating as a top priority.

Verbal communication is obviously very important as I said before with passing off patients to doctors and surgeons to make sure that all the information about the patient and procedures are clear. Talking with patients and their families is a big part of a medical profession. People want to know the risks, but at the same time they want to hear that everything will be alright.

Non-verbal communication is equally as important, especially when your job includes knocking people out for hours at a time and administering pretty intense drugs to people. Reading body language and knowing what to look for to prevent injury is key.

Persuasion plays a big part in both verbal and non-verbal communication. Building up ethos while communicating to patients and families will help them feel confident in the care provided. Honesty, clarity, and consistency in communication will help with communication with doctors and surgeons to make sure they can trust the work I have done. I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty sure you don't want someone waking up halfway through surgery.

Communication and Persuasion in Localization

Localization is the process of adapting a product to a specific locale. Obviously, this process called localization includes translation. Localization is all about communication. When a company wants to expand their target market, they need to accommodate for the cultural differences of the new market. They do this by localizing their products. The localizer or more commonly known as the localization engineer has the responsibility to take a product and make it usable in the target market/culture. This can be very difficult. For many middle eastern languages that means that the text needs to appear starting on the right, so the audience can read to the left. The localization of a product can make or break the product's success in any given market.

Localization can be necessary without a language barrier. 3dcart, an online retailer, noticed that the Canadian market often bailed on their purchases during the 'checkout' process. They decided to change the billing information to include 'state/province' instead of just 'state' and 'zip/postal code' instead of just 'zip code.' These simple changes don't seem to make a difference to us Americans, but to the Canadians it made the shopper more comfortable. The changes persuaded the online shopper that the retailer knew him or her. Showing the customer that the company understood him or her made all the difference for 3dcart's business in Canada. All they had to do was make the customer feel more at home. This isn't the only way to localize for more customers.

My wife knows that I always need a bottle of hot sauce in the fridge. Fortunately for me, she's the one who stocks the fridge. After failing a few times on getting a hot sauce that I like she finally asked in frustration: "How am I supposed to know what hot sauce is good?" It took me a while to figure out how, but I realized that there is a way without having to taste it: Buy the bottle of hot sauce with the least amount of English on it. If you like Mexican hot sauce, buy the one with Spanish on it. If you like Asian hot sauce, the one with an Asian language. Instead of wanting to buy what I feel more at home with, I always go with the hot sauce that seems the most foreign to me. These companies localize their products well by persuading me that they are foreign.

Communication and Persuasion in Nursing

I remember many experiences growing up where I would come upon the scene of an injured individual- bleeding or in some sort of immense pain- and get really anxious because I didn’t know how to help.  I’d never felt so helpless as I watched- wanting to give comfort, but having no idea what actions to take.  As I began to learn more about methods and procedures of basic aid, I was filled with satisfaction knowing that at least in some small way I was giving assistance to the individual and bringing some comfort to their mind and body.  I think that most people in the world have an innate desire to want to help people.  There comes a certain satisfaction in being a part of the healing of an individual- coming to their aid in a moment they need it most.  

Everything that Nurses and medical workers do is built upon good, clear communication.  There are many times when the life of an individual depends on it.  No matter where the communication is taking place- a hospital, the sight of an accident, a doctor’s office- it is important that things are stated clearly, confidently, and in a timely manner.  Most of the time, the communication is done orally, a nurse speaking to a patient or a doctor, but there are forms of written communication as well. The nurse must adjust his or her way of speaking depending on the person receiving the message.  It’s obvious that to a doctor they would speak with professional words and medical terms- stating all of the facts and risks.  When it comes to speaking with the patient or the family of the patient, they would “dumb it down” in a sense and maybe not go into as much detail- striving to comfort them while also being realistic.   

There are many different situations where communication occurs.  When first getting to know the family, the nurse needs to really build his or her ethos.  This family is putting a lot of confidence in them and the nurse needs to show they are trustworthy and professional, as well as being a good listener.  They can give a lot of comfort and reassurance in a time when people are in the most fear and anxiety.  It’s interesting, however, because they must also speak in a way that doesn’t show guilt for mistakes or allow too much hope or dependency on the medical workers.

I’ve come to find out that nursing really is founded on being a master of communication; without it, nothing runs. Lives depend on it.

Communication and Persuasion in the field of Operation Nursing

Communication and Persuasion in the field of Operation Nursing

From soothing words in a time of distress to throwing surgical utensils, Operation Room Nursing has a broad spectrum of communication. One communication problem that the medical field has is verbal abuse in the operating room. Nurses and other medical professionals are trying to remedy this communication problem.

Many nurses report having been verbally demeaned while at work. This abuse comes in part because of the stressful situations that nurses and staff are placed under. The Kairos is setting a verbal time bomb and the hierarchy in the hospitals creates the exploitation. Many times nurses are degraded by their superiors such as doctors, surgeons and teachers. Luckily these stigmas are starting to change. Professionalism with coworkers and patients is starting to be extremely emphasized in the workplace.

If any of you have seen the movie House you will understand the kinds of communication problems that develop in a medical environment. House (the main character) is a really sarcastic, degrading doctor who treats everyone around him poorly. Although he is a hot head he isn’t immediately fired because he is brilliant and irreplaceable. The problems his coworkers face in the movie although a little over-dramatized are similar to the communication and intimidation problems that happen in hospitals today.

The use of intimidation as a form of persuasion is at times effective but has many negative consequences. This abuse often come from those with medical ethos. Their credibility makes them feel like they can act in any particular manner they chose. Although this isn’t a problem in every hospital it happens more often than it should. There are many other form of persuasion that can make nurses and staff work just as effectively.

On the bright side nurses and hospital staff us persuasion for many good reasons. For example nurses may use logos, a logical explanation to convince a patient to undergo an essential procedure. They will also use pathos to comfort a family who has just lost a loved one.

 Overall nursing is based on a strong foundation of communication and persuasion. Working with recovering surgical patient I was able to see the true power of persuasion. Some patient needed a lot of delicately worked enticements in order to perform a specific task while other had self-motivation. Many days I would have to talk to a patent for ten plus minutes before finally convincing them that they could do something. While doing so often I would have to pull out all the stops, logos, ethos, and pathos, anything to convince my patient. Through these experience I not only became more patient person but also a more persuasion person. I believe that a nurse need to be a masters of persuasions and communication.

Communication and Persuasion in Microbiology

Chances are you've done a research paper at least once in your life, right?  And if you're from a later generation that also implies that you had to find articles online supporting your argument.  Well, if your paper was in any way scientific, those are my people writing those articles.  Communication and persuasion in microbiology is primarily influenced by the articles published after extensive research is conducted and approved.  What does this mean for microbiologists?  What does it mean for the general public?  I'll address this soon; first, what other kinds of persuasion are going on?

As I thought about other influential forms of communication for microbiologists, or scientists in general, I considered conferences and poster sessions, where teams of researchers meet up around the globe to present their research.  This is a formal setting, but the underlying communication going on is more informal and subtle, as individuals slowly work their way up into more elite and academic social groups that do all the "cool" or "big" research.  In addition to conferences, there are grant proposals to be written, and letters addressed to those with enough money to fund our genius little experiments.  Grants have a strict format with a lot of technological wording and explanation involved, so the best way to write a successful grant proposal is to make sure you know what you're talking about.  The letters we send to request funding can be made a little more personal, allowing the more public side of rhetoric that ENGL 211, Rhetoric and Civilization, has been studying.  But instead of solely addressing how communication and persuasion is used in microbiology to microbiologists, I'd like to focus on how that information becomes accessible to the public: in other words, communication and persuasion from microbiologists to you, the people.

Polymerase chain reaction, immunoglobulins, fecal floatations, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays; have you ever heard of these things?  I deal with them every day.  And when I write a paper about the research I'm doing, the mechanisms I'm studying, or the accumulation of articles I have formed a review on, I use these words.  Yet to the general public they could be gibberish, so how can my research ever reach a level where I am benefiting or educating the general public?  Well, I have a filter: the news.  When an article comes out, if it is significant enough that the national or local TV stations or newspapers think that you should know about it, they'll translate.  They'll take out big words like "cell adhesion molecules" and give readers a more straightforward view to simplify.  More often than not, I appreciate this filter as it allows the masses to gain insights and apply the principles I have worked hard to research and improve; yet there are times when the filter misbehaves, and what the public gets is inaccurate and potentially dangerous information.  Tune in next blog post to learn more about the vaccine war.

Communication and Persuasion in Public Relations

Being an emphasis within the Communications field, the work of a Public Relations (PR) practitioner is a constant conversation.  First you are passing information, then investigating how the information was received, and then finally drawing analysis and conclusions for how to refine your methods.  PR really could be considered a behavioral science.  

Unfortunately some consider PR to only be managing your image, blasting news releases, or even spinning the truth.  Rather, in practice, Public Relations is starting the conversation, joining the conversation, and changing the conversation.   

A PR Practitioner wants to tell the “story” of the company or institution he or she is representing.  Though it sounds cliché, you want to build a relationship with real people.  It’s easy to forget the need to be approachable and accessible. The first, and most obvious public is your customers. The second are the very employees of the organization you represent.  The conversation had with the outside public and inside publics should both maintain the same level of truth and accuracy, but the messages may be tweaked to fit your audience.

Public Relations is a never-ending consciousness of one's kairos. You must be aware of what, how, and where your message is.  Today, in an age of mass media, every interaction is in real-time and the communication is around the clock. PR practitioners use email, social media, video and radio broadcast media, billboards, magazines, and of course, public speaking. As a PR practitioner, you must be aware of the public’s reaction by measuring clicks, tweets, views, and likes. It’s about having positive features in the newspaper and doing all you can to influence the public to have conversations about you.

I would consider PR to equally be epidictic, forensic, and deliberative.  Behind the scenes, a PR practitioner must earn and charm his or her way into conversations. Formally, however, the field is focused on affect attitudes and change perceptions through persuasion.

Again, Public Relations is starting the conversation, joining the conversation, and changing the conversation.   

All my life I have had a strong craving for the opportunity to lift the stations of others in my career ahead. It has been my lifelong goal to serve within the United Nations, where I hope to do exactly that. Having lived overseas for five years, and with my nuclear family continuing to do so, I have broad international exposure and inclination. I feel that I am able to understand other publics and points of view. With my degree and PR training I will mold and craft public opinions, beliefs, values, and behaviors to promote a global vision of peace.

Communication and Persuasion in High School English Teaching

I couldn't help but chuckle as I started this blog post. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was small, and my current major is English Teaching, with the intent of becoming a high school English teacher. What better way to learn how to teach communication and persuasion than to blog about communication and persuasion in teaching?

Teachers in general make use of widely varied levels and branches of communication. Communication with other faculty members is crucial, because teachers have to decide what curriculum's and programs will most effectively meet the needs of their students.In addition, teachers often have to (diplomatically) communicate with parents. Frustrated people are always tricky to work with, and persuading parents that a child's poor grade isn't because of a personal vendetta you have is a situation that must be handled carefully. Perhaps the most oft used conduit of conversation, however, is with the students.

Targeting a specific audience is necessary for all effective communication.  I hope to work with high school students, and these are a varied bunch. Not only do teachers need to communicate the required information --they also have to persuade the students to listen. Students who love to read and write will learn differently than students who could care less and are only taking the class because they are required to. Whether a teacher takes on a lecture-style approach or adopts a more Socratic method, communication and persuasion will come from body language, enthusiasm, and tonality just as much as it comes from the words themselves. As Katie Johnson mentioned in her blog post, teachers are trying to incorporate different forms of media into their classes. Almost all teachers constantly use email, and sometimes videos or even song parodies will creep into lecture slides. However, teachers also have to avoid becoming too casual, or they will lose authority. Effective, credible, attention-grabbing communication (both inside and outside of the classroom) is key.

As an English Teacher, I want to persuade my students to love writing--or at least to appreciate its value and be not just competent, but proficient in the English language and its associated forms of communication. In order to accomplish this goal, (and in order for communication in general to be effective), I will need to be able to not only relay information, but also to listen. I believe that sometimes, teachers can learn more from their students than the students will from the teacher. Personally, I feel that an ideal learning environment would foster learning on both sides.

Communication and Persuasion in Written Journalism

 A journalist’s job is to communicate and to persuade. It’s all we do, all day, everyday.

The obvious and most public example of communication in this industry is the communication journalists have with their readers. We provide information we deem valuable and important to the public in the form of stories.

Kinda like this...

However, before this communication can occur, there must be communication and persuasion in the newsroom.

There are countless stories and endless information out there in the world. Only a very tiny portion of that can fit in a spread. Although aren’t space constraints online, there is only so much readers will read. So journalists have to determine what they want to write and convince the editors get on board. This often happens during pitch sessions.

But in an environment more like this

During a pitch, one has to use many aspects of rhetoric. I’ve briefly outlined some below.

First, you must know your audience—in this case, the editors. The head editor has the final say on what gets published. Depending on your position, you sometimes report to other managing individuals beneath the head editor. I used to work for BYU Magazine. The main editor is Jeff. Under him is Peter. Under Peter are Mike, Andrea, and Brittany. Then there were the interns. We had to persuade and communicate with all of these individuals for our stories. It could be helpful to know what the editors

favored—Mike loves sports, Brittany wanted stories that taught a lesson.

Next, you must understand the kairos/context of the publication as well as the general audience. Understand your publications ideals and what topics they publish on. Know what is going on in the world will interest readers. It is interesting to think about what your publication as a whole is communicating and how it is being persuasive through the stories that are chosen.

This leads to logos. You have to do your homework and make logical appeals. Know what has been written on this topic, both in general and by your publication. Be well versed in facts about the topic so when you present, you can outline the reasons you think this story should be published.

Pathos comes into play here. You appeal to the emotions of your audience (the editors) by outlining how your story will benefit the readers. (Sometimes you also explain how this story will help the publication, in a business sense.)

However, ultimately your ethos is the most important. Experience will be the most persuasive in a pitch.

In order to communicate the most effectively and be the most persuasive to a general audience, journalists must first communicate and be persuasive in the newsroom.