Communication and Interprofessional Collaboration
Communication skills
Effective communication is a professional competency, not a soft skill. Use plain language, open-ended questions, active listening, reflection, and teach-back. Confirm understanding by asking the client to explain the plan in their own words. Consider health literacy, language, culture, sensory needs, and emotional state. Cultural humility means asking rather than assuming. Use interpreters when needed and confirm how information will be shared.
Collaboration
Interprofessional collaboration requires knowing others' roles, communicating respectfully, and negotiating shared goals. Use structured handovers and clear documentation. Share only information relevant to care and permitted by consent or law. Conflict should be addressed directly, focused on behaviour and client safety, not personality.
Traps
Questions often reward the practitioner who checks understanding rather than the one who gives the most information. Avoid jargon, talking over the client, and assuming that nodding means comprehension. Do not speak for another profession or accept referrals outside your scope. Also avoid documenting speculative judgments about a colleague's competence.
Worked example
A client nods when told to perform an exercise three times weekly. You use teach-back: the client demonstrates the exercise and states the frequency. They say twice weekly, revealing a misunderstanding. You correct it and document the teach-back.
Rule of thumb
Explain, demonstrate, check, and adjust. If the client cannot teach it back, the communication is not finished.