Communication Skills: Humanitarian and Community Studies

Communication Skills: Humanitarian and Community Studies

Introduction

Humanitarian and community service workers manage and implement several programs of social assistance and community services, as well as help people in dealing with social and personal problems. Humanitarian and community service workers are employed by correctional facilities, school boards, group homes, mental health agencies, government agencies, social service and other establishments. Most essential and skills for social and community service workers include critical thinking, oral communication and document use.

Humanitarian and community workers are constantly interacting with one another including refugees, government workers and other staff. On the contrary, what is really involved in human communication process as regards to humanitarian and social workers? In the same manner, most of people are involved and associated with helping others. This kind of helping can be defined as counselling. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to highlight skills and processes that humanitarian and community workers use when they counsel or help others.

Discussion

The way people communicate and interpret words is influenced by our views of the world. In the context of humanitarian and community workers, there are four key elements (social, cultural, political and economic factors) that influence worldviews. Humanitarian and community workers have to interact with people who came from diverse background; thus, need to consider all above listed four factors (De Brito, Van der Laan and Vergunst, 2007). Communication does not only mean speaking or writing, but humanitarian and community workers need to understand the nature of relationship in the community and the associations, institutions, and structures of the society and then formulate communication mechanism that is in line with the message and culture of the audience.

It is imperative to note that humanitarian and community workers work with diverse cultures and groups these elements may differ in a considerable manner, and people may interpret different meaning from what they are trying to communicate. Humanitarian and community workers must be a skilful communicator; thus, they need to demonstrate effective communication skills of being responding honestly, with empathy, listening actively, attending and observing, being genuine, extending respect and suspending judgement to others, and seek to determine solutions to interpersonal conflict that meet needs of both parties.

Humanitarian and community workers are extensively involved in the service of their customers (people) or to the society as a whole. Studies determine that humanitarian and community workers must possess human interactive skills to help clients in telling their stories and to gain insight and greater understanding of the current situation; setting objectives and goals that are realistic and feasible to implement; and facilitate in implementing plans such as community building (McDonald, 2004).

For humanitarian and community workers, communication skills are very important for all experts working with society and using them in an ethical and sensitive way may facilitate in developing a helping relationship. The aim of helping people experiencing personal issues is not easy. Both humanitarian and community workers often have to interact or communicate in circumstances where conditions can present a ...