SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 5

Transcription: Empowering Communities Before, During and

After an Infectious Disease Outbreak

Module 5 – Unit 2: Interpersonal Skills in Emergencies.

Slide 1
{0.00 – 0.17}
Welcome to Module 5, Unit 2: Interpersonal Skills in Emergencies.

Slide 2
{0.18 – 0.39}
By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Describe how to apply interpersonal skills

• Explain the importance of empathy for gaining trust with communities

Slide 3
{0.40 – 1.16}
In emergency situations, interpersonal skills can help you to:

• Reach communities with respect and credibility;

• And engage commmunites to build support for the health response.

Slide 4
{1.17 – 1.35}
Interpersonal skills include:

• Verbal and non-verbal communications;

• Active listening;
• Empathy;
• And collaboration.

Slide 5
{1.36– 2.26}
But the ability to apply these skills also depends on your:

• Self confidence;
• Work ethic;
• Positive attitude;
• And your ability to manage conflict.

Let’s now look at how to apply interpersonal skills.

Slide 6
{2.27 – 3.38}
Active listening involves listening to not only the words being spoken, but the complete
message being communicated.

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 SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 5

This means you need to be able to read the non-verbal cues.

Slide 7
{3.39 – 4.19}
When someone is speaking, you should make the effort to:

• Listen carefully;
• Make eye contact;
• Respond frequently;
• Read between the lines – i.e. what they are not saying;
• And look out for non-verbal communication, such as body language.

Slide 8
{4.20 – 4.49}
Remember, non-verbal communication plays an important role in both how we convey
meaning and information to others, and how we interpret the actions of those around us.

Slide 9
{4.50 – 5.08}
By actively listening, you can get more information about a community’s concerns and ideas,
and how to best assist them.

Slide 10
Along with active listening, effective questioning can help you to determine:

• The wants and feeling of a community;

• And whether they understand the information you are providing.

Slide 11
{5.54 – 6.26}
There are three types of questions that you can use to obtain more information from people:

• Open-ended questions;
• Closed-ended questions;
• And probing questions.

Slide 12
{6.27 – 6.45}
Open-ended questions can be used to encourage people to provide detailed responses, and
share information, concerns and feelings. They should be designed to avoid one-word or
simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers.
For example, “What are your concerns about the current vaccination campaign?”

Slide 13
{6.27 – 6.45}
Closed ended questions help you obtain specific information quickly with short responses.
Therefore, they can be helpful in an emergency situation.
For example, “Do you have any allergies?”

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 SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 5

Slide 14
{1.36– 2.26}
Probing questions can be used to follow-up on earlier questions, to:
• Encourage people to give further information;
• And/or to clarify an earlier point.
For example, “Can you tell me more about how you felt in that situation?”

Slide 15
{2.27 – 3.38}
When questioning members of a community, be careful to choose appropriate wording and
to keep your tone free of disapproval or judgement.

People who feel challenged or unsafe are less likely to give open, honest answers.

Slide 16
{3.39 – 4.19}
Skills in interpersonal relations will impact the success of every aspect of emergency.

During an emergency, people will seek:

• Support and reassurance;

• And trustworthy sources for information and guidance.

Slide 17
{4.20 – 4.49}
From a risk communication and community engagement standpoint, that means:

• Expressing empathy – for example, “We know this situation may seem scary and
concerning.”
• Acknowledging uncertainty – for example, “Here’s what we do not know yet.”
• Foreshadowing possibilities – for example, “Over the days or weeks, we will learn
more.”

Slide 18
{4.50 – 5.08}
Good interpersonal skills allow you to convey information in a way that resonates with
communities. They impact how community members react to the response.

Slide 19
Empathy is a particularly important interpersonal skill for engaging communities in an
emergency.

In order to engage effectively with the community, you need to “put yourself in their shoes”
and seek to understand how they perceive the situation.

Slide 20
{5.54 – 6.26}
To help with this:

• Ask people what they know and believe;

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 SocialNet – Empowering Communities: Module 5

• Listen carefully and openly;

• And seek to understand before you seek to be understood.

You can then use this information to inform your response.

Slide 21
{6.27 – 6.45}
Empathy and active listening are critical to ensure people feel that their concerns are
important and that they are heard.

Slide 22
{6.27 – 6.45}
Finally, being able to collaborate – particularly in challenging situations – is an important
interpersonal skill and vital for a successful emergency response.

Collaboration can help the community and response teams work successfully towards a
common goal.

Slide 23
{5.54 – 6.26}
However, there can be several barriers to collaboration between a community and the
response team. These include:

• A social or cultural gap due to factors such as differences in education, economic

status, gender, age, and religion;
• A fear or mistrust of outsiders or authority;
• And poor communication channels.

Slide 24
{6.27 – 6.45}
Response team members can overcome these barriers by:

• Recognizing and respecting diversity in communities;

• Including members of these groups in brainstorming sessions and decision-making;
• And facilitating accessible communication channels to encourage discussion, and
bridge social and cultural gaps.

Slide 25
{6.27 – 6.45}
The interpersonal skills, such as active listening, empathy, and good verbal and non-verbal
communication, are key to effective collaboration with a community.

Slide 26
{6.27 – 6.45}
Congratulations! You have now completed Unit 2 of this module on Interpersonal Skills.

We will now review a case study of interpersonal communication in the context of an

emergency.

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