Analysis of Communication Skills

Analysis of Communication Skills Order Description Chamberlain" rel="nofollow">in College of Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing-NR-506 Health Care Policy Analysis of Communication Skills (graded) It is vital to communicate effectively in" rel="nofollow">in policy and politics. Analyze two communication skills that are critical to implementin" rel="nofollow">ing your policy-priority issue. Reference Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O'Grady, E. T. (2016). Policy & politics in" rel="nofollow">in nursin" rel="nofollow">ing and healthcare (7th ed.). Retrieved from http://onlin" rel="nofollow">ine.vitalsource.com � Chapter 40: Contemporary Issues in" rel="nofollow">in Government � Chapter 42: Is There a Nurse in" rel="nofollow">in the House? The Nurses in" rel="nofollow">in the U.S. Congress � Chapter 43: An Overview of Legislation and Regulation � Chapter 44: Lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing Policymakers: Individual and Collective Strategies � Chapter 45: TAKING ACTION: An Insider's View of Lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing United States Congress � Chapter 46: The American Voter and the Electoral Process � Chapter 55: TAKING ACTION: Nurse, Educator, and Legislator: My Journey to the Delaware Senate Laxalt, N. (2009). Can you hear me now? Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for effective communication with legislators. Nevada Information, 18(1), 10. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Stewart, M. & Deaton, L. (2014). United our voices can make a difference. Pelican News, 70(3), 6. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Page or paragraph numbers must be in" rel="nofollow">included with quotes per APA. See APA re how to format references and in" rel="nofollow">in-text citations i.e. capitalization issues and use of the ampersand versus the word ("and"). Includin" rel="nofollow">ing at least one in" rel="nofollow">in-text citation and matchin" rel="nofollow">ing reference. Check for grammar and spellin" rel="nofollow">ings Communicatin" rel="nofollow">ing Your Issue Durin" rel="nofollow">ing your basic nursin" rel="nofollow">ing education, you probably completed a course in" rel="nofollow">in communication and also encountered therapeutic communication durin" rel="nofollow">ing your psychiatric and mental health studies. Additionally, many schools require a public-speakin" rel="nofollow">ing course. Consider yourself lucky if you had solid foundational courses in" rel="nofollow">in communication. Effective communication, such as conflict management, is a learned skill that must be consciously and consistently practiced. Regardless of the settin" rel="nofollow">ing, effective communication skills set you apart as a polished professional; there is never a second chance to make a first impression! Practicin" rel="nofollow">ing the art of politics at any level in" rel="nofollow">involves in" rel="nofollow">interactin" rel="nofollow">ing with diverse and often sophisticated professionals. Your ability to be successful in" rel="nofollow">in meetin" rel="nofollow">ing your goals depends upon your ability to in" rel="nofollow">interact effectively. Membership in" rel="nofollow">in professional organizations is often the first step to develop important networkin" rel="nofollow">ing and communication skills. Practicin" rel="nofollow">ing basic skills, and practicin" rel="nofollow">ing them often, is essential to become comfortable and fluid in" rel="nofollow">in communication. Contin" rel="nofollow">inuin" rel="nofollow">ing to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and constantly challengin" rel="nofollow">ing yourself promotes personal growth and allows for experiential learnin" rel="nofollow">ing. Reflection Review the basic tips for success in" rel="nofollow">in the next two paragraphs and consider them in" rel="nofollow">in the context of your legislative visit. As you read through the tips, thin" rel="nofollow">ink about the followin" rel="nofollow">ing questions: How will you prepare? How will you in" rel="nofollow">introduce yourself and your issue? How will you communicate your story? How will you ask and recommend a course of action? How will you discuss the expectations of the policymaker? How will you end the meetin" rel="nofollow">ing? What are your follow-up plans? Doin" rel="nofollow">ing your homework before attendin" rel="nofollow">ing a meetin" rel="nofollow">ing or function is essential! Some knowledge about who will attend, as well as basic icebreakers for conversations, will help ease the in" rel="nofollow">initial discomfort associated with such functions and meetin" rel="nofollow">ings. Remember that effective listenin" rel="nofollow">ing is a key communication skill. Always have a ready source of busin" rel="nofollow">iness cards available to leave after your meetin" rel="nofollow">ing. In addition, be aware of cultural differences that can derail even the most astute professional. Lastly, don't forget to take the opportunity to show your appreciation with a follow-up message of thanks. It's vital to be aware of basic etiquette with regard to communication in" rel="nofollow">involvin" rel="nofollow">ing cell phones, e-mail, faxes, Twitter, Facebook, and other electronic communication. Dependin" rel="nofollow">ing upon the level of formality in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in the function or occasion, there may be a set of preconceived protocols. Understandin" rel="nofollow">ing and knowin" rel="nofollow">ing various protocols in" rel="nofollow">in advance will save you from appearin" rel="nofollow">ing less than polished and potentially damagin" rel="nofollow">ing your credibility. It is also good to be min" rel="nofollow">indful that the news media may be present, particularly at formal events; occasionally, a celebrity may also attend an event. It is important to know how to approach the celebrity about a possible endorsement for your issue while not oversteppin" rel="nofollow">ing boundaries. The confidence and courage to participate in" rel="nofollow">in the policy-makin" rel="nofollow">ing process will in" rel="nofollow">increase with experience and growth. Communicatin" rel="nofollow">ing Your Message The followin" rel="nofollow">ing tutorial will provide you with some general guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for communicatin" rel="nofollow">ing your advocacy message regardless of the target audience or settin" rel="nofollow">ing. It may also be useful in" rel="nofollow">in completin" rel="nofollow">ing the Assignment 2 Public-Talk Video which is due Week 5. Click on the lin" rel="nofollow">ink below to review the tutorial. Communicatin" rel="nofollow">ing Your Message Overview of Legislation and Regulation Understandin" rel="nofollow">ing the basics of the political process may require some time spent reviewin" rel="nofollow">ing the processes in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in policy makin" rel="nofollow">ing. Accredited baccalaureate nursin" rel="nofollow">ing programs in" rel="nofollow">include leadership and professional activism in" rel="nofollow">in the curriculum. In most programs, senior nursin" rel="nofollow">ing students are required to visit their state capitol for Nurses Day at the legislature. Durin" rel="nofollow">ing this event, student nurses are exposed to the actual legislative process, and they have the opportunity to network with legislators, various leaders, and other nurses and get a hands-on experience relative to this process. Students are also required to participate in" rel="nofollow">in some type of policy issue at a basic level. Most students select a workplace policy or procedure that is more practice oriented or in" rel="nofollow">includes private policy. With this exposure, students will be encouraged to engage in" rel="nofollow">in the general process of healthcare policy, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing join" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing a professional organization. In reviewin" rel="nofollow">ing the basic U.S. political process, a recall of what you learned in" rel="nofollow">in high school government class may serve as a good place to start. Review of the various types of bills and the processes in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in their in" rel="nofollow">introduction, trackin" rel="nofollow">ing, and ultimate fate is vitally important for every nurse to know and understand. Understandin" rel="nofollow">ing the dimensions of political actions and motives serves as the framework in" rel="nofollow">in which these processes take place. Legislators in" rel="nofollow">introduce bills or support issues for several reasons: (a) to repay favors to constituents, (b) to go on record with their position, (c) to preserve their in" rel="nofollow">individual political reputation, or (d) to support a particular special in" rel="nofollow">interest group. It pays for nurses to know the background, in" rel="nofollow">interests, and committee assignments of their policymakers, regardless of the level of government. As important as it is to understand the actual policy-makin" rel="nofollow">ing processes, it also is important to be familiar with the various types of committees and subcommittees, as well as the differences between state and federal processes. What are the names and affiliations of the various congressional committee members? Who serves as the chair and rankin" rel="nofollow">ing member of a particular committee? Who is the designated staff member to whom you need to address correspondence? What is the critical distin" rel="nofollow">inction between the authorization and appropriation process? Fundin" rel="nofollow">ing for a bill that has been authorized will determin" rel="nofollow">ine whether or not it comes to fruition. Any bill in" rel="nofollow">introduced in" rel="nofollow">in Congress faces a limit of 2 years in" rel="nofollow">in which to pass or die in" rel="nofollow">in committee. Although anyone can have an idea for a bill, only a member of Congress can in" rel="nofollow">introduce it. Do you have an idea for a bill? How can you fin" rel="nofollow">ind out if it has been addressed previously? If it was previously addressed, how can you learn about the outcome? What about trackin" rel="nofollow">ing a current bill? Thousands of bills are in" rel="nofollow">introduced every year, but few actually make it to the formal decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing stage. Even fewer are eventually signed in" rel="nofollow">into law. Durin" rel="nofollow">ing the process of hearin" rel="nofollow">ings, markups, and reports, many events can occur to defeat the bill, in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing allowin" rel="nofollow">ing the bill to languish. This process is in" rel="nofollow">influenced by special in" rel="nofollow">interest groups, elected officials, professional organizations, such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), and others. Each of these entities has its own in" rel="nofollow">interest in" rel="nofollow">in the issue, along with other diverse and competin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">interests. Take a look at the C-Span website to get a feel for this overall process, and click on the Resources tab for state, local, and even in" rel="nofollow">international legislative processes. Consider differences in" rel="nofollow">in local versus state and federal-legislative processes. How are they different? How are they the same? The Library of Congress's website, located at http://thomas.loc.gov, offers complete listin" rel="nofollow">ings of bills that can be searched for a complete report; each state has a similar website. These websites also contain" rel="nofollow">in contact in" rel="nofollow">information for the various policymakers in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in each piece of legislation. Transcript Above is a diagram outlin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the processes in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in creatin" rel="nofollow">ing legislation. Note the left side, which in" rel="nofollow">indicates how nurses can be in" rel="nofollow">involved at each step. One of the most significant roles of government regulation is the in" rel="nofollow">interpretation of law. Laypeople often fail to realize that the legislation that is passed rarely contain" rel="nofollow">ins enough clear language for implementation and enforcement of provisions contain" rel="nofollow">ined within" rel="nofollow">in that law. It is one thin" rel="nofollow">ing to pass a law, but the accompanyin" rel="nofollow">ing regulations can make all the difference in" rel="nofollow">in how the law translates to programs and services. This fact is especially important to healthcare legislation and impacts the practice of nursin" rel="nofollow">ing both directly and in" rel="nofollow">indirectly. The Regulatory Process Specific to Healthcare Although some regulations can be developed or amended without legislation, some new or amended laws require regulations as a result of the details in" rel="nofollow">involved. This process in" rel="nofollow">involves due diligence and takes time. Admin" rel="nofollow">inistrative agencies, such as the Food and Drug Admin" rel="nofollow">inistration at the federal level, are charged with enactin" rel="nofollow">ing, enforcin" rel="nofollow">ing, and adjudicatin" rel="nofollow">ing their own rules and regulations; rules are used to carry out the various regulations. An important necessity of this process in" rel="nofollow">involves the publishin" rel="nofollow">ing of draft regulations. Commentin" rel="nofollow">ing on draft regulations is one of the most critically important actions nurses can take in" rel="nofollow">in the whole of the legislative process; look at the regulatory process figure above and note where this occurs. The regulatory process demands the specification of defin" rel="nofollow">initions, eligibility, benefits, standards, and authority issues. In essence, the regulatory process is where the details are all spelled out. Although law impacts regulations, the regulatory process in" rel="nofollow">involves and impacts consumers, special in" rel="nofollow">interest groups, professional organizations, and third-party payers, so nurses must track and participate in" rel="nofollow">in the regulatory process. An example of regulatory issues currently impactin" rel="nofollow">ing nursin" rel="nofollow">ing at the state level is oversight and scope-of-practice, particularly for advanced practice nurses. Political activity ensures that you have a say in" rel="nofollow">in your own practice. Strategies for Lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing Policymakers If you have ever worked with your in" rel="nofollow">institution's admin" rel="nofollow">inistrators to address in" rel="nofollow">internal policies or procedures, you may be a lobbyist! If you have ever written to your local, state, or federal legislator about an issue you feel strongly about, you may be a lobbyist! If you have ever presented a decision brief or direct testimony to policymakers about your professional organization's stance on a particular issue, you may be a lobbyist! Too often, nurses thin" rel="nofollow">ink that lobbyists are paid professionals who make their livin" rel="nofollow">ings cozenin" rel="nofollow">ing up to politicians in" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">interest of their respective organizations. We tend to thin" rel="nofollow">ink in" rel="nofollow">in terms of big corporations and special in" rel="nofollow">interest groups and their highly paid and highly placed professional lobbyists. Remember, the American Nurses Association (ANA) uses lobbyists, as does the American Medical Association (AMA). Because you're a nurse, you are part of a special in" rel="nofollow">interest group that utilizes lobbyists (ANA). Are you one of them and did not realize it? The ANA, like many other professional organizations, posts position statements regardin" rel="nofollow">ing various issues on its website, along with sample letters or issue briefs to assist nurses with framin" rel="nofollow">ing their arguments in" rel="nofollow">in favor of, or opposition to, a particular bill. Remember, the ANA has a state-level organization, and both websites contain" rel="nofollow">in in" rel="nofollow">information helpful in" rel="nofollow">in connectin" rel="nofollow">ing with legislators and trackin" rel="nofollow">ing various pieces of legislation important to nurses. For hot button issues, the website will send out e-mail alerts that contain" rel="nofollow">in lin" rel="nofollow">inks for locatin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">individual state lawmakers, as well as example briefs and form letters. People frequently channel their personal grief and energy in" rel="nofollow">into productive outlets for change. Activists can be born out of grief, as in" rel="nofollow">in the case of the founder of Mothers Again" rel="nofollow">inst Drunk Drivin" rel="nofollow">ing, who lost a child to a drunk driver. Similarly, nurses often become in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in the political process when their own passions about a particular issue are ignited. Nurses are perfectly positioned to witness and participate in" rel="nofollow">in the daily issues that affect the lives of in" rel="nofollow">individuals. The choice must be made: Contin" rel="nofollow">inue to feel victimized by a chaotic healthcare system or push yourself outside of your comfort zone in" rel="nofollow">in order to in" rel="nofollow">instigate change. Leavin" rel="nofollow">ing the security of the practice arena for the less familiar arena of laws and regulations around healthcare issues need not be overwhelmin" rel="nofollow">ing, but it must begin" rel="nofollow">in. We all can do our in" rel="nofollow">individual part and come together as advocates workin" rel="nofollow">ing toward a common goal. Preparation for lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">involves work. You must know your issue in" rel="nofollow">in great detail�do your homework. Utilize the resources that are already available to you via websites, such as the ANA or your specialty organization. Be sure to know what level of policymaker to approach, whether it's a local, city, or county policymaker or a state or federal legislator. Lawmakers at the local, state, and especially the federal, levels have staff members who are directly responsible for workin" rel="nofollow">ing with lobbyists. If you are dealin" rel="nofollow">ing with a federal-level issue, ascertain" rel="nofollow">in whether you need to contact the member's personal office staff or committee staff. One of the benefits associated with workin" rel="nofollow">ing with your state and local representatives is that as policymakers, they must be accountable to their constituents. In addition, local lawmakers are more in" rel="nofollow">intimately in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in and knowledgeable of issues in" rel="nofollow">in their own backyards. It is also easier to build relationships with state and local officials because you are personally networkin" rel="nofollow">ing with them on their home turf. In most cases, they are also more accessible and can be contacted more directly. Select an avenue for your lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing efforts. Dependin" rel="nofollow">ing upon your particular issue and the timin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">involved, consider the most effective strategy for accomplishin" rel="nofollow">ing your goals because a well-planned and well-organized strategy can make all the difference. Which approach is best at a particular time, and why? Put your plan in" rel="nofollow">into action and follow up. For in" rel="nofollow">instance, a personal, handwritten, and carefully crafted letter sometimes carries more weight than a simple e-mail, but each of these methods can be important and worthwhile, dependin" rel="nofollow">ing upon the issue, timin" rel="nofollow">ing, and your overall objective. Always remember that policymakers depend primarily on the political process in" rel="nofollow">in order to address important issues and chart a course of action that works best for various in" rel="nofollow">individuals with conflictin" rel="nofollow">ing proposals, demands, and values. If you're doin" rel="nofollow">ing what is needed to educate and enlighten a policymaker, you are effectively advocatin" rel="nofollow">ing for your issue. Summary How does it feel to be empowered and part of the system? Have you already been in" rel="nofollow">involved in" rel="nofollow">in policy makin" rel="nofollow">ing without realizin" rel="nofollow">ing it? What's your current stage of professional development relative to healthcare policy and politics, and where do you want to take it? What's your plan? You have identified a policy-priority issue. Now, construct a realistic and viable strategy for approachin" rel="nofollow">ing your issue to meet your goals. Nurses are consistently ranked the most trustworthy of professionals; we are also experts in" rel="nofollow">in our areas. People like and trust nurses. We need to leverage these assets! Now that you have a deeper understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of effective communication, policy-makin" rel="nofollow">ing procedures, and lobbyin" rel="nofollow">ing strategies, it is time to prepare to meet with a policymaker. Next week, we will carry all these steps further and examin" rel="nofollow">ine the U.S. healthcare system in" rel="nofollow">in general, the ways in" rel="nofollow">in which you can in" rel="nofollow">influence governmental processes, and how you can effectively deal with policy changes in" rel="nofollow">in your own workplace. So take a good look at your identified policy priority and strategize!