Online Communication Podcast

Hi everyone! 

For this weeks discussion, I listened to "Podcast #23: Increase the Effectiveness of Your Communication" by Jennifer Sneeden (https://thrivingtherapypractice.com/podcast-23-effective-communication-for-therapists/). In this episode, she discussed the most effective communication methods for a successful therapy practice. In the podcast, she states:

"Trust is built through effective communication. When you see yourself as competent and competent, others take you seriously and have trust in what you do. As therapists, we need our clients to trust us BEFORE and DURING therapy.

However, the way we communicate with potential clients must be different than the way we communicate in the therapy room. Otherwise, we’ll make the wrong impression with potential clients and actually sabotage our success." 

What she is speaking about here is a form of metacommunication, which according to the textbook is 

"communication about communication" (Green 16).

Sneeden and her therapist friend, Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner Dr. Simone Alicia discuss how certain communication strategies in the office can make or break your relationship with your client. The comment that specifically caught my eye is the one about tone. Both women claim that your tone of voice with clients can potentially sabotage your relationship wit your client. What they are referring to is channel-rich context. According to the textbook:

"Some situations are channel-rich contexts, meaning that they involve many different communication channels at once. In face-to-face conversations, for instance, you can pay attention to your partners’ words, see their expressions and gestures, hear their tone of voice, and feel them touch you. Similarly, Skype and Face-Time conversations depict words, facial cues, gestures, and vocal tones. Because you experience multiple communication channels at once, you can evaluate the information you receive from all the channels simultaneously" (Green 13).

As someone who loves podcasts, the concept is quite interesting. We feel strongly connected to the host, without being able to absorb thing such as hand gestures and facial expressions. This goes to show that aspects such as tone alone can have a dramatic effect on your credibility. After-all, the podcast does state: 

"You can actually lose believability in the way you communicate without even realizing it."

 Sources:

Communicating Online. [VitalSource Bookshelf]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781307589122/

Sneeden, J. (Writer). (n.d.). Podcast #23: Increase the Effectiveness of Your Communication [Radio series episode]. In Profiles in Practice Success. Delray Beach, Florida: Thriving Therapy Practice.