The Certificate III in Individual Support program requires students to:
- use and understand verbal communication in English
- use and understand non-verbal (social) communication.
Verbal Expression and Comprehension (understanding)
What do I need to be able to do?
- understand and respond to verbal communication appropriately and in a time efficient manner in the classroom and professional placement settings
- verbally communicate clear instructions and explanations in the classroom and professional placement settings
What are some examples of this?
- communicating with clients to provide information, clarify the purpose of your visit, gain and confirm your client’s consent and provide clients the chance to raise issues or concerns
- establishing rapport and responding appropriately to requests and feedback from clients, supervisors, and other health professionals to ensure you are undertaking the professional placement safely
- participating in reflection discussions and practicing professional verbal communication skills in class
Why do I need to be able to do this?
You will need to use and understand verbal communication in English because:
- accurate, timely and clear verbal communication is needed to provide safe care, minimise the risk of harm to yourself or others and to ensure you are working within legal and ethical boundaries while on professional placement
- understanding verbal information and communicating with peers and teaching staff is an important part of study. Academic material is presented verbally in English in class
- understanding and using verbal communication is critical to establishing and maintaining rapport with clients while on professional placement
What reasonable adjustments could be considered?
Additional time allowances for comprehension and expression may be provided for you within the classroom. However, the circumstances of professional placement often require timely communication, and this should be considered and discussed with the School before the commencement of the placement.
Consideration may be given to the professional placement type and location – some professional placements may better be able to accommodate students with specific identified needs.
Social Communication
Social Communication refers to the capacity to understand and use appropriate non-verbal communication such as:
- eye contact
- gestures
- facial expression
- speaking volume
- tone of voice
- proximity
- verbal turn-taking.
What do I need to be able to do?
You will need to:
- recognise, interpret and respond to nonverbal communication behaviours (such as those listed above) appropriately in both the classroom and professional placement settings
- respond sensitively to individual or cultural differences in both the classroom and professional placement settings
What are some examples of this?
Examples of when you will need to use non-verbal communication in the professional placement setting are:
- responding appropriately to clients by using social communication skills, such as open body language, eye contact and facial expressions to show understanding and empathy and to relieve distress and agitation in a client
- interpreting clients’ non-verbal communication, such as identifying that a client is uncomfortable or in pain from their facial expression or body posture
- maximising your engagement with those clients with dementia who may have limited or no language or when a language barrier exists, using effective non-verbal strategies to communicate in the most effective way possible
Why do I need to be able to do these things?
You will need to use and understand non-verbal (social) communication skills because the ability to notice, understand and use appropriate non-verbal cues is critical to establishing and maintaining rapport with clients with a range of conditions and from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds
What reasonable adjustments could be considered?
The School will consider non-verbal communication behaviours appropriate to your disability or condition. If you have a vision or hearing impairment, you may rely more on either auditory or visual communication behaviours.