Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Rodriguez, Rizal

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Campus/College

_2nd Semester 2023-2024_

Semester

SWP 5: Social Work Communication and Documentation

service user about the purpose, nature and process of

Topic: The Principles and Techniques in Social the social work inter- vention. Agreeing on a shared
Work Communication agenda (Shulman, 2012) at the start of each interview
or meeting enables all parties to have clear
Forms of Communication: expectations and goals.

1. Interpersonal communication Tools in Interviewing

This refers to communication between two or 1. Questions
more people. It involves the exchange of messages,
ideas, and information between individuals. This serves to elicit facts, ideas, and feelings
concerning the person, the issue, the situation, and
2. Intrapersonal communication potential means for resolution. They often yield
Defined as communication with one's self, and information necessary for mutual understanding,
that may include self-talk, acts of imagination and assessment, decision making, planning, working and
visualization, and even recall and memory (McLean, evaluating, and ending.
2005).
Types of Questions
3. Intercultural communication
This refers to the communication between  Open-ended questions
people from two different cultures. (Chen & Starosta, Open-ended questions are free-form survey
1998:28) Intercultural communication is a symbolic, questions that allow and encourage respondents to
interpretive, transactional, contextual process, in answer in open-text format to answer based on their
which people from different cultures create shared complete knowledge, feeling, and understanding. The
meanings. detailed response to this question is not limited to a set
of options.
4. Organizational communication
This refers to the communication that takes  Close-ended questions
place between people who are working towards This asks respondents to choose a predefined
common goals within an organization. It consists of set of responses, typically one-word answers such as
the interactions that take place for the purpose of “yes/no”, “true/false” or a set of multiple-choice
working together towards these goals questions

 Specific questions
Interviewing in Social Work Communication Specific questions are more focused and
An interview is a conversation for gathering require a specific answer.
information. A research interview involves an
interviewer, who coordinates the process of the  Reflective questions
conversation and asks questions, and an interviewee, Is a question that focuses on a person's own
who responds to those questions. experiences with specific concepts or processes.

Social workers need to begin interviews  Leading questions

by establishing a shared understanding with the
 A leading question is a question that suggests writing is geared towards informing or persuading an
a particular answer and contains information the audience in the world of work and commerce, purpose
examiner is looking to have confirmed. The use of and tone.
leading questions in court to elicit testimony is
restricted in order to reduce the ability of the examiner Types of social work professional writing
to direct or influence the evidence presented.
 Process recording
 Hypothetical questions Process recording is a tool used by the student,
Is one based on supposition, not facts. They are the field instructor, and the faculty advisor to examine
typically used to elicit opinions and beliefs about the dynamics of a particular interaction in time. The
imagined situations or conditions that don't exist. process recording is an excellent teaching device for
learning and refining interviewing and intervention
2. Statements skills. The process recording helps the student
 A definite or clear expression of something in conceptualize and organize ongoing activities with
speech or writing. client systems, to clarify the purpose of the interview
 To clarify things/misunderstandings. or intervention, to improve written expression, to
 To give information where it is needed to give identify strengths and weaknesses, and to improve
understanding selfawareness (Urbanowski & Dwyer, 1988).

3. Summaries  Journal writing

An interview summary is a short version of Journaling is also a practice that can help
the important things discussed in the interview. It is Human Service professionals in their career
generally a paragraph in length, but it contains the development. It provides a way to reflect on one's
content and information from several paragraphs. work, identify strengths and weaknesses, and plan for
future goals. Journaling also helps professionals learn
4. Listening from their mistakes, which can help them improve
Listening is a basic casework tool. The their work.
purpose is to understand the speaker's words and
feelings as accurately as possible, for which mental  Narrative process
concentration is necessary. The listener has to pay The narrative approach to social work
attention to what is said, what is not said, and what is involves helping clients to talk about their problems as
suggested. if they were a story. This has several effects. First, it
helps clients view the problem as external to
5. Observation themselves, rather than some intrinsic part of them.
As a Social Worker, strong observation skills
are essential for understanding clients' needs. You can  Summary recording
better understand your client's situation by actively Summary records primarily include entry data,
listening, observing body language, and taking note of sometimes social. history, a plan of action and
nonverbal cues. Through the process of self-reflection, periodic summaries of significant information. and
you can also improve your personal growth. action taken by the worker, and a statement of what
was accomplished as the case was closed (closing
Purposes in Social Work Interviewing summary).
 Creating an effective relationship
 Better understanding of verbal and non-verbal  Case study
behavior of client A Case Study is a type of in-depth, qualitative
 Displaying empathy, genuine and warmth research method that uses one single example (case)
 Enhancing client’ motivation to provide information related to social or clinical
 Identifying client’ strengths issues. Case studies are often used in social work
 Collection/gathering of data to make education to help students understand and analyze
assessment scenarios they may find themselves

Professional writing
Professional writing is a style of writing that is
clear, concise, and seeks to convey information and
ideas quickly in a professional setting. Professional