Childhood memories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Childhood memories - Essay Example The question often arose in my mind: who was holding them in the sky? At times, I used to get a simple answer that God was holding them so that we kids could watch and play with them. When I grew up I moved to a coastal city with my parents. Many small hills were lurking behind on north sides of the town. Fortunately, I got a company of Sarah, who lived in the city since her childhood, and she was well acquainted with the geography of the town. Once she took me to a nearby hill in the early morning hours to show me some rare birds. She told me that she visited this place after her school hours when she was in the 9th form. The hills were full of dense trees all around. The most fascinating thing was that variety of birds had their nests in these trees and the place was full of melodious sounds. She drew my attention to a bird called Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The bird had a typical hollow sound quite soothing to the ears. Sarah took me to a place at least 100 meters up in the hill, where I saw birds that she identified as bluebirds. Bluebirds had white stomachs, rust-colored breasts and bright blue feathers, and they were chirping all in unison. Sarah told me that their numbers were dwindling quickly due to ill doings of humans. At once, a thought came to my mind that with such beautiful species becoming extinct, humans will not be able to enjoy the beauty of nature. When I focused through my binoculars on the nest, I was amazed to see two little bluebird nestlings making noise – perhaps asking for the food from their mother. Mother Bluebird was feeding them with a great effort through her beak. It was indeed a greatest mystery – a mystery of creation in this universe, and I bowed down to Mother Nature with a feeling of awe. I have always been a moderate swimmer – moderate in the sense of not possessing any extra skills that are expected from a good swimmer. Perhaps, that is why I had a close encounter with death when I was at Fort Lauderdale Be ach on my vacation tour. Swimming in my customary style, I had gone a little far off. My friends were swimming at some distance. I was jolly making some movements in the water – perhaps attempting to do some water exercises to remain afloat effortlessly without realizing that my unique exercises would put me in great trouble soon. At some bad moment, my feet were stuck in some marshland. The more I tried to come out, the more immobile I became. I tried to scream but could not as my mouth was filled with water. I was losing my breath and power. I soon realized I was going to drown. But, as luck would have it, for a moment my head came out of water and I screamed loudly. Hearing my call, someone from nearby rushed quickly; he held my hand and pulled me out with full force. In the next moment, I was out of the marshland. The whole episode lasted only for a minute or so but the incident gave me an unforgettable near-death experience that will remain with me until the end of my li fe. Its memories still hound me. The most significant part of the episode was that I realized a true meaning of life – the life that encompasses a myriad of species on this planet. Sarah’s cousin, Sierra, was a most passionate dancer. When I saw her in one of her performances, I was amazed at the way she effortlessly performed a Swirling Sufi dance. I found her totally engrossed in the Dervish dance. Sierra told me about Nijinsky, an outstanding and the most cherished Russian dancer. When Nijinsky used to perform, one would feel as if he was out of bounds of gravitation. He would make a leap and fall as if a leaf was coming down slowly and slowly. Sierra would say, â€Å"Watching a dance is a good thing but performing it is a much deeper experience†

Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Development - Essay Example 47). Thus development in an organizational context is dependent on some key theoretical aspects like: a) Leadership The main crux of any leadership effort is to motivate people to aspire to achieve a common goal and to extend to them the skills and the attributes that could make them work collectively as a team (Rost 1993, p. 39). A leader always has the ability and the potential to gets things done by others through following the right strategy and attitude. However, such attitude ought to rely predominantly on a feeling of respect for and trust on others and must avoid as far as possible, resorting to fear and submission (Rost 1993, p. 42). Hence, respect and mutual trust are the key elements of leadership. b) Motivation It is very common to come across the reality that varied personnel constituting an organizational team tend to have diverse purposes, goals and aspirations (Mackay 2007, p. 24). Not to say that the eventual success of any project is predominantly dependant on the c ollective commitment of all the team members to the envisaged goal. This is mostly a direct function of their levels of motivation. Motivation in an organizational context is a two pronged process. ... to be bound by a common sense of purpose, thereby extending maximum cooperation to the respective group members, the organizational leadership, the diverse stakeholders associated with the organization and the organizational administration (Lantz 2007, p. 12). Teamwork is always the final outcome of good team building and effective leadership. Team building efforts comprise of varied tasks like defining goals and targets, extending and establishing leadership, management of conflicts, and motivating the respective team members (Lantz 2007). Team building also consists of processes like encouraging the interpersonal behaviour that aids effective communication and negotiating the roles ascribed to respective team members and establishing the procedures that go with them (Lantz 2007). It goes without saying that the team building efforts in an organization are certainly bolstered by the ability of a team leader to solicit the backing and support of the top management. Team building is a lso to a great extent dependant on the ability of a team leader to come out with appropriate reward systems. d) Communication Most of the experts consider communication to be the single most important factor that could make or mar the eventual success of any project (Harris 1993). The success of a project to a great extent relies on the effective communication between team members, between team members and the leadership, and between a team and the diverse stakeholders associated with a project (Harris 1993). A hassle free and open communication is the way to success and achievement. Proper communication is the one potent way to better and improve professional relationships between the varied team members. Hence, a team leader ought to learn about the varied communication aspects of the

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) - Essay Example Cathode rays were an enigma during the late 1800s. Many Europeans thought that the rays emitted at the cathode in the discharge tube were an ethereal disturbance, like light. Crookes proposed in 1879, that the cathode rays were radiant matter or negatively charged particles that were attracted to the anode and repelled from the cathode (Cambridge Physics, 2015). In Germany, Hertz conducted an experiment where he observed that the rays discharged could pass through very thin gold sheets. He also conducted another experiment to find out the impact of electric fields on the rays and wrongly concluded that the rays were not deflected by the electric fields. In 1897, J.J Thomson repeated Hertz’s experiment (Cambridge Physics, 2015). The difference between J.J Thomson’s experiment and Hertz’s experiment was that J.J Thomson conducted his experiment in a vacuum tube. Hertz had too much gas in his discharge tube and the gas had become ionized by the electric field. The positive ions were attracted to the negative plate and the negative ions were attracted to the positive plate. This reduced the net charge on the plates and the strength of the field was not enough to deflect the cathode rays. J.J Thomson repeated the experiment and when he passed the cathode rays through the electric field in a vacuum, deflection occurred. The fact that the cathode rays moved towards the positively charged plate allowed him to conclude that the rays must be negatively charged. After this, J.J Thomson used two coils of wire known as the Helmholtz pair to produce a uniform magnetic field. Any beam of charged particles when passed through the magnetic field produced by the Helmholtz pair will be bent at 90 degree angle to the field into a complete circle Using this concept, J.J Thomson positioned the coils to cause a deflection in the opposite direction to that produced by the electric field. To balance the forces

Childhood memories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Childhood memories - Essay Example The question often arose in my mind: who was holding them in the sky? At times, I used to get a simple answer that God was holding them so that we kids could watch and play with them. When I grew up I moved to a coastal city with my parents. Many small hills were lurking behind on north sides of the town. Fortunately, I got a company of Sarah, who lived in the city since her childhood, and she was well acquainted with the geography of the town. Once she took me to a nearby hill in the early morning hours to show me some rare birds. She told me that she visited this place after her school hours when she was in the 9th form. The hills were full of dense trees all around. The most fascinating thing was that variety of birds had their nests in these trees and the place was full of melodious sounds. She drew my attention to a bird called Yellow-billed Cuckoo. The bird had a typical hollow sound quite soothing to the ears. Sarah took me to a place at least 100 meters up in the hill, where I saw birds that she identified as bluebirds. Bluebirds had white stomachs, rust-colored breasts and bright blue feathers, and they were chirping all in unison. Sarah told me that their numbers were dwindling quickly due to ill doings of humans. At once, a thought came to my mind that with such beautiful species becoming extinct, humans will not be able to enjoy the beauty of nature. When I focused through my binoculars on the nest, I was amazed to see two little bluebird nestlings making noise – perhaps asking for the food from their mother. Mother Bluebird was feeding them with a great effort through her beak. It was indeed a greatest mystery – a mystery of creation in this universe, and I bowed down to Mother Nature with a feeling of awe. I have always been a moderate swimmer – moderate in the sense of not possessing any extra skills that are expected from a good swimmer. Perhaps, that is why I had a close encounter with death when I was at Fort Lauderdale Be ach on my vacation tour. Swimming in my customary style, I had gone a little far off. My friends were swimming at some distance. I was jolly making some movements in the water – perhaps attempting to do some water exercises to remain afloat effortlessly without realizing that my unique exercises would put me in great trouble soon. At some bad moment, my feet were stuck in some marshland. The more I tried to come out, the more immobile I became. I tried to scream but could not as my mouth was filled with water. I was losing my breath and power. I soon realized I was going to drown. But, as luck would have it, for a moment my head came out of water and I screamed loudly. Hearing my call, someone from nearby rushed quickly; he held my hand and pulled me out with full force. In the next moment, I was out of the marshland. The whole episode lasted only for a minute or so but the incident gave me an unforgettable near-death experience that will remain with me until the end of my li fe. Its memories still hound me. The most significant part of the episode was that I realized a true meaning of life – the life that encompasses a myriad of species on this planet. Sarah’s cousin, Sierra, was a most passionate dancer. When I saw her in one of her performances, I was amazed at the way she effortlessly performed a Swirling Sufi dance. I found her totally engrossed in the Dervish dance. Sierra told me about Nijinsky, an outstanding and the most cherished Russian dancer. When Nijinsky used to perform, one would feel as if he was out of bounds of gravitation. He would make a leap and fall as if a leaf was coming down slowly and slowly. Sierra would say, â€Å"Watching a dance is a good thing but performing it is a much deeper experience†

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) - Essay Example Cathode rays were an enigma during the late 1800s. Many Europeans thought that the rays emitted at the cathode in the discharge tube were an ethereal disturbance, like light. Crookes proposed in 1879, that the cathode rays were radiant matter or negatively charged particles that were attracted to the anode and repelled from the cathode (Cambridge Physics, 2015). In Germany, Hertz conducted an experiment where he observed that the rays discharged could pass through very thin gold sheets. He also conducted another experiment to find out the impact of electric fields on the rays and wrongly concluded that the rays were not deflected by the electric fields. In 1897, J.J Thomson repeated Hertz’s experiment (Cambridge Physics, 2015). The difference between J.J Thomson’s experiment and Hertz’s experiment was that J.J Thomson conducted his experiment in a vacuum tube. Hertz had too much gas in his discharge tube and the gas had become ionized by the electric field. The positive ions were attracted to the negative plate and the negative ions were attracted to the positive plate. This reduced the net charge on the plates and the strength of the field was not enough to deflect the cathode rays. J.J Thomson repeated the experiment and when he passed the cathode rays through the electric field in a vacuum, deflection occurred. The fact that the cathode rays moved towards the positively charged plate allowed him to conclude that the rays must be negatively charged. After this, J.J Thomson used two coils of wire known as the Helmholtz pair to produce a uniform magnetic field. Any beam of charged particles when passed through the magnetic field produced by the Helmholtz pair will be bent at 90 degree angle to the field into a complete circle Using this concept, J.J Thomson positioned the coils to cause a deflection in the opposite direction to that produced by the electric field. To balance the forces

Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay Step 1. Create a short answer (150-250 words) to each of the following questions. 1. How do social interactions among people in locales help define community?  2. How do schools help to shape the local boundaries of communities and the identity of community members?  3. Although schools and the communities they serve are closely entwined and community development is in the best interests of schools, why may school leaders be hesitant about involving schools and students in important community development roles? 4. Of all social institutions, why might schools be best placed to catalyze community development?  5. What are some likely results of school consolidation in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  6. Beyond the socially integrative functions, what distinct local economic roles might a school have in a rural community or urban neighborhood?  7. What characteristics of a well-planned school-community partnership project would indicate it is mutually beneficial?  8. How might a community or neighborhood development activity reinforce what is taught in the public school classroom?  9. What barriers might a community development organization expect to experience when seeking to partner with a public school or school district?  10. How can service learning and place-based education serve to facilitate a  viable schoolcommunity partnership and accomplishment of local community or neighborhood development needs? Step 2. Discuss your responses with a group of 4 or 5 classmates. SOAR ACTIVITY 15.1 SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS Step 1. Contact your local elementary, middle and high schools. Step 2. Interview the principals about their partnerships with community organizations. Step 3. Have them describe each activity and assess the benefits to the school and community. Step 4. Compile a list of all the organizations and institutions involved with school programs. Step 5. As part of this project, prepare a list of recommendations for improving schoolcommunity partnerships in your area. LIFE Activity 15.1 Here are some examples of school-based service learning projects: 1. Drop-out prevention: A service-learning project focused on drop-out prevention might coordinate schools with local businesses to partner at-risk students with job shadowing and mentoring opportunities with local business leaders/members. These connections will help build bridges between schoolwork and work â€Å"in the real world,† and develop stronger ties between schools and local business, better meeting the needs of each while providing important opportunities to at-risk youth. 2. Subject-specific service-learning: Science and reading provide two examples of subjectspecific service-learning. Connecting college students majoring in science with schools to tutor K-12 students can create opportunities for hands-on learning during or after school hours. This might involve engaging in environmental projects, such as local water quality testing, cleaning of local stream or river beds, or wildlife conservation efforts. Similarly, college students majoring in language arts or reading might provide tutoring services during or after school for at-risk students, assist in running family literacy programs after school to engage parents in literacy efforts, and/or read to students at the elementary level. 2. Building school-community connections: Students plan a school-community day, in which school staff, community members, and students organize, run, and attend a school-community fair. The school can set up exhibits of student learning and projects students are engaged in that connect to the community. Community leaders can set up exhibits featuring ways they have been or would like to be involved with the school and with students. Local businesses might provide food and donate prizes or items for auction. Students at the school can perform music or showcase artwork. This would also be a good venue for team-building exercises between  community organizations and businesses and school staff and leaders, culminating in competitions with awards. These are only a few examples. We want to emphasize though that effective service learning projects are not â€Å"paint by the numbers† efforts, but are directly shaped by and responsive to the individual needs of local communities. That said, examples are useful, but ultimately your best guide is the community that lies before you. REFERENCE MATERIAL ON EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICELEARNING Syllabi: Literacy Tutoring: Principles and Practice (Syracuse University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=407 Service Learning in Higher Education (Vanderbilt University) http://www.compact.org/syllabi/syllabus.php?viewsyllabus=663 APPENDIX: Additional Resources to Learn about School-Community Partnerships for Community Development:  NOTE that the following descriptions have been taken directly from organization websites and have been only slightly modified, if at all. Associations, Organizations and Centers Center for Place-Based Education http://www.anei.org/pages/89_cpbe.cfm The Center for Place-based Education promotes community-based education programs. Its projects and programs encourage partnerships between students, teachers, and community members that strengthen and support student achievement, community vitality and a healthy environment. Coalition for Community Schools http://www.communityschools.org The Coalition for Community Schools represents an alliance of national, state and local organizations concerned with K-16 education, youth development, community planning, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy, as well as national, state and local community school networks. The Coalition advocates for community schools as a means to strengthen schools, families and communities and improve student learning. Rural School and Community Trust http://www.ruraledu.org The Rural School and Community Trust is a national nonprofit organization addressing the crucial relationship between good schools and thriving communities. It also serves as an information clearinghouse on issues concerning the relationship between schools and communities, especially in rural contexts. School of the 21st Century. Linking Communities, Families and Schools http://www.yale.edu/21c/index2.html Based at Yale University, the 21C program develops, researches, networks, and supervises an educational model that links communities, families, and schools by transforming the school into a year-round, multi-service center that is open from 6 in the morning until 7 at night. The core components are affordable, high-quality child care for preschool children, before- and afterschool programs for school-age children; and health services, referral services, support, and guidance for parents of young children. Schools and Communities http://www.enterprisecommunity.org/programs/schools_and_communities/ This webpage of Enterprise Community Partners documents and disseminates the nation’s current efforts to combine school reform and community development. Web-based Documents and Material Local Governments and Schools: A Community-Oriented Approach http://icma.org/documents/SGNReport.pdf (International City/County Management Association, Washington, DC , 2008) Provides local government managers with an understanding of the connections between school facility planning and local government management issues, with particular attention to avoiding the creation of large schools remotely sited from the community they serve. It offers multiple strategies for local governments and schools to bring their respective planning efforts together to take a more community-oriented approach to schools and reach multiple community goals-educational, environmental, economic, social, and fiscal. Eight case studies illustrate how communities across the U.S. have already succeeded in collaborating to create more communityoriented schools. Includes 95 references and an extensive list of additional online resources. 40p. Report NO: E-43527 Reconnecting Schools and Neighborhoods: An Introduction to School-Centered Community Revitalization http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/647/64701.pdf (Enterprise, Columbia, MD , 2007) Provides an introduction to school-centered community revitalization. Part 1 presents the case for integrating school improvement into community development, drawing on the academic research linking school and neighborhood quality as well as early results from school- centered community revitalization projects across the country. Part 2 presents the core components of school-centered community revitalization, including both school-based activities and neighborhood-based activities. The final part of the paper illustrates the diverse approaches currently being taken to improve schools and neighborhoods, drawing on the experiences of eight  school-centered community revitalization initiatives in five cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, and St. Paul. 30p. New Relationships With Schools. Organizations That Build Community by Connecting With Schools. Volumes One and Two  http://www.publicengagement.com/practices/publications/newrelationshipssmry.htm (Collaborative Communications Group for the Kettering Foundation, Nov 2004) Case studies of organizations that establish strong connections between communities and schools using many different entry points. Includes a profile of New School Better Neighborhoods, a nonprofit intermediary organization in Los Angeles that works to design schools that serve as centers of communities. The organization brings together community stakeholders to plan multiuse development that combines residential, recreational, and educational use of scarce land in densely populated urban areas. Schools, Community, and Development. Erasing the Boundaries http://www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/56274.pdf Proscio, Tony (The Enterprise Foundation, Columbia, MD, 2004) This describes the results of efforts in four neighborhoods in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Atlanta to connect community-based revitalization initiatives with school reform programs in the same neighborhoods. Chapters include: 1) Building and Learning Go Seperate Ways; 2) The SchoolCommunity Alliance in Practice; 3) The Developer as Educator; 4) Housing and Economic Development. 39p. Using Public Schools as Community-Development Tools: Strategies for Community-Based Developers http://www.jchs.harvard.edu/publications/communitydevelopment/W02-9_Chung.pdf Chung, Connie (Harvard University, Joint Center for Housing Studies, Cambridge, MA; Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. , 2002) This paper explores the use of public schools as tools for community and  economic development. As major place-based infrastructure and an integral part of the community fabric, public schools can have a profound impact on the social, economic, and physical character of a neighborhood. Addressing public schools, therefore, is a good point of entry for community-based developers to place their work in a comprehensive community-development context. The paper examines ways in which community-based developers can learn from, as well as contribute to, current community-based efforts, particularly in disinvested urban areas, to reinforce the link between public schools and neighborhoods. Furthermore, the paper considers the policy implications of including public schools in comprehensive development strategies, and asserts that reinforcing the link between public schools and neighborhoods is not only good education policy, but also good community-development policy and practice. An appendix presents contact information for organizations participating in school and community linkages. 55p.

Describe How Communication Skills Were Used In Practice Nursing Essay

Describe How Communication Skills Were Used In Practice Nursing Essay Introduction. Communication involves the exchange of messages and is a process which all individuals participate in. Whether it is through spoken word, written word, non-verbal means or even silence, messages are constantly being exchanged between individuals or groups of people (Bach Grant 2009). All behaviour has a message and communication is a process which individuals cannot avoid being involved with (Ellis et al 1995). In nursing practice, communication is essential, and good communication skills are paramount in the development of a therapeutic nurse/patient relationship. This aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of communication in nursing, demonstrating how effective communication facilitates a therapeutic nurse/patient relationship. This will be achieved by providing a definition of communication, making reference to models of communication and explaining how different types of communication skills can be used in practise. In order to engage in meaningful communication and develop effective communication skills, nurses must engage in the process of reflecting on how communication skills are utilised in practise. Reflection allows the nurse opportunity to gain a deeper insight into personal strengths and weaknesses and to address any areas of concern in order to improve future practise (Taylor 2001). A further aim will be to reflect on how communication skills have been utilised within nursing practise. Various models of reflection will be examined, and a reflective account of a personal experience which occurred during placement will be provided using a model. This reflective account will involve a description the incident, an analysis of thoughts and feelings and an evaluation of what has occurred. Finally, the reflective account will include an action plan for a similar situation, which may arise, in the future. Communication involves information being sent, received and decoded between two or more people (Balzer-Riley 2008) and involves the use of a number of communication skills; which in a nursing context generally focuses on listening and giving information to patients (Weller 2002). This process of sending and receiving messages has been described as both simple and complex (Rosengren 2000 in McCabe 2006, p.4). It is a process which is continually utilised by nurses to convey and receive information from the patient, co-workers, others they come into contact with and the patients family. Models of Communication. The Linear Model is the simplest form of communication and involves messages being sent and received by two or more people (McCabe 2006). Whilst this model demonstrates how communication occurs in its simplest form, it fails to consider other factors impacting on the process. Communication in nursing practice can be complicated, involving the conveyance of large amounts of information, for example, when providing patients with information relating to their care and treatment or when offering health promotion advice. In contrast, the Circular Transactional Model is a two way approach, acknowledging other factors, which influence communication such as feedback and validation (McCabe 2006). Elements of this model are also contained in Hargie and Dickinsons (2004) A Skill Model of Interpersonal Communication which suggests that successful communication is focused, purposeful and identifies the following skills; person centred context, goal, mediating process, response, feedback and perception. It also considers other aspects of the individual and the influence these may have on their approach to the process of communication (McCabe 2006). For communication to be effective it is important for the nurse to recognise key components, and intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which may affect the process (McCabe 2006). They must consider factors such as past personal experiences, personal perceptions, timing and the setting in which communication occurs. Physical, physiological, psychological and semantic noise may also influence the message, resulting in misinterpreted by the receiver (McCabe 2006). Communication skills. Communication consists of verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication relates to the spoken word and can be conducted face-to-face or over the telephone (Docherty McCallum 2009). Nurses continually communicate with patients; verbal communication allows the nurse opportunity to give information to the patient about their care or treatment, to reassure the patient and to listen and respond to any concerns the patient may have (NMC 2008). Effective communication is beneficial to the patient in terms of their satisfaction and understanding, of care and treatment they have been given (Arnold Boggs 2007), while at the same time optimising the outcomes or care and/or treatment for the patient (Kennedy- Sheldon 2009). Questioning allows the nurse to gather further information and open or closed questions can be used. Closed questions usually require a yes or no response and are used to gather the necessary information, whereas open questions allow the patient, opportunity to play an active role and to discuss and agree options relating to their care as set out in the Healthcare Standards for Wales document (2005). Probing questions can be used to explore the patients problems further thus allowing the nurse to treat the patient as an individual and develop a care plan specific to their individual needs (NMC 2008). It is vital that the nurse communicates effectively, sharing information with the patient about their health in an understandable way to ensure the patient is fully informed about their care and treatment and that consent is gained prior to this occurring (NMC 2008). The nurse should also listen to the patient and respond to their concerns and preferences about their care and well-being (NMC 2008). In nursing, listening is an essential skill and incorporates attending and listening (Burnard Gill 2007). Attending; fully focusing on the other person and being aware of what they are trying to communicate and listening; the process of hearing what is being said by another person are the most important aspects of being a nurse (Burnard 1997). Non-verbal communication is a major factor in communication, involving exchange of messages without words. It relates to emotional states and attitudes and the conveyance of messages through body language; body language has seven elements; gesture, facial expressions, gaze, posture, body space and proximity, touch and dress (Ellis et al 1995). Each of these elements can reinforce the spoken word and add meaning to the message; it isnt about what you say or how you say it but it also relates to what your body is doing while you are speaking (Oberg 2003). Patients often read cues from the nurses non-verbal behaviour, which can indicate interest or disinterest. Attentiveness and attention to the patient can be achieved through SOLER: S sit squarely, O Open posture, L learn towards the patient, E eye contact, R relax (Egan 2002). There must be congruency between verbal and non verbal messages for effective communication to be achieved. Non-verbal communication can contradict the spoken word and the ability to recognise these non-verbal cues is vitally important in nursing practice (McCabe 2006), for example, a patient may verbally communicate that they are not in pain, but their non-verbal communication such as facial expression may indicate otherwise. It is also important for the nurse to be aware of the congruency of their verbal and non-verbal communication. Any discrepancies between the two will have a direct influence on the message they are giving to patients, and may jeopardise the nurse/patient relationship. Other factors may affect communication in a negative way, endangering the process, and nurses must be aware of internal and external barriers (Schubert 2003). Lack of interest, poor listening skills, culture and the personal attitude are internal factors, which may affect the process. External barriers such as the physical environment, temperature, the use of jargon and/or technical words can also negatively influence the process (Schubert 2003). Reflection. To fully assess the development of communication skills the nurse can make use of reflection to gain a better insight and understanding of their skills (Siviter 2008). Reflection can also be used to apply theoretical knowledge to practice, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice (Burns Bulman 2000) and allows us opportunity, to develop a better insight and awareness of our actions both conscious and unconscious in the situation. Reflecting on events that take place in practice, allows opportunity not only to think about what we do, but also to consider why we do things. This helps us to learn from the experience and improve our future nursing practice (Siviter 2008). Reflection can be described as either reflection in action; occurring during the event, or reflection on action; which happens after the event has occurred (Taylor 2001) and is guided by a model, which serves as a framework within, which the nurse is able to work. It is usually a written process, and the use o f a reflective model uses questions to provide a structure and guide for the process (Siviter 2008). Reflective Models. There are numerous reflective models that may be utilised by the nursing professional, for example, Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988), Johns Model of Structured Reflection (1994) and Driscolls Model of Reflection (2002). Gibbs model (Appendix I) has a cyclical approach, consisting of six stages per cycle that guide the user through a series of questions, providing a structure for reflection on an experience. The first stage of the process is a descriptive account of the situation; what happened? Followed by an analysis of thoughts and feelings in the second stage; what were your thoughts and feelings? The third and fourth stages involve an evaluation of the situation, what was good and/or bad about the experience and an analysis allowing us to make sense of the situation. The last two stages are the conclusion of the situation, what else could have been done and finally an action plan to prepare for similar situations, which may arise in the future (Gibbs 1988). Similarly to Gibbs Reflective Cycle, Johns Model of Structured Reflection (Appendix II) and Driscolls (Appendix III) model of reflection promote learning through reflection. They have similar structures, which guide the user through the reflective process. Johns Model incorporates four stages; description, reflection, alternative actions and learning (Johns 1994) and Discolls model has three stages: a return to the situation, understanding the context and modifying future outcome (Discoll 2002). The three models described all have similarities in that the user is guided through the reflective process by describing the event, analysing their thoughts, feelings and actions and making plans for future practice. Considering the models of reflection described, the next component of this essay will make use of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1998) to provide a reflective account of a situation which I experienced during clinical placement in a community setting. Reflective Account. As part of this placement, I assisted my mentor, a health visitor, in the provision of a baby club for parents with babies and pre-school children, which takes place on a weekly basis and involves routine checks, such as baby-weighing, in addition to opportunity, for parents to socialise and opportunity for health visitors to provide information relating to the care and health of babies and children. During the second week of this placement, I was asked to assist in the delivery of a forthcoming health promotion session relating to dental health. I have chosen this event as a basis for my reflective account as I feel that health promotion is an important area to consider. It enables individuals to play a pivotal role in their own health (Webster and Finch 2002 in Scriven 2005) and is a means by which positive health can be promoted and enhanced alongside the prevention of illness (Downie et al 2000). It gives clients the knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and prevention of illness and is an area in which the nurse or healthcare professional plays a key role (WHO 1989). Description of the event. The event occurred during a weekly session at baby club that takes place in a community centre. My mentor (Health Visitor) and I were present along with a group of ten mothers and their babies. As this event took place during a group session, I will maintain confidentiality (NMC 2008) by not referring to any one individual. Consent was gained from all clients prior to the session commencing, in line with the NMC Code of Conduct (2008) and the environment was checked to ensure it was appropriate and safe for the session to take place. The aim of the session was to promote good dental health and oral hygiene amongst children and babies. Standard 1 of the Standards of Care for Health Visitors (RCN 1989) is to promote health, and the session aimed to provide clients with relevant, up-to-date information, thus allowing them to make informed choices about the future care of their childrens teeth. Chairs were set out in a semi-circle with a number of play mats and various baby toys placed in the centre. This allowed parents opportunity to interact in the session, to listen to the information and ask questions while at the same time being in close enough proximity to their children to respond to their needs. The Health Visitor and I sat at the front of the semi circle facing the group. I reintroduced myself to the group and gave a brief explanation of my role and the part I would play in the session. This was important; some of the clients were meeting me for the first time, and it is during this initial contact that jud gements are made about future interactions, and the service being provided. Positive initial interaction can provide a good foundation for a future beneficial relationship (Scriven 2005). The session was broken down into two parts: information giving, focusing on the promotion of dental health and prevention of illness in the form of tooth decay (Robotham and Frost 2005). Secondly, information relating to tooth brushing was given along with a demonstration undertaken by myself that showed the clients good oral hygiene could be achieved through effective tooth brushing. A question and answer session followed which allowed us to clarify any issues raised. Feelings and thoughts. In the week, preceding the session it was important for me to consider a systematic approach to the planning of the session. The first stage was to gather relevant, up-to-date information relating to the subject and plan how it could be incorporated in the session. The NMC Standards of Proficiency (2004a) states that nurses must engage in a continual process of learning and that evidence-based practice should be used (Bach and Grant 2009). The plan was discussed with my mentor and advice was sought about any adjustments which may be necessary. Prior to the session, I was apprehensive about delivering a health promotion session to clients (patients). I as I felt out of my depth as a first year student and my anxiety was exacerbated further as this was my first placement. However, support and encouragement from my mentor and other health visitors in the team helped me to relax. I was given the opportunity to discuss the topic with my mentor and was relieved when I was able to respond to any questions asked in an appropriate manner and that my knowledge had been increased through the research I had undertaken, thus boosting my confidence. Evaluation. Despite my initial reservation about my knowledge of the subject and apprehension at delivering a health promotion session, I feel that my mentors decision to include me in the delivery of the session benefitted me greatly in the development of my knowledge and self confidence. During the session, I feel that I communicated well verbally with clients and that my non-verbal communication was appropriate and corresponded to what I was saying. The clients were focused on the session and seemed genuinely interested, nodding when they understood and showed attentiveness by making regular eye contact. Feedback from clients after the session also allowed me to reflect on my communication; one of the clients stated afterwards that she had gained a lot from the session particularly the demonstration relating to tooth brushing and was now more aware of the importance of early oral hygiene to prevent problems later in the childs life. Analysis. Dental Health is a key Health Promotion target in Wales and is the most prevalent form of disease amongst children in Wales. Many of the participants were unaware of when and how childrens teeth should be cared for and the importance of ensuring good oral hygiene from an early age. The aim of the session was to provide information to parents as a means of promoting good oral hygiene and prevention of tooth decay in babies and young children. In order for the aim to be achieved, communication was a key element. Effective communication in a group can only be achieved if there is trust, participation, co-operation and collaboration among its members and the belief that they as a group are able to perform effectively as a group (Balzer-Riley 2008). The information was provided in a way that was easily understandable, a demonstration of how teeth should be brushed was given, and time was allowed for the clients time to ask questions. Communication and listening skills allowed us to discov er what knowledge the clients already had, and enabled us to adjust the information to meet the needs of the clients. Throughout the session, I was aware of my non-verbal communication and attempted to show attentiveness to individuals in the group, using the principles of SOLER I made the necessary adjustments. At times, this proved difficult as trying to lean towards the clients and maintain eye contact with each individual was not possible in a group situation. My anxiety about delivering the session was also an area which I had some concerns with. Nervousness can have an influence on how a message is delivered, and I was constantly aware of my verbal communication, particularly my paralanguage. I have a tendency to speak at an accelerated rate when I am nervous, and was aware that this may influence the way in which the message was being received. It is important to be aware of paralanguage in which the meaning of a word or phrase can change depending on tone, pitch or the rate at which the word(s) is spoken. Paralanguage may also include vocal sounds which may accompany speech and which can add meaning to the words being spoken (Hartley 1999). Throughout the session, I was aware of my verbal and non-verbal communication, and I tried to ensure that it corresponded to the information being given; I was also aware of non-verbal communication of the participants and made appropriate adjustments to my delivery when needed Conclusion. After the session had finished, I was given an opportunity to discuss it with my mentor. I was able to articulate what I felt had gone well, what hadnt gone quite as well and what could be improved. I noted that I was very nervous about delivering the session despite having the knowledge and understanding of the subject and felt that this may have been noticed by the participants. However, feedback from my mentor allowed me to realise that my nervousness was not apparent in my delivery. By undertaking this reflection, I have been able to question the experience and analyse my actions and behaviour, as a means of developing my knowledge for future practice Action plan. This session has helped with my learning and personal development and I now feel more confident in my ability to deliver health promotion activities in a group setting. I am, however, aware that speaking in a group setting is not an area I am very comfortable with but further practice will help alleviate this. I am confident that I will be able to use the knowledge gained on the subject of dental health in my future placements. In the future, I will repeat the process of thorough research, as it is best practice to keep knowledge up-to-date in order to provide care based on evidence (NMC 2008). Summary. In summary, communication is a complex process and an essential skill which the nurse must be aware of in every aspect, of care and treatment they give to patients. A full awareness of not only the spoken word, but also the influence non-verbal communication has on the messages being communicated, is essential in the development of a therapeutic relationship between nurse and patient. The process of reflecting upon practice is also an essential element of knowledge development. After consideration of a number of reflective frameworks, the use of Gibbs Reflective Cycle as a structure for creating a reflective account has proven to be beneficial in the exploration of personal thoughts and feelings in relation to a specified event and I recognise the importance of reflection as a learning tool that can enhance knowledge and practice.