Developing nurses' intercultural/intraprofessional communication skills using the EXCELLence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Social Interaction Maps

Aims and objectives To examine how the use of Social Interaction Maps, a tool in the EXCELLence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Program, can enhance the development of nurses’ intercultural/intraprofessional communication skills. Background Nurses face communication challenges when interacting with others from similar background as well as those from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. We used the EXCELLence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Program's Social Interaction Maps tool to foster intercultural/intraprofessional communication skills in nurses. Social Interaction Maps describe verbal and nonverbal communication behaviours that model ways of communicating in a culturally appropriate manner. The maps include four stages of an interaction, namely Approach, Bridging, Communicating and Departing using the acronym ABCD. Design Qualitative approach was used with a purposeful sample of nurses enrolled in a postgraduate course. Methods Fifteen participants were recruited. The Social Interaction Map tool was taught to participants in a workshop where they engaged in sociocultural communication activities using scenarios. Participants were asked to apply Social Interaction Maps in their workplaces. Six weeks later, participants completed a semistructured open‐ended questionnaire and participated in a discussion forum on their experience of using Social Interaction Maps. Data were content‐analysed. Results Four themes identified in the use of the Social Interaction Maps were (i) enhancing self‐awareness of communication skills; (ii) promoting skills in being nonconfrontational during difficult interactions; (iii) highlighting the importance of A (Approach) and B (Bridging) in interaction with others; and (iv) awareness of how others interpret what is said C (Communicating) and discussing to resolve issues before closure D (Departing). Conclusions Application of the EXCELLence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Social Interaction Mapping tool was shown to be useful in developing intercultural/intraprofessional communication skills in nurses. Relevance to clinical practice Professional development programmes that incorporate EXCELLence in Cultural Experiential Learning and Leadership Social Interaction Maps can enhance nurses’ intercultural/intraprofessional communication competencies when engaging with others from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and improve the way nurses communicate with each other.