NU530 Unit 7 DQ 1 communication style discussion post
After reading chapter 9, describe a communication style you used in a recent professional interaction, explain why you used it, judge whether it was effective, and name one barrier to effective communication you would most like to improve in yourself.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 14, 2026
A named style, one real interaction, one honest weakness
This post has four moving parts and the first one decides the rest. You must name a communication style, and chapter 9 is where the vocabulary comes from, so the style should be one your text actually defines rather than a word like professional or friendly. Assertive, passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive is the classic set; texts aimed at nurses often add collaborative, directive and therapeutic styles, and situational models describe shifting register with the listener. Pick the label your chapter uses and then be specific about the interaction: who was involved, what was at stake, what you actually said. A discussion post that describes a style in the abstract and never lands in a room with a person in it cannot answer the second question, because why you chose the style only makes sense once the pressure on you is visible. Chapter 9 is also the standard your instructor reads the post against, so use its terms.
The third question asks whether it worked, and the safest answer is rarely the strongest. Saying the interaction went well closes the post down; saying what the style achieved and what it cost opens it up. A directive style may have moved a deteriorating patient quickly while leaving a colleague feeling overridden, and both halves are worth writing. Then the final sentence changes the task. It asks for a barrier in yourself, not a barrier in the organisation, so noise, staffing and interruptions are not answers even though they are real. Name something you own: interrupting, softening bad news until it stops being information, avoiding conflict with a particular grade of colleague, or defaulting to written communication when a conversation would be faster. Then say what you would do differently, because the rubric rewards analysis over confession. One concrete change you could make on your next shift is worth more here than a general resolution to communicate better.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Identify communication styles using the vocabulary established in the assigned chapter.
- 02Analyse a real professional interaction in terms of the style chosen and the pressures acting on it.
- 03Evaluate communication effectiveness against outcomes rather than comfort.
- 04Recognise a personal, rather than environmental, barrier to effective communication.
- 05Support reflective claims with peer-reviewed journal evidence in APA format.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. NU530-8D Unit 7 DQ 1 One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A named communication style, drawn from chapter 9.
- 02A description of one recent professional interaction in which you used it.
- 03An explanation of why that style was chosen in that situation.
- 04A judgement on whether it was effective, with reasons on both sides.
- 05One personal barrier you would most like to improve, with a stated next step.
- 06APA citations and at least one peer-reviewed source.
Situation, style, judgement, then the barrier
The interaction
Set the scene: who, what was at stake, what was said.
The style, named from the chapter
Label the communication style using the text's own terms.
Why that style, in that moment
Explain the situational pressures that made the choice reasonable.
Whether it worked
Assess the outcome, including what the style cost as well as achieved.
The barrier you own
Name one personal barrier and a concrete step to improve it.
Where communication styles are actually defined
Recommended databases
- The assigned chapter 9
- StatPearls via NCBI Bookshelf
- CINAHL
- PubMed
- AHRQ Patient Safety Network
Search sequence
- 1.Re-read chapter 9 and list the styles it names, in its own words.
- 2.Match your interaction to the closest of those styles before writing.
- 3.Search for peer-reviewed work on that style's effect on team or patient outcomes.
- 4.Look up communication failures as a contributor to adverse events, for the barrier section.
- 5.Draft the barrier and its remedy first, so the post does not run out of room for it.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Therapeutic Communication
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Defines therapeutic communication techniques and barriers, giving named terms for the post.
- 02
Conflict Management in Healthcare
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Names assertive, avoidant and accommodating styles and what each achieves under pressure.
- 03
Group Therapy
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Describes how communication style shifts with group role, useful for the effectiveness judgement.
- 04
Nursing Professional Development Evidence-Based Practice
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024
Source for framing a personal improvement step as an evidence-informed change.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Naming a style the chapter does not define, so nothing in the post can be assessed against the reading.
- Describing communication in general instead of one identifiable interaction.
- Answering the effectiveness question with a simple yes, which leaves nothing to analyse.
- Offering an organisational barrier such as short staffing when the question asks about yourself.
- Writing the whole post from experience with no peer-reviewed source attached.
- Skipping the responses component, which carries its own marks in this course.
Submission checklist
- The style named appears in chapter 9.
- One specific interaction is described, with people and stakes.
- The reason for choosing that style is stated explicitly.
- Effectiveness is judged with both what worked and what it cost.
- The barrier identified is personal, not environmental.
- At least one peer-reviewed reference is cited in APA format.
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines
Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.
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Dr. Nathan Cole
PhD, Rhetoric & Composition
Argumentation and thesis development
Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.