Introduction to safe communication (European Institute for Safe Communication)

Summary

Failures in interpersonal communication are considered to be the main cause of serious avoidable incidents in high-risk settings. The European Institute for Safe Communication (EISC) aims to prevent these incidents by the promotion of interpersonal "safe" communication skills. The EISC website explains how safe communication can be achieved through the SACCIA approach.

SACCIA is an acronym that summarises the five communicative practices that, according to extensive scientific analysis, repeatedly lead to avoidable harm. At the same time, these five practices represent evidence-based core competencies for "safe communication," because they convert harm-triggering communication weaknesses into competencies. Beyond these safety practices, fundamental misconceptions about interpersonal communication are also being addressed. The letters "SACCIA" stand for Sufficiency, Accuracy, Clarity, Contextualisation and Interpersonal Adaptation.