The Big Picture
Professional communication means paying attention to what you say, how you say it, and how you behave around others. Support workers need to communicate professionally with clients, families, co-workers, and other members of the health care team.
Professional behaviour continues during breaks and outside the workplace. Your words, facial expressions, online activity, and handling of private client information all matter.
Look for Nova Scotia CCA Notes throughout this page for current provincial guidance.
Quick tip: Tap, click, or press Enter on any term with a dotted underline and an ⓘ icon to see its plain-English definition.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- workplace etiquette means professional, ethical, friendly, and respectful behaviour toward staff and co-workers at all times.
- Use professional words, tone, behaviour, and body language at work.
- Keep a professional relationship with clients instead of treating the relationship like a friendship.
- Protect private client information and share only information that is pertinent with team members providing direct care.
- Confidentiality applies at work and during your personal time.
- Be careful with social media, personal conversations, and anything you post about clients.
Jump to:
Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
Professional Communication at Work
Support workers are part of the health care team. Professional communication forms an important part of professional behaviour.
Use respectful language and professional behaviour while working. Avoid slang, swear words, and offensive language.
Pay attention to your tone when speaking with co-workers. A response that sounds rude, irritated, or hostile can create problems between workers.
Body Language Matters
body language is a form of nonverbal communication. Gestures, posture, and facial expressions can send messages about a person’s physical, mental, or emotional state.
Professional behaviour includes the messages you send without speaking. Avoiding eye contact and eye-rolling are examples of behaviour that breaks workplace etiquette.
Workplace Etiquette
workplace etiquette means behaving professionally, ethically, respectfully, and in a friendly manner toward staff and co-workers at all times.
This expectation applies:
- during working hours
- during breaks
- during team conferences
- when reporting at the beginning and end of a shift
Workers who normally speak a language other than English are expected to speak English in the workplace at all times, even when speaking with a co-worker who uses the same language. Using a language that excludes other people in the room is considered disrespectful, even when the conversation does not directly involve them.
Examples of Poor Workplace Etiquette
Examples include:
- gossiping about clients or team members in person or online
- breaking confidentiality
- avoiding eye contact
- rolling your eyes or using other nonsupportive facial expressions
- speaking a language that other people present do not understand
- bullying, which is also called horizontal violence
If you need to call or text someone during a break, use your cell phone in private. Continue to treat co-workers politely and respectfully during breaks.
Professional Behaviour Outside Work
Health care workers also need to think carefully about communication outside the workplace.
Be selective about what you post on social media. Social media includes websites and applications where people form online networks or communities and share information, ideas, messages, and other content.
Employers may look at social media when considering someone for employment. Spoken or written confidentiality breaches and undesirable behaviour may negatively affect a person’s employment status.
Professional Relationships Are Different From Friendships
Remain professional when communicating with clients, their families, and the health care team.
A friendship is voluntary and informal. Friends share personal information and choose to spend time together.
A professional relationship exists because of the worker’s assignment . A client might begin to think of the support worker as a friend after sharing personal thoughts or concerns.
The support worker still needs to keep the relationship professional. The worker should not share personal thoughts, private information, or personal worries with the client.
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, 5th Edition teaches the difference between friendship and a professional relationship. Nova Scotia’s current Continuing Care Assistant Occupational Standards of Practice adds a more specific provincial expectation. Ethical practice includes establishing boundaries, maintaining confidentiality, knowing when to report and escalate concerns, and following CCA standards, health-care legislation, and employer policies. (novascotiacca.ca)
The current Nova Scotia standards also identify communication as a core competency. They include respectful verbal, non-verbal, and written communication. (novascotiacca.ca)
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: Boundaries, confidentiality, and professional communication are part of the current entry-level expectations for Nova Scotia CCAs.
Official source: Continuing Care Assistant Occupational Standards of Practice
Last checked: September 3, 2026
Showing Courtesy and Respect to Clients
Professional communication includes everyday signs of respect.
Support workers should:
- knock before entering a closed door
- call clients by their names
- say “please” and “thank you”
- always introduce themselves to the client before taking any action and explain what they will be doing
- respect how each client wants to be addressed
At first, address a client using a courtesy title, such as Mr., Ms., or Mrs., with the client’s last name. Continue until the client asks you to use their first name.
Terms such as “honey,” “dear,” or “sweetheart” are inappropriate and disrespectful to the client.
Some clients prefer gender-neutral forms of address or a chosen nickname. Respect the client’s request and use the form of address they prefer.
Protecting Confidentiality
Confidentiality involves protecting the private and sensitive information you learn about clients through your work.
Only share pertinent client information with team members who provide direct care to that client.
Where You Discuss Client Information Matters
Think about both the person receiving the information and the place where the discussion happens.
Discussing a client with staff who do not take part in that client’s care breaks confidentiality.
Talking about clients in places such as these also breaks confidentiality:
- stairwells
- lunchrooms
- parking lots
Confidentiality must extend to your personal time. Do not post client pictures on social media or discuss clients in personal conversations or online posts. Leaving out the client’s name does not make the discussion appropriate.
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino teaches that pertinent client information should only be shared with team members providing direct care. In Nova Scotia, privacy guidance under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) makes this more specific through the need-to-know principle. Personal health information should only be accessed and used when it is needed to carry out responsibilities for that person’s care encounter. Being part of a broader care team does not create automatic access to all of a person’s information. (oipc.novascotia.ca)
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: For privacy, focus on whether the information is needed for the work being done, rather than assuming everyone involved in health care has access.
Official source: Need-to-Know Instead of Circle of Care
Last checked: September 3, 2026
Exam Clue Words
- Only: Only pertinent information should be shared with team members who provide direct care to the client.
- Always: Professional behaviour and workplace etiquette apply throughout the workday, including breaks.
- Must: Confidentiality must continue during your personal time as well as at work.
- Avoid: Avoid slang, offensive language, disrespectful behaviour, gossip, and communication that breaks confidentiality.
Common Mix-Ups
| Wrong Idea | Better Idea |
|---|---|
| A professional relationship is the same as a friendship. | A professional relationship comes from the worker’s assignment and is different from a friendship. |
| Leaving out a client’s name protects confidentiality. | Discussing or posting about a client can still break confidentiality even without the client’s name. |
Fast Review
Professional communication includes your words, tone, behaviour, body language, and handling of private information.
- workplace etiquette means professional, ethical, friendly, and respectful behaviour toward staff and co-workers.
- Avoid slang, swear words, offensive language, gossip, eye-rolling, and other unprofessional behaviour.
- Professional behaviour continues during breaks.
- Keep client relationships professional instead of turning them into friendships.
- Do not share personal thoughts, private information, or worries with clients.
- Introduce yourself before taking action and explain what you will be doing.
- Respect the client’s requested name, title, nickname, or gender-neutral form of address.
- Protect private and sensitive client information.
- Share only pertinent information with team members providing direct care.
- Do not discuss clients with uninvolved staff or in public workplace areas.
- Confidentiality must extend to personal time, including social media and personal conversations about clients.
- Leaving out the client’s name does not make an inappropriate discussion or post acceptable.
Final Pep Talk
This topic has several rules that sound similar, so focus on the pattern behind them: communicate professionally, keep client relationships professional, and protect private client information. Review the examples a few times, and the differences will become easier to recognize.