Chapter: 1.3 How to develop communication skills?

How to develop communication skills?

The Health Professionals have to communicate with their patients/ relatives and the staff members all the time. Their main role is to provide proper medical care. This is achieved by verbal and nonverbal communication. Most of the Health Professionals, except Nursing do not undergo training in developing communication skills. So there must be an earnest effort from the Health Professionals to improve their communication skills. The following methods would help:

1.    Think before you talk. The Health Professionals must know what he is trying to gather from the patient which will help him to understand the problem and advise correctly.
2.    Use of appropriate words & tone. Spoken words play an important role in professional conversations. Use of appropriate words, spoken in friendly, sympathetic and pleasant tone evokes favorable response. If this is mixed with correct gestures, it helps to build instant rapport with the patient and ensures his cooperation and compliance.
3.    Do not indulge in monologue. Patients want them to be hear ! They come to the Health Professionals to narrate their story, tell her about the sufferings, apprehensions, fears, the outcome of treatment, and perhaps his financial difficulties. The Health Professional should allow the patient to talk freely. Encourage them to open-up their feelings and share their views with you.
4.    Develop the art of listening. Be attentive and show to the patient that you are genuinely interested in his story. Eye contact, a nod, a sympathetic expression or pat on his back and some encouragements by way of suitable questions can prompt him to furnish more details.
5.    Repeat major points. Emphasis must be given on some important aspects of the management of the case. Such points must be repeated to stress their importance.
6.    Develop the habit of getting a feedback. The medical treatment is a very sensitive issue. There is no scope for ambiguity, misinterpretation and wrong impression. Preciseness and accuracy is the hall mark of the professional communication. This is ensured by a feedback. Make sure that patient has correctly understood your oral/ written communication. Successful outcome of the treatment depends on the correct feedback from Nurse/ Medical Technology staff / patient/ relatives.
7.    Express emotion: Emotions aid in empathizing others and allow a better understanding. Make a habit to describe your feelings about the facts narrated by the patients and on his sufferings. The expression of emotion should be moderate and one should never show extreme emotions.
8.    Written communication should always be based on facts. A falsified document, inaccurate records, omission to note some important points, carelessness, illegible hand writing etc. should be avoided. We do not know when and for what purpose the written communication of the Health Professional would be used. The authenticity of the information contained in the written communication can be ensured by timely recording of the events based on factual things in the medical records in chronological sequence, of the events.
9.    A smile is the most effective means of communication. Smile indicates a positive attitude, friendliness and openness. Use this skill in appropriate situation. A smile signals that the person is in pleasant mood, positive and approachable. The patient/staff members feel relaxed which is conducive for exchange of information.
10.    Good Manners: Good manners are always appropriate and give us a competitive edge. Show respect to people. Saying such words like, "please, thank you, excuse me" with sincerity creates right environment for effective communication and establishing rapport.
11.    Dress appropriately: When you dress appropriate to the occasion, you draw attention of others. Listeners consciously or subconsciously develop confidence in your ability. This aids communication.