Day 2-89 -- Talking or Communicating?

We had a wonderful visiting speaker in department seminar today -- a retired CBC radio journalist who currently sells spice mixtures at the Halifax weekend market. He spoke about talking with people and really communicating. As experts in a science field, there is a need to speak to people at a level that they understand. This led me to reflect on difficulties inherent in translating knowledge as health professionals. To succeed at communicating, we need to listen to people and their concerns. Only then can we hope to be of any help as health professionals. Only providing our message -- that is, what we think they need to hear -- can often totally miss the mark. If we ignore their knowledge level and talk down to them or over their understanding, the needed information will not be communicated.  As George Bernard Shaw stated, "The only problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

I've encountered many stories and personal experiences of miscommunication. One of my first presentations went less well than I'd hoped.  I planned to do all the talking and soon realized that my assumptions of the group I was speaking to were incorrect. I also learned quickly that speaking 'to' rather than speaking 'with' made all the difference in the world. It is a hard lesson to learn. Sadly I've encountered health professionals who have not gained this insight and miscommunicate for much of their careers. I will admit that I have let some professionals know that I understand more than they may think. I generally try to do this quietly at first, by asking a specific question using their language. As a patient this can be a challenge, but it generally throws the professional off a bit and then we can finally converse in a manner that gets my questions answered and their major points communicated. Not everyone feels comfortable doing this, so they sit politely and nod and then walk away never to return.

The speaker today reminded me of a wonderful song that so fits the topic of communicating. The singer and this version are classics. Enjoy!

Everybody's Talkin' -- Harry Nilsson