Techniques for Teaching Communication Skills: Developing “Great Communicators”

Abstract

OPEN ACCESSDecember 1, 2014Techniques for Teaching Communication Skills: Developing “Great Communicators” Toi Harris, MD, Nadia Ismail, MD, Med, MPH, Sheila Loboprabhu, MD, Ayesha Mian, MD, Geeta Singhal, MD, MEd, Joseph Kass, MD, JD, Joan Friedland, MD, MPH Toi Harris, MD Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Nadia Ismail, MD, Med, MPH Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Sheila Loboprabhu, MD Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Ayesha Mian, MD Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Geeta Singhal, MD, MEd Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Joseph Kass, MD, JD Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Joan Friedland, MD, MPH Baylor College of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9974 SectionsAbout ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail Abstract Introduction: Many national medical organizations have identified the significance of communication within the patient-physician relationship. The AAMC, the Kalamazoo II Report, the ACGME, and the ABMS have each issued calls for the development and maintenance of effective interpersonal skills to be applied during medical encounters. In order to do so, faculty need to be able to teach the core competencies of interpersonal and communication skills to medical learners. Therefor, the authors created this resource for educators who are developing their skills for teaching learners how to practice active listening as a basic element of communication in their clinical practice. Methods: Techniques to teach these communication skills within clinical settings are presented and explored through interactive lectures, media, role-plays, and appreciative inquiry. This program can be appropriate for undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and faculty continuing their medical education. Results: This workshop is a regularly scheduled college-wide offering of Baylor College of Medicine Faculty Development Office for the last 5 years, with an average overall quality rating of 4.6 on a 1 to 5 scale (5 being highest). Attendees believed the workshop increased their ability to think and reflect upon their own communication skills and that their medical learners would benefit from their participation. Attendees repeatedly noted that the opportunity to actually experience and then discuss communication barriers provided invaluable insights. Representative comments from participants include: “Small group discussion and diversity of workshop style kept audience very engaged throughout the workshop,” and “The use of video to juxtapose differences in communication really helped. Additionally, role playing gave the opportunity to experience communication barriers first-hand.” Discussion: The workshop has been presented using a variety of formats and based on feedback from program participants, the interactive components of the workshop are essential. Presenting the information in an interactive manner allowed participants to draw upon their own experience as communicators and reflect on making changes in how they teach communication and listening styles to learners. The inclusion of role-plays, media clips, small-group discussion, and reflection exercises enhance the workshop by reinforcing communication concepts and strategies. This should be kept in mind when altering the time frames. Educational Objectives By the end of this session, the learner will be able to: Identify opportunities to teach the basic elements of communication as described in national competency consensus statements.Describe how the concepts of relationship-centered care apply to our clinical communication teaching.Demonstrate/observe specific skills of effective listening in patient encounters.Recognize effective techniques to teach listening skills. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: Instructor's Guide.doc Resource File List.docx Pre-Session Self-Evaluation and Key.docx Opening Case-The Difficult Patient.docx Communication Workshop.pptx Participant Role Play-In The Trenches.docx Appreciative Inquiry.docx Workshop Evaluation Form.docx Supplemental Activity Information.docx Glossary.doc Bibliography.doc To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. CitationHarris T, Ismail N, Loboprabhu S, Mian A, Singhal G, Kass J, Friedland J. Techniques for Teaching Communication Skills: Developing “Great Communicators”. MedEdPORTAL. 2014;10:9974. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9974 Copyright & Permissions© 2014 Harris et al. This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license.KeywordsPhysician-Patient RelationsEffective ListeningCommunication SkillsCommunication Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...