LEARNING TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY

What is a communication skill?

• Communication skills are verbal and non-verbal words, phrases, voice tones, facial expressions, gestures, and body language that you use in the interaction between you and another person.

• Verbal communication  is the ability to explain and present your ideas in clear English, to diverse audiences. This includes the ability to tailor your delivery to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches, and an understanding of the importance of non-verbal cues in oral communication. Oral communication requires the background skills of presenting, audience awareness, critical listening and body language.

• Non-verbal communication is the ability to enhance the expression of ideas and concepts without the use of coherent labels, through the use of body language, gestures, facial expressions and tone of voice, and also the use of pictures, icons, and symbols. Non-verbal communication requires background skills such as audience awareness, personal presentation and body language.

• Effective communication is an essential part of building and maintaining good physician-patient and physician-colleague relationships. These skills help people to understand and learn from each other, develop alternate perspectives, and meet each others' needs.

Hidden agendas, emotions, stress, prejudices, and defensiveness are just a few common barriers that need to be overcome in order to achieve the real goal of communication, namely mutual understanding. High Performers master and continually practice the basics, as well as prepare for these communication pitfalls. Just as successful physicians routinely practice basic medical skills, High-Performers understand that they too must pay attention to communication skills or they risk getting out of shape pretty quickly.

• How do you develop your communication skills? Explore the related skills and look at the examples below:

• Oral communication is the ability to explain and present your ideas in clear English, to diverse audiences. This includes the ability to tailor your delivery to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches, and an understanding of the importance of non-verbal cues in oral communication. Oral communication requires the background skills of presenting, audience awareness, critical listening and body language.

• Written communication is the ability to write effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of different audiences and purposes, with a command of the English language. This includes the ability to tailor your writing to a given audience, using appropriate styles and approaches. It also encompasses electronic communication such as SMS, email, discussion boards, chat rooms and instant messaging. Written communication requires background skills such as academic writing, revision and editing, critical reading and presentation of data.

• Non-verbal communication is the ability to enhance the expression of ideas and concepts without the use of coherent labels, through the use of body language, gestures, facial expression and tone of voice, and also the use of pictures, icons and symbols. Non-verbal communication requires background skills such as audience awareness, personal presentation and body language.