The majority of my clinical care transformed from face-to-face encounters into telephone encounters amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep healthy people out of the clinic, our organization began requiring that we handle all non-urgent visits as telephone encounters. I have now had a few weeks to experience this change in the way I take care of patients, and I've noticed some recurring communication challenges. Show
My main difficulty is assessing patients' reactions to what I'm saying. Do they accept my analysis of the situation? Is there some hesitation about the plan? Do they understand what I am explaining? I've also found it can be hard to end these phone calls. Without nonverbal cues, the pacing of our conversation lags, and it can be difficult to move toward a resolution. Who knew that I depended so much on nonverbal communication during patient visits? Showing empathy, which has always come naturally to me during face-to-face visits, has also required extra attention during these new visits. Recognizing that it might take more than instinct to communicate effectively during a telephone visit, I set out to learn more, both from the medical literature and from the call center industry.– Here are some tips we can all use to enhance our telephone communication skills.
If we listen carefully and communicate clearly, we can optimize the effectiveness of telephone visits for us and for our patients. In the humorous American television program Seinfeld, the characters often find themselves in strange situations because of small communication failures. These little misunderstandings grow to the point of total confusion. For example, in one show, Jerry and George take a limousine, or limo, meant for other passengers. They act like they are those passengers by using their names. Listen to George express excitement about what they have done:
What for? To tell her I'm in a limo. Hello, ma. It's me. Guess where I am – in the back of a limo! No, nobody died. Some of the planned passengers later unexpectedly get in the limo and begin to make unusual comments. Jerry and George are unsure what these comments mean. But they soon find out they are among very, very bad people. On television, communication failures can make for funny stories. But in real life, you probably want to avoid such confusion. In today’s program, we will tell you how to get clarification on what someone has said or written. When you ask someone for clarification, you are asking them to say something in a different way or provide more information so that you understand them better. This is different from asking a person to repeat something. The person might not have explained themselves clearly, for example. Or maybe they used difficult language. Or maybe you think you know what the person means but want to make sure that you are correct. Here is how you can respectfully get the information that you need. Express lack of understanding The first step is to tell the person that you are not sure that you have understood them fully. Let’s listen to a few useful phrases:
Using the word “that” in two of the phrases is more suited for formal written communication, such as work-related emails. Other times, you may understand part of what someone has said but need clarity on another part. In such situations, you can be more exact. Let’s hear a few examples:
Ask for clarification After you express your lack of understanding, the next step is to ask the person to clarify what they have said. Here are some phrases you can use. For many of them, you can use “can” or “could,” with could being a little more formal:
The phrase “When you say…, do you mean…?” of course is not a complete sentence. Here is how it sounds when complete:
Other times, you may simply need more information or a helpful example. In such situations, the following are useful:
“Could you elaborate on that?” is usually more suited to formal situations, such as in the workplace. Put it together OK, we have talked about the two steps. But we haven't yet put them together. Let’s do that now. Listen to someone expressing lack of understanding and asking for clarification:
Here’s another example:
Confirm understanding There are some social or professional situations in which you may want to avoid directly saying you haven’t understood. In such cases, you can check your understanding by rephrasing what the person said. For instance, you might say, “Let me see if I understood you correctly. You are saying that…”
Here is a very similar phrase: “If I understand you correctly, you’re saying that…”
Another phrase you might use is, “So, what you’re saying is…”
Or, you might say, “So, in other words…,” which we usually use when we are restating something in a simpler way:
Offer thanks After the person clarifies themselves, you can let them know that you now understand and are thankful. Have a listen:
Clarify your ideas There are other times when someone will ask you for clarification. In such cases, phrases like these can introduce what you want to say:
Of course, there are many ways to ask for or offer clarification, but we hope these examples help. I’m Alice Bryant. Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ PracticeNow, you try it! Practice what you learned today. You can do one or all of the situations below. Write your responses in the comments section. Situation 1 You are in a bank and you want to open a new account. The bank representative is describing the different types of accounts and telling you about online banking. You are not sure you understand his explanation of online banking. Express your lack of understanding and ask for clarification. Situation 2 You missed an important assignment in one of your university classes. Your professor is telling you about things you can do to improve your grade. But she is not giving a lot of detail and hasn’t said how much each thing will raise your grade. Ask her for more information. Situation 3 You are at a doctor’s office telling your doctor about a health problem. Your doctor gives you several suggestions to improve the problem. You think you understand but you want to make sure. Check that you’ve understood what your doctor has said. Which technique would the nurse use to actively listen to a patient?Active Listening
By using nonverbal and verbal cues such as nodding and saying “I see,” nurses can encourage patients to continue talking. Active listening involves showing interest in what patients have to say, acknowledging that you're listening and understanding, and engaging with them throughout the conversation.
Which of the following is the best definition of a message?A message is a communication or statement conveyed from one person or group to another.
Which of the following would be an appropriate method of conveying empathy when obtaining a patient's medical history?Verbal reflection may be helpful for conveying empathy when you need more description or explanation from the patient, or when you sense the patient would like confirmation that you are listening and understanding.
Which of the following is the best definition for health communication?Health communication, as defined by The Community Guide, is: “The study and use of communication strategies to inform and influence individual and community decisions that enhance health.”
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