COMMUNICATION SKILLS

. COMMUNICATION SKILLS





Communication Techniques That Demonstrate Active Listening150


Blocks to Effective Communication153


Adapting Communication to the Individual’s Ability to Understand156


Effective Use of Communication Technology159



VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

You communicate with others by not only what you say and how you say it but also through a set of nonverbal cues, including your body language, your tone of voice, how you enter a room, the facial expressions you use, and the gestures you make while speaking.

Explicit use of body language can help you present yourself as a professional (e.g., good posture, purposeful strides). Body language can also help you project empathy with your patients (e.g., sitting close but not too close, making eye contact, nodding as the patient relates his or her purpose for the visit).

You should also be mindful of the nonverbal messages sent by others. Some patients want a sense of intimacy, whereas others wish to maintain a certain distance. Try not to overwhelm others with your natural nonverbal communications; learn to match your nonverbal behavior to cues presented by others.



Active listening is perhaps the most important communication skill a medical assistant (MA) can learn. In the current health care system, physicians and other licensed professionals are pressured to see more and more patients each day. As an MA, you may be able to give patients more of the hand holding they want and need to meet their health care needs.

Active listening means paying attention with your entire mind to what is being said, being “in the moment” with the other party in the conversation. When engaged in a conversation with a patient, do not be thinking of other things; focus all of your attention on the patient. Allow the other person to carry the conversation, and use your skills to gently steer it and keep it on track, rather than rigorously managing the conversation.

The “real” reason for a patient visit may come out more in the conversation around the history of the present illness than it might in objective signs of illness. During the conversation:


• Listen for feelings.


• Be observant.


• Be patient and listen completely.







































CommuniCation teChniques that Demonstrate aCtive Listening
Technique Description Example
Using open-ended questions Asks questions that do not elicit a particular answers, especially a yes or no answer MA: “What’s been going on lately?” “Tell me about your stomach pain.”
Repeating or rephrasing Says the same as the patient either as a statement or question to encourage agreement, disagreement, or clarifcation


P: “It feels like someone is stabbing me in the side.”


MA: “Like a knife in your side….”
Translating words into feelings Translates the patient’s message into a verbal expression of emotion


P: “All the doctor visits, medication, and pain— it’s too much.”


MA: “You sound like you feel overwhelmed.”
Refecting Turns a question or statement to refect back to the patient, which gives the patient the confdence to continue


P: “Would you have this surgery if you were me?”


MA: “What do you think about having the surgery?”
Paraphrasing and summarizing


Paraphrases the patient’s statement into the MA’s own words


Restates the meaning but may leave out some details


Purposes are (1) to validate that the MA has under stood and (2) to encourage clarifcation
 MA: “So for the past week, the pain has been getting steadily more intense and more frequent, and since this morning it has not let up at all.”
Providing silence Simply waits for the patient to continue Allows the patient to continue or to choose a new topic Silence
Verbalizing the implication Says what the patient seems to mean but has not expressed


P: “Usually I don’t mind coming to see Dr. Hughes.”


MA: “But you didn’t want to come today…”
Asking for clarifcation
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