Performers Put Practitioner Communication in the Footlights

Communication. It’s something everyone does every day. But sometimes what is said and what is heard are two different things. “Clinicians get frustrated because they think they’re communicating well, but people don’t seem to understand what they trying to say,” said Bob Arnold, MD, one of the founders of VitalTalk. Practitioners, he said, often talk to each in “shorthand and words we have a common understanding of, but patients don’t share this understanding.” He added, “It’s hard to shift gears from talking to colleagues to talking to patients and families.” One solution is to help practitioners develop and use different skill sets — such as acting and improvisation — to be better communicators.