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Communication help

Hello everyone,

I was hoping for advice regarding to communication. I am currently FY1 and have been told I am polite but too quiet. This has been misinterpreted by the nurses annd even snobish (which when they get to know me they know I am a introvert). My seniors say my performance is excellent but due to the quietness there have been several complaints. This may hold me back from progressing and I really need help before its too late.

Thank you for any advice / suggestionns on how to improve my communication skills.

P.s I was told to make the nurses feel extremely important even if what they say is wrong

Reply 1

Kyalimers

Original post by Msannatee

Without going in to details, what are the nature of the complaints?

I don't think that you should have to change your personality to be a good doctor. However, you do need to appease your fellow healthcare professionals, even if it is just to make your own life easier. Offer to make cups of tea or coffee and bring in the occasional snacks for the staff to eat. I disagree with the sentiment of making nurses feel more important despite them being wrong. You should acknowledge their view point and explain why you think they are wrong. Ask staff how their weekend/evening was and try to engage in normal conversation.

The reason you have been told that your communication may stop you from progressing is when you come to request TABs. You don't want your fellow professionals to make repeated complaints about your behaviour in the workplace.

Reply 2

seaholme

I'm not a loud character either but the way I see it the job makes you work so closely with the nurses that even if you obliterate all small talk and friendliness from the equation, you have to communicate with them a lot - to let them know what you've done, especially things which need quick action and when they bring issues to your attention and also when you need answers about patients that only they can know. So I assume you must also do all of these things and are maybe lacking in the little friendly bits that go around it? :redface:

IMO making people feel important even if they're wrong is kind-of wrong in itself (...they will then always be wrong?) not to mention pretty patronising as an attitude. If you feel like somebody is wrong you should acknowledge what they've said and explain why you don't think that is the case - so you're giving their opinion the time of day so they know you've listened, and then giving them a chance to challenge your opinion if they want to. At the end of the day a lot of nurses have been working xyz many years more than you and have buckets of experience. I always do this in conversations 'cause I guess I'm always worried that the reason my opinion is different is due to my relative inexperience. I know I always appreciate it when I'm corrected (in a friendly way!), otherwise I guess I'd be left feeling my advice/opinion is being ignored or perhaps even directly contradicted by somebody who for some reason couldn't tell me they thought I was wrong. Also, nurses bring loads of useful things to you (useful in the sense of patient care) and if you're rude to people and don't make the time for them, even if you suspect it might not be relevant, it's going to make it hard for them to bring you the things that actually do get you worried.

Re: the friendly bits I guess I'd just say... well, be friendly haha. Always be nice to people, hold doors open, when you're asking people to do things you can always dress it up in a nice way like you're asking them for a favour, or you know they're really busy... I dunno just things that show you take them into consideration. Introduce yourself when you meet them, if you're just the two of you in a room ask all the banal questions like - are they on a long day? How many days are they doing in a row? Are they looking forward to the weekend? I dunno the things everybody likes to moan about haha. You can offer to make cups of tea and coffee which is nice, but to be honest you don't have to do that to just be approachable and friendly. I guess all the things which put me at ease are what I try to give back to other people. Small talk doesn't come so naturally to me either, but on a practical note it is the oil which greases the cogs that allow the wheel to turn smoothly. For me I feel like I do my job better and get a lot more satisfaction out of working closely and in a friendly manner with other people on the ward.

Oh and also learn as many names as you can. That makes everything 10% better before you even start.