In the medical having effeective communication skills is key. For me, I have my students introduce themselves on a daily basis while performing tasks and procedures. By doing this I feel it makes them more comfortable with the interaction process.
Michael,
Oh so true! I like how you state this. One form of communication may not work for every situation.
Shelly Crider
Mary,
In the health care setting it is important that communication be understood as well. Many people do not know what is being told to them in medical terms, but will not ask for repeats.
Shelly Crider
Mary,
Exactly! Communication is definitely a two way street.
Shelly Crider
Tim,
I like this!!! I especially like how you tell them to make it a "professional document". Awesome job!
Shelly Crider
Nice example, Paul. Effective communication can be a matter of life and death in your field of study. This can be evident through both verbal and written (legible) communication efforts.
Effective communication is crucial in all fields of study and especially so in medical assisting. These individuals will have to explain complex - and confusing - information to people who are unfamiliar with health insurance across all walks of life. I emphasize that students need to identify their target audience. If they are crafting a letter to an insurance company the language will be quite different than the language used in patient communications.
In health care it is of upmost important to be effective communicators. In life theaten situation it is essential that the information be correct and concise.
Effective communication is important be you are conveying thoughts, ideas andinformation while allowing for a response or feedback.
I like to relate the need for communication skills to real industry situations. I teach at a culinary school so I give examples that I have been through that forced me to fall back on some of these skills. For example I tell them that one day they might be a chef and want an expensive peice of equipment for thier kitchen. Before they can express to the general manager the benefits of this equipment they might be told to draw up a proposal. They will then have to create a professional document, a spreadsheet, and so on. They will need to be able to use the computer to attach the documents to an email and send it. Then they might be asked to give an oral presentation explaining the data in the documents. If they can do this affectivly they will have a better chance of getting what they think they need. This helps make a simple written assignment seem more relavant for these students.
Andrew,
There are a lot of good videos on YouTube for communication! This is something students would like.
Shelly Crider
Class,
In the past I came across a video that shows how communication can be ineffective and provides examples of how to properly communicate whether in person, on the phone, or through electronic communications. I tried to find this video on YouTube but was not able to, however, I see there are many other good videos there too. I agree with the importance that students should understand communication skills. I personally have witnessed failures in communication within my organization, so I typically have many good examples to share with students.
Thanks,
Andrew
Marilyn,
Good point about the team work. I have seen many times where nobody wants to step up due to the fact they didn't know they could or should. Teaching this is a great idea!
Shelly Crider
In our culinary world, effective communication is essential when you want to move up to an executive psoition. Training others and showing proper technique is prime. Also, in our teamwork environment, when one student is absent, the other steps up to show the other what needs to be accomplished. Also, when there is a lot of tasks at hand, communicating with each other on the division of labor, creative production, precise technique is of utmost importance, if not accomplished, a dish or a dessert might not only taste bad, it might look bad, too....
Theodore,
Oh so true.....students will learn what is effective communication and what is not!
Shelly Crider
Susan ,
You know....many students do not know how to research. This would be a good discussion thread in any classroom!
Shelly Crider
Fortunately, in both our "schooling" and "future, real-world" environments of our profession, effective communication, on all levels, is the number one priority for "success". This is instilled in our students from the very beginning of their education. We are a barbering school, and without effective communication on all levels, our students come to realize that they, if they don't already know it, will not be able to "make it", either here at school or out in the real world. With 50 students in the school, and a continuous enrollment, the newer students are actually learning from the older students during their year with us, they quickly realize that it is the student that communicates with others effectively that gets the return clients and the "rewards" thereof. While we really don't have any specific classes on communication, the entire time they are here they are truly learning how to effectively communicate with other students, staff and the general public. Our students and our clients are from all walks of life and actually several generations. The variety is indeed the "spice of life" around here. I do conduct a short class, early on in their time here, concerning "semantics" and the importance of communication, how "descriptive words" are important and different to different people, that one person's "short", "dark", "long", etc. may not always mean the same to the next person! The successful students learn quickly, and the ones that have the idea that "they looked better with what I wanted to give them" also learn that that is not "effective communication"!
Students should take there yime and talk clearly and slowly when presenting and communicating.Knowlege of the subject matter research it first make note cards etc
Jeremy,
It is so true about selling your services. If a customer does not understand, communication has not been made.
Shelly Crider
Ashley I agree with you wholeheartedly. Students in the medical profession must constantly be reinforced with the the importance of good communication as patients lives are at stake. Most errors caused in the profession is due to lack of or poor communication whether verbal or written. Given them senarios of such an act makes them value the importance of communication.
