138 Essential Skills for Health Careers Success
5. Courteous. Words and phrases such as “hello,” “thank you,” “please,”
“excuse me,” and “I’m sorry” are easy, effective ways to demonstrate
respect. Being courteous when you communicate sets the right tone
and attitude. Courtesy is mandatory in the workplace, even if you are
interacting with someone you dislike. Keep your personal feelings out
of your work interactions.
Having an open mind during verbal communication is also very impor-
tant. Making assumptions about what someone is going to say before he or she
speaks might cause you to miss the essence of the message. If you have had
disagreements with the speaker, you might negatively translate a message into
your assumption about what you are hearing. Keeping an open mind and lis-
tening respectfully without emotion is critical to open, clear communication.
The most successful communicators in the healthcare profession form
positive relationships with coworkers and patients through mutual respect
and professionalism (Figure 7.3). Having a bad day is no excuse for using
an irritated tone when speaking with a patient or coworker. Personal prob-
lems should not be brought into the workplace.
It is also important to be cognizant of how patients wish
to be addressed. Some patients, especially the elderly, may
feel disrespected if you call them by their fi rst names. To
be safe, use the titles Mrs., Mr., or Ms. and their last name
when speaking to adult patients. They may ask you to call
them by their fi rst name, which is acceptable with permis-
sion. Pet names like “Honey” or “Sweetie” could offend
many patients who feel you are talking down to them.
When addressing your patient, speak clearly and use a
tone that can be easily heard. Shouting or mumbling will
not help get your point across. Careless slang expressions,
especially vulgarities, are also unacceptable when dealing
with patients.
Listening and Attention
Several studies have shown that
20 minutes is about the maximum amount
of time listeners can stay attentive (Figure 7.2).
After 20 minutes, listeners’ attention levels
begin to drop. Speaking is more stimulating
than listening, so although it may be exciting
to talk for long periods of time, chances are
your listeners may be having a hard time stay-
ing focused.
wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock.com
Figure 7.2 When a speaker
sees that the audience is
being inattentive, he may call
for a break.
Pablo Calvog/Shutterstock.com
Figure 7.3 A medical professional can put a
patient at ease with a warm greeting.