What communication skills do you need to lead your practice effectively?

Listening is great but we must make sure we also hear what our employees are saying. Hearing is a deeper version of listening, hearing is the ability to understand what is being said on a level that allows you to identify the wants and needs of those you might manage. If you can achieve this it will allow you to implement solutions at a much better rate.

One of the leadership I've had to master is Effective listening. This is paramount for healthcare managers. It goes beyond hearing, encompassing understanding of staff and patient needs, concerns, and emotions. This skill fosters empathy, problem identification, and constructive feedback. I recommend to enhance listening by practicing active techniques: pay attention, ask open-ended questions, paraphrase, and summarize. Additionally, refrain from interrupting, judging, or prematurely reaching conclusions.

One needs to build up rapport and trust with patient. This can be attained by listen completely and attentively to patient. We should practice a sense of curiosity about your patient. During conversation, need to sum up what the patient is saying along with summarising at the end of the consultation process.This gives more comfort and confidence to patient and makes overall consultation process more effective.

In my experience, this is not an easy thing to master. Not sure if it's ego or stubbornness or "I know everything" attitudes within healthcare. I know for me personally it took a few years into practice to realize the power that comes with being an active listener.

"It is essential to foster suitable spaces for active listening, constructive feedback, and two-way communication between the leader and their team. These feedback spaces, where effective clinical leadership is exercised, are vital. Attentive listening is key to identifying the team's needs, prioritizing problem-solving, and addressing situations that may affect the medical team's performance and the achievement of their objectives."

Active, effective listening is a key skill to develop over time. A colleague of mine once told me that “just because you listen it doesn’t mean that you have heard.” In my clinical career, I had to learn this skill early on in my training - I would interrupt my patients just seconds after I would ask them an open-ended question. I soon learnt that there was a lot to be gleaned from just staying quiet and letting the patient tell you what you asked them too!

In my experience, listening is the most important skill in healthcare and one that is difficult to master. The time demands on us sometimes make us force the conversation or try to move it along both if which can have unintended consequences.

Crucial for healthcare managers is the skill of effective verbal communication. It involves utilizing words and tone to express ideas, interact, and convey vision, goals, and expectations. Verbal skills enable the provision of guidance, support, and recognition. It is important to improve these skills by employing clear, concise, and respectful language, adapting messages to the audience and context, and using positive and assertive statements. Steer clear of jargon, slang, or ambiguous terms for optimal effectiveness.

The best leaders communicate clearly and quickly. I never expected more of my staff than I did of myself. Talking at people rather than with them has a tendency to turn them off and no matter how good the message is, if delivered improperly, it is lost.

I believe nonverbal skills are crucial for healthcare managers. Complement and reinforce verbal communication. These encompass body language, facial expressions, eye contact, gestures, and posture. Enhancing nonverbal skills involves aligning cues with your message, maintaining open body language, appropriate eye contact, and smiling when suitable. Avoid negative gestures like crossing arms or frowning. These skills convey emotions, attitudes, and confidence, fostering rapport, trust, and credibility.

Non verbal cues are picked up by everyone- colleagues, clinical and non clinical staff, patients and their families. It also helps to act interested. Some people are able to do this naturally- others need to learn it. The job is easier when everyone else perceives that you are interested in what they are saying and what they are doing.

I believe it is critical for healthcare managers to assure writing skills, facilitate professional and accurate documentation and information sharing. They aid in crafting clear, concise, and coherent reports, policies, procedures, emails, and other written communications. It is important to enhance writing skills by planning content, using simple language, proofreading, and adhering to standards. Avoid errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation, and maintain an appropriate balance of information.

Writing skills go hand in hand with verbal skills. Reports need to be succinct and clinically relevant. Sometimes it can be a temptation to show off our knowledge or vocabulary but that can come off as condescending.

In any presentation skills engaging all three faculties of human listening ie. Auditory , Visual & Kinaesthetic , should be used . Finally encouraging participants to take away actionable steps & apply in their day to day practice is very crucial .

I've been in too many presentations where it's obvious the reader is trying to just do their job and relay the information. There was no thought into "what do I want the audience to get from this"....nor where there any points of engagement. Think of presentations more as "engagementations" -- it's an opportunity to engage not present. Also try making your first slide a summary slide "this is what I want you to get away from this".....

Crucial for healthcare managers, presentation skills enable compelling and engaging information delivery. They assist in informing, educating, and inspiring staff, colleagues, patients, and stakeholders. Improve by preparing content, practicing delivery, using visual aids, and interacting with the audience. Avoid reading from notes, speaking too fast or too slow, and using filler words or gestures for effective presentations.

I always tried to make my audience feel relaxed. However, it’s important to know your audience since some people don’t appreciate a humorous presentation. While I always think it’s better to take your job seriously but not yourself, some may perceive it as cavalier.

In pediatric care, adapting communication skills for children is crucial. Beyond traditional managerial contexts, incorporating play therapy and child-friendly nonverbal cues fosters trust and understanding. Pediatric healthcare managers should tailor their communication to the unique needs of young patients and their families, ensuring a compassionate and effective approach.

Feedback is a critical component of professional growth and organizational success, transcending hierarchical boundaries. The cornerstone of a robust feedback mechanism is establishing a psychologically safe environment where communication flows freely and constructively. By implementing regular, structured feedback opportunities—such as weekly check-ins or dedicated feedback sessions—organizations can normalize the process of giving and receiving feedback.

When communicating with staff and patients, it is essential to be empathetic and compassionate. Understanding and acknowledging the emotions and perspectives of others, as well as showing genuine concern for their well-being, is critical. Compassionate communication establishes trust and strengthens relationships.