How to Practice Your Communication Skills

In school and on the job, you will be learning about good caregiver-patient communication.  However, you need to practice these skills, for they are not something you can learn overnight. Here are a few tips for ways to practice:

• Rehearse typical scenarios you might have with a patient.  Ask a friend or classmate to pretend to be a patient, and you can practice greeting the patient, explaining what you are going to do, doing the procedure, and leaving the room.
• Tape record yourself speaking to a patient in your clinical setting.  Then you can listen to the tape later to determine where you were clear and where you were not.
• When you send a voicemail to someone, use the feature that allows you to listen to your message.  You can change the message if necessary, and it gives you practice in speaking clearly and concisely.
• If you are not a native speaker, make every effort to speak English at home, on the job, at school, and with friends.  You must practice to learn to speak un-accented English in a way that will help you succeed in your career.

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