Medicine Section

WHO IS INVOLVED IN COMMUNICATION?

• Dr. Brockmeier stated that there are (at least) six entities involved in every conversation (first person):
• Who I truly am
• Who you truly are
• Who I portray I am
• Who you portray you are
• Who I think you think I am
• Who you think I think you are
• How confusing! It is no wonder that many of the problems related to client and team interactions involve “mis-conversation,” (often inaccurately referred to as mis-communication):
• “I said…”
• “I heard…”
• “I didn’t say that”
• “But you did say it”
• “No I didn’t”
• “Yes you did”
• “That’s not what I meant”
• “But that’s what you said”
• “No I didn’t”
• “Yes you did”
• “I didn’t mean that”
• “But that’s what I heard”…
• Conversations involve “spoken” words, not necessarily “intended” words. It has been said that in most conversations, one is either speaking, or preparing to speak. That is to say, while one person is speaking, the other person is not necessarily listening, but rather, “preparing a reply.”
• Realizing the confusion that can result from casual conversation, effective communication, (which can be extended to written instructions, talking on the phone, e mail correspondence…), needs to be incorporated into the “client interaction acumen,” if the health care team wants to achieve high productivity. Conversations may involve six entities. Communication may also involve many entities. The difference between the two however, is that with communication, there is a focus and consistency, which helps to minimize the chance for misunderstandings.