[Better listening, better information, better teaching. Lessons of our incompetence]

Short excerpts of conversations held during medical consultations permit analysis of a whole range of poorly adapted attitudes and thus demonstrate the possibility for improvement of affective contact, confidence and efficacy. It is recommended to: listen more attentively, avoid interruptions, excuses, simplifications, interpretations and premature information and to learn to repeat the flow of thoughts of the patient; inform more adequately without usage of medical terminology, abstain from confused explications, frequent change of subject, imprecision and attitudes forcing the patient into an inferior role; improve teaching of the patient by proposing distinct goals and by inviting him to find solutions to his problems by learning from errors, this without patronising and under consideration of the attitude of the patient towards his disease.