Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
Monthly communication skill coaching for healthcare staff
1Department of Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States. krowan@gmu.edu
Objective:
To promote monthly interpersonal skill communication role-play and coaching for front-office staff.
Method:
For 15 min a month, during staff meetings, healthcare staff such as receptionists and medical assistants should participate in communication skill coaching. Participants should discuss a recurring communication challenge (e.g., patients irritated by repeated requests for health histories), role-play options for communication, and receive feedback.
Result:
Interpersonal communication skills such as acknowledging the concerns of others are acquired slowly. Repeated practice and supportive feedback increase the likelihood that these skills will be valued and mastered.
Conclusion:
Research shows communication skills develop when they are modeled and role-played frequently and are less likely to develop with occasional interventions.
Practice Implication:
Health care professionals should devote time to role-playing interaction with patients for brief intervals at least monthly. Staff should give one another feedback on the best options for managing challenging communication situations.
Related Concept Videos
Techniques of Therapeutic Communication II: Focusing, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing
This therapeutic technique can also be used when a patient brings up pertinent information during a health-related conversation. The...
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Levels of Communication I: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Small Group
We can participate in these relationships through verbal, nonverbal, and mediated communication. We engage in verbal communication when we use words during our interaction to convey specific meanings. On the other hand, nonverbal communication refers to various factors that can impact how we understand each other—for example, facial expressions.
We interact with others using mediated technologies like the...
Communication
Within...
Levels of Communication II: Organizational, Public, and Group Dynamics
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
