Using Jazz as a Metaphor to Teach Improvisational Communication Skills

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Communication Skills Training
• Metaphorical Learning

Background:

• Metaphors facilitate understanding complex concepts by relating them to familiar ones.
• Effective communication is crucial for medical professionals, particularly in dynamic patient interactions.
• Improvisational skills are vital for adaptable and responsive communication in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of using jazz as a metaphor for teaching improvisational communication skills to senior medical students.
• To explore medical students' learning experiences with jazz-based communication training.
• To assess the effectiveness of metaphorical learning in enhancing medical students' communication abilities.

Main Methods:

• A month-long course utilized jazz improvisation principles to teach communication skills.
• Fourth-year medical students (N=30) participated, with data collected pre- and post-course.
• Evaluations included student self-assessments, blinded standardized patient assessments (adaptability, listening), and qualitative interviews.

Main Results:

• Students showed significant improvements in adaptability and listening behaviors compared to a control group.
• Qualitative data indicated high student engagement, creativity, and successful application of improvisational concepts.
• The jazz metaphor fostered reflection and reduced resistance to new communication approaches.

Conclusions:

• Jazz serves as a powerful and effective metaphor for teaching improvisational communication skills in medical education.
• This approach enhances student adaptability, listening, and engagement, leading to improved communication behaviors.
• Further research and refinement of jazz-based metaphorical learning in medical communication are warranted.