It is in those times that we practice listening with empathy. And I as a mother can attest that my first impulse is to help, to solve the problem or to offer solutions even before I know all the facts.Īfter listening to Covey, sometimes it is a good idea to just listen and say nothing for the first few minutes so I can be able to gather all the facts before offering any assistance. There are many times that others will come to us with problems, with needs, or with conversation. While this sort of directed communication is important, it is not the only way that we communicate. Especially as managers and leaders and parents, we often give instruction to others. Generally speaking, our first impulse in communication is to make sure that we have been understood. Seeking understanding is a two-way street that relies on the ability of each listener to ‘actively listen’. Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.They try to do some bodily gestures and if the interviewee follows their actions, this means that they are on the same level of understanding each other. Linda Laskowski-Jones, MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CEN, FAWM, FAANĮditor-in-Chief, Nursing2016 Vice President: Emergency & Trauma Services Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, Del. Otherwise, the real truth underlying effective strategies and actions just might remain undiscovered. Asking the right questions is the first step to understanding-being inquisitive is the key. Nonjudgmental, sensitive inquiry allows us to gain clarity around interpersonal dynamics, become more empathetic, and even deliver a more compelling case for change. It can also help us improve the overall quality of workplace communication, collaboration, and operations. Developing inquiry as a core competency can enable higher levels of professional engagement and expertise, generate new knowledge, and foster a better ability to discern patient needs and circumstances. Quite frankly, though we tend to focus on what went wrong, we should also selectively study what went right, so we can advance our understanding and replicate crucial success factors.Īs nurses, we need to promote a spirit of inquiry. This type of rich exploration underlies the root cause analysis process whenever a significant untoward event occurs. The exercise of continuing to ask the question “why?” can take us beyond individuals and practice settings into the systems that make up the healthcare delivery infrastructure and help us deal with the current limitations of resources, science, and technology. On a deeper level, asking the right questions is vital to conducting meaningful research, cultivating a culture of safety, planning the work necessary to improve healthcare outcomes, and fostering ongoing professional development and collaboration. Whenever you're left thinking, “that's not what happened” or “they just don't get it” in response to someone's allegations or proposed strategies, it's a good bet that the right questions weren't asked before conclusions were drawn. This sort of thinking is rampant whenever biases exist and serves as a barrier to informed understanding. There's danger in making assumptions and using only a personal mental model as the framework to evaluate situations and plan actions. The words and actions that follow in either case might very well be inadequate, off-base, or just plain wrong. The tendency then is to jump to conclusions. Even worse is not asking any questions and taking situations or issues purely at face value. If our questions are superficial, then so will be our understanding. I've come to believe that wisdom is fundamentally connected to the quality of the questions that we ask.
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