What Are You “Saying”

While getting my nails done a few weeks ago my manicurist had CNN on the television, Donald Rumsfeld was talking about the United States response to one of the many violent events occurring in the world today. It struck me how eloquent this man was under pressure. I wondered how could this translate into my own deportment and why don’t EMS providers sound like this?

Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines eloquence as: discourse marked by force and persuasiveness; the art or power of using such discourse, or the quality of forceful or persuasive expressiveness. These are all requisite to be even moderately successful health care providers and advocates for our patients. How can we convince a truly sick patient that they NEED to be in the hospital to curtail serious or deadly consequences if we don’t have the method to communicate this to them? How do we demonstrate our professionalism and passion to other related professions, healthcare providers, and politicians that also play a hand in advancing or restraining the future of EMS if we are not able to communicate well? Presentation is as important in EMS as it is in the business or entertainment setting. Good presentation is not just about tucking your shirt in and wearing new boots if you open your mouth ruin the illusion.

It’s not as difficult as it seems to “sound smart.” There are a few ways we can all start to improve our vocabulary.

1. Stop using profanity. Cursing does not illustrate your point, shock, make you seem important, or benefit you in any way. It really just agitates people and that doesn’t really work positively most times.
2. Be aware of your tone and volume. How you speak may be more important than what you are actually saying. I used to work in an area with an excellent provider, but the care he gave was often missed by everyone on scene because his tone was harsh and the volume of his voice was much too loud. Many patients were disturbed and several asked for him to “stop yelling at me.” It doesn’t matter if you are the best provider in the department if your care is marred by your tongue.
3. Use appropriate (and correct) terminology. If you want to be treated like a medical professional, you should sound like one. Honestly, you should also write your documentation like one. If you don’t remember medical terms from your days of EMT school, bust out your book and study or take a course on medical terminology. This small investment of time and money will go a long way in increasing your stature with other medical providers.
4. Think before you speak. Many times our vocabulary faux pas is not related to the words we misuse, but because we don’t police our tongues and end up offending people. This can lead to more than disciplinary action, inciting violence on scene and placing you and your partner in danger.
5. Listen to understand, not to respond. When you are speaking with patients or their families listen to what they have to say so you can understand what the true problem is, not just your perception. Then you can respond appropriately and sound professional. Sometimes people speak to us because we are the only ones they trust to listen without passing judgment. We in turn are often entrusted with their life experiences and they end up imparting a gift to us.
6. Read. Reading might seem incongruous with improving your speaking abilities yet how do you learn new words and ideas without reading? Read things you wouldn’t normally read. Read from all topics, not just related to EMS although you should try to keep up with current events within our field.
7. Look the part. I attended a seminar at a prestigious university where a speaking coach was discussing how to have your message heard. The very first thing she talked about was visual presentation. People make their decision about whether or not you are worth listening to within milliseconds. That may not seem “fair”, but it is what we have to work with when attempting to deliver our message and treat our patients.

The list above is not exhaustive, but it’s a good place to start. It won’t be easy, but changing your vocabulary and way of speaking is possible with mindfulness and persistence. Don’t give up if it feels like the change is long in coming, it takes 3 weeks to make a habit. Changing how you speak won’t only improve your professional life, but can transform your entire life for the better.