Improving Your Communication Skills

Interruptions. The good, the bad, and the ugly. There are a lot of reasons why people interrupt others during conversations. Sometimes people interrupt to gain control of the conversation -make it go their way. Other times, people interrupt in a supportive way, to show that they are listening. These types of interruptions aren’t as disruptive and sometimes occur as talk-overs, such as when you finish one another’s sentences or thoughts. Doctors also interrupt for a variety of reasons. Did you know that one study showed doctors interrupt patients in the first 18 seconds of their talking about the primary problem (see Frankel & Beckman, 1989)? Such constant interruptions may depress a patient's willingness to provide information and may result in doctors getting an incomplete picture of a patient's symptoms or conditions (Frankel, 1984). This influences how doctors think about and diagnose patients' problems. Don’t be surprised when your doctor interrupts you. In considering how to respond, though, just be sure to evaluate whether it is a controlling move or one that is supportive of your ideas.