02 Aug Listening to learn: lessons from Celeste Headlee

Alice Duer Miller said that ‘Listening … means taking a vigorous, human interest in what is being told us. You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer.’ So often we relegate these soft-skills to the sidelines, as we prioritise efficiency in our workplaces. But at what cost?

The deeply personal nature of work in any health field calls for truly active listening; health professionals are required to listen to their patient’s stories, to build an understanding of their diverse backgrounds, and to help them progress towards their aims and ambitions. For us to do our jobs well, we must understand our patients as unique entities, all with distinct histories and goals. In the grand scheme of our challenging lines of work, to listen seems so easy. Yet true listening is so often overlooked.

In her Ted Talk, Celeste Headlee lays out ten rules to have better conversations, applicable in everyday life as well as in professional settings. She says that various elements of our modern world, such as our fast-paced lives and access to (or dependence on) technology, have hampered our ability to connect with others claiming that ‘A conversation requires a balance between talking and listening, and somewhere along the way we lost that balance.’

I was prompted to consider how her talk may have relevance in health-practice contexts. She starts by advising us not to multitask—to be truly present. She suggests that you ‘enter every conversation assuming that you have something to learn.’ And repeatedly, she refers to the power of listening.

I wondered if we really do listen to our patients, or if we just think we do, and I wondered if we listen to our staff. What might they be able to teach us? And by being truly present, approaching every situation as worthy of care and undivided attention, what could we, and our practices, stand to gain?

Headlee’s talk serves as a useful reminder to ensure that your staff understand the importance of effective communication, and to entrust them with this responsibility. In doing so, you are likely to free yourself up, and to focus on what you do best: seeing patients, performing surgery, and ensuring ideal outcomes for your patients, and your practice.

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