On Aruba we have completed the training effective communication for general practitioners assistants with advice to the client and its stakeholders

Monique : “A great experience in the Caribbean”.

Aruba, a beautiful island with even more beautiful people. There I am standing before a group of people talking about effective communication, in their native language Papiamentu. A group of 60 assistants of the house doctors divided in 4 groups of 15, spread over 3 separate days. Each group with a different energy, knowledge and background. But what they have in common is the eagerness to learn.

Communications sounds so easy, but at the same time is so complex. I simply started with the basics of communications, with the focus on active listening and summarizing on day 1. With a lot of interaction and role play. Giving them the tips and tricks of how to communicate simple and clear. Because that’s what it is all about.

With the growing violence in healthcare we also focused on how to deal with aggression and how you can deal with patients before it escalates. I was shocked by some stories about how violent people can get.

The core quadrant of Daniel Ofman and the Iceberg of McClelland brought awareness in the group, because as I always say: ‘change starts within you’. Maybe you cannot change a situation or person, but the way you act up on it you do can change.

Getting to work with them my respect grew more and more. It is not an easy job, let’s not forget that. I am truly thankful that as Interpoint we could be a part of this and giving them some tools to work with and not to forget more awareness.