Communication Is More Than a Superpower — In Health, It’s Survival
How the Science of Language and Empathy Can Make Us Super Communicators
During the past 15 years, my wife and I have tag-teamed supporting our young adult, now 30 years old, who has a condition called Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). It’s a whack-a-mole condition inviting almost every medical specialty — cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, pain management, psychology, and rheumatology — into the exam room. What I didn’t learn from 40 years in the health sector — covering emergency care, policy, marketing, and reimbursement — I certainly picked up in my advanced ‘studies’ via the advocacy required to ensure proper care.
I remain baffled by the system’s struggle to communicate effectively with the people who should be the focus of our efforts. If you are sick, our health system adds to your frustration. The fragmented health ecosystem is like an enormous machine with dozens of gears, and those gears frequently are misaligned and grind like the gnashing of teeth. Being a chronic-care patient or advocate is frustrating, confusing, and exhausting. To navigate a system that too often prioritizes economics over patients, people with health concerns are forced to become “super communicators.”
How to Become a Super Communicator
In his book Super Communicators, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg provides a masterclass in effective communication. His principles, such as the power of listening, asking questions, storytelling, and empathy, should be in the training toolbox for all health providers and allied care professionals.
There is a practical bottom-line approach to Duhigg’s guidance. He suggests that when we speak (or listen), we are engaging in three parallel conversations:
1. Practical: “What’s this about?”
2. Emotional: “How do we feel?”
3. Social: “Who are we?”
Duhigg, one of 10 siblings, honed his insights about communication forging bonds with his busy family.
His principles can be applied to advocacy by encouraging patients to share their stories, foster empathetic connections, and promote a more patient-centric approach to care. As we strive to empower patients and encourage empathetic physician connections, Duhigg’s insights offer a roadmap.
The Power of Storytelling in Patient Advocacy
One of the most powerful aspects of Duhigg’s work is his emphasis on the power of storytelling. He rightly points out, “Stories are how we make sense of the world.” For advocates, storytelling is more than a tool employed to be heard; it is a catalyst for change. Patients sharing their experiences humanize their health journey and invite those charged with their care inside their lived experience.
The system too often forgets that we are sometimes patients but always people! Patients can break down complex medical situations by connecting emotionally with their care team. This connection can frame personalized care and invite physicians to look beyond the patient’s EMR and diagnostic data to focus on the person under their care. A patient’s story about their emotional struggle with a chronic condition can lead to a change in their treatment, resulting in improved quality of life.
Storytelling can be the bridge between being heard and being dismissed. An inpatient advocate can ensure that the patient’s voice and needs are listened to and included during the clinical decision-making process. It can help physicians, nurses, and allied care professionals understand that their treatment plan must align with a person’s reality and urgency — not just a medical textbook or professional association guideline.
During my child’s recent hospital stay, my wife and I were always in the room — not because a 30-year-old needs “parental supervision” but rather to ensure the system could see our concern — a presence that would channel their empathy.
The Art of Listening
Duhigg delves into the importance of listening, an often-underrated aspect of patient care. How much training do physicians receive in communicating with patients? How much time can they spend in conversation with patients? Not enough, and increasingly less.
Yet, communication is always part of the care!
Duhigg writes, “Listening is not just about hearing words; it’s about understanding the intent behind them.” Advocates must hear what patients are saying and understand the anxieties, hopes, and needs underpinning their words.
Listening is equally important for health providers. When physicians listen to their patients, they can provide clinically effective, compassionate, patient-centered care. Listening fosters trust, the foundation of any successful patient-physician relationship. Advocates can play a pivotal role in this process by ensuring patients are heard and their concerns encouraged and voiced!
Bridging the Gap: Clarity and Transparency
In “Super Communicators,” clarity and transparency are the central calls to action. Duhigg states, “Clarity is the antidote to confusion.” Clarity is essential in health delivery, where misinformation and misunderstandings can have various (too often negative) consequences — from non-adherence to depression to unmet expectations. Advocates must ensure patients understand their diagnoses, options, and potential outcomes. But they must also put aside their agenda and keep track of people’s needs.
Transparency is crucial in building trust between patients and physicians. Advocates can help by facilitating open and honest discussions and ensuring patients are comfortable asking questions. Duhigg’s emphasis on transparency reminds us that honesty is the best policy in health settings, as in all areas of life. Patients are empowered to make informed decisions when given clear, accurate information.
The Role of Emotion in Communication
Duhigg’s exploration of the role of emotion in communication is central to patient advocacy. He writes, “Emotions are not just important — they are the driving force behind most decisions.” In health, where decisions can be life-changing, understanding and addressing the emotional needs of patients is vital.
Patient advocates must be attuned to the emotional states of the people they support. Whether it’s fear, anxiety, hope, or relief, these emotions influence how patients perceive their situations and make decisions. By acknowledging and addressing these emotions, advocates can provide better support and help patients navigate their healthcare journeys more confidently.
A Call to Action for Patient Advocates
Duhigg’s Super Communicators is far more than a book about communication — it’s also a roadmap for people confronting health challenges and decisions to make a real difference in one of life’s most pressing challenges. The principles Duhigg outlines — storytelling, listening, clarity, transparency, and empathy — are the building blocks for securing voice in a time-pressed, too often economically driven health ecosystem.
Communication is not just a skill; it is a lifeline. As we work to empower patients and physicians to build stronger relationships, Duhigg’s insights provide a sensible roadmap. Patients must be empowered beyond the role of passive pin cushions and supported in their journey to become participants in their life decisions. Likewise, physicians and health professionals must be encouraged—given the latitude—to spend time listening, learning, and engaging their patients.
Super Communicators remind us that the heart of every health interaction is a human being with a story and desire to be understood and supported. As advocates and communicators, we must ensure that these priorities are never overlooked. By doing so, we can help create a health system that is more effective, compassionate, and human-centered.
