ISLH - SH - The Heart of Effective Communication

Island Health’s The Heart of Effective Communication: Seeing Ourselves, Understanding Others
Explore how self-awareness, empathy, and client-centered conversations can transform the way you connect with patients, families, and colleagues. This introductory course offers practical tools and reflections to help you approach conversations with compassion, clarity, and confidence. As this course focuses on communication and relational skills, doing the course with a colleague or as a team may enrich your experience. If you already have experience in this area, supporting and mentoring others can further enrich your own learning.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize how your emotions, thoughts, and personal biases influence your communication.
• Demonstrate empathy and active listening to support meaningful, trust-building conversations.
• Use thoughtful language, notice non-verbal cues, and respond to emotion in ways that support clear and compassionate communication.
• Apply strategies to prepare for, engage in, and reflect on conversations or challenging interactions.