Clear communication reduces stress and enhances comfort. In short, you are more effective. As a nurse or similar medical professional, your ability to appropriately communicate is an integral part of your skill set. Your words, your actions, and the surrounding environment influence those under your care in ways you might not even imagine. Your experience has taught you that stress can disrupt clear thinking, scramble short-term memory, and effectively sabotage interpersonal communication. If you are responsible for the care and welfare of others in any aspect of your work, these concepts and techniques are for you. Due to the importance of communication skills, more and more medical schools have followed the fine examples of nursing schools by adding this subject to their curricula. These innovative techniques are learnable. This book is meant to complement and enhance the hard skills you use daily on the job.