Having a communication plan

Last week my team experienced a bit of a communication meltdown, which is only somewhat ironic considering we are communication researchers. So after some triage and promises to give each other "the benefit of the doubt," my thoughts now turn to how we could have better planned for communication disaster.

Those outside the field of communication sometimes dismiss it because they think that communication just occurs naturally, like breathing. But communication scholars and teachers are fond of saying that communication doesn't just happen. Communication is, among other things, a skill. If it is a skill, it is something that can be refined and improved with practice, and something that can be planned for, should things go wrong. The key is awareness and intentionality. Know how communication can go wrong on your particular team and think about what you will do if it does. Does your team respond better to discussions as a group or individual conversations? Do they respond to writing or face-to-face interactions? Thinking about your team's communication style before blow-ups occur will better equip you to address problems as they come up and even catch little problems before they become big meltdowns.

Communication theory in the informed consent process

I learned so much from the ACRP Global Conference in Tampa last month that I am already making plans for what I want to present at next year's conference (and the fact that ACRP 2011 is in Seattle is extra motivation). I realized that I bring a particular skill set to the clinical research educational setting: my background in communication theory. I was not the only presenter who discussed communication at the ACRP 2010 conference. Several other speakers focused more on the soft communication skills, but I saw a need for a discussion of how communication theory can inform the most important conversation that takes place in the research encounter: the informed consent.

One of the theories I am going to integrate into my presentation next year is Uses and Gratifications Theory. The theory is usually used in studies of people's media use and habits, but I believe it is an important consideration when having an informed consent conversation. It is tempting for research staff to think of potential research participants as empty vessels waiting to be filled with information. But every potential participant brings their own agenda to the conversation and will seek, find and attend to selected information. It is a valuable piece of information to consider when informing potential participants about participating in a particular study. I look forward to the opportunity to bring communication theory into the research professionals conversation.

The other revolution started by "The Pill"

This article is a week old, but I still wanted to point it out. Last week was the 50th anniversary of FDA approval of the birth control pill. Approval of the birth control pill is credited being one of the events that led to the "sexual revolution." But as this article points out, the approval of the pill started another revolution, a revolution at the FDA. At the time of the pill's approval, the FDA started to take a strong role in post-market surveillance, that is, continued observation and research of drugs after they have been approved. With the pill, we also saw the beginning of the FDA's direct communication with patients, rather than communication from the FDA to patients via physicians. The approval of the pill also followed the expansion of the process of clinical trials to show safety and efficacy of a drug, procedures that are now commonplace. It's an interesting piece of research history and shows how we came to the regulations researchers now face today.

A message that resonates

I had the opportunity to present a poster and brief presentation on communication in multi-disciplinary research teams both at the Association of Clinical Research Professionals Global Conference in Tampa and at my local Southern Wisconsin ACRP chapter. I am passionate about communication education and count it a privilege to be able to share my knowledge with my clinical research colleagues.

The thing that is most encouraging to me is that this message of improving communication skills within the context of research teams is resonating with research professionals. The research professionals I met understand the importance of communication to effective team functioning. They have learned that communication is a skill that can be improved and it is encouraging that these professionals are seeking to improve their communication skills. I hope to continue to teach and encourage my clinical research colleagues about the importance of effective communication in the team work environment.