Today when presenting a patient to the attending physician, my intern tallied the number of times I said "um." I racked up a whopping 45 demerits. I understand that this may sound kind of nit-picky or perhaps mean if taken out of context. To clarify: I have a very good working relationship with this intern, and she's one of the nicer people I know. Also, she had warned me a few days ago that she would start doing this.
The idea is that I need to develop more fluidity in the way I communicate with my colleagues. Instead of saying "um," I should pause. Easier said than done. I've been saying "um" or some variant of it for my entire life! Moreover, almost everyone uses filler words in everyday speech. It's no small task to change this habit that's so deeply-ingrained not just personally but also culturally.
Still, it's good to be aware of this issue, and I'll of course give my best effort to minimize the number of times I use fillers when presenting a patient.
What an excellent lesson....Dick and I find that people who don't say um or er sound more intelligent!
ReplyDeleteThen I must not sound very intelligent! I think I need to get a.... ummm.... a speech therapist.
ReplyDelete