https://vimeo.com/179145269 Today our blog welcomes a special guest! Check out why Taylene wants her clinicians to ask “What’s important to...
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VitalTalk Conversations Blog
Why label your skills?
By David Schwartz
/ July 27, 2016
https://vimeo.com/174242957 Communication can be a little slippery to explain--and we've all described it, unhelpfully, as 'just what I do." Caroline...
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Information toxicity?
By David Schwartz
/ July 11, 2016
https://vimeo.com/174161567 Why didn't this trial of informational meetings for families in the ICU improve outcomes? Alex Smith at GeriPal tweeted 'no need for...
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Build your communication superpowers!
By David Schwartz
/ June 23, 2016
https://vimeo.com/171877798 Our new app takes a fresh approach: think of it as a stack of flashcards with handy phrases, sorted...
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Live from Chicago
By David Schwartz
/ June 6, 2016
https://vimeo.com/169634085 A VitalTalk extra from the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2016 meeting in Chicago: two must-read articles--an editorial to...
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When it’s really intense…
By David Schwartz
/ May 25, 2016
https://vimeo.com/162702038 How can you stay present in a challenging encounter? It's not a matter of forcing yourself--in fact, what helps...
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Family dynamics
By David Schwartz
/ April 27, 2016
https://vimeo.com/164432463 Understanding just 3 elements of family functioning can enable you to be much more effective in the setup and...
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When talking to your colleagues
By David Schwartz
/ April 15, 2016
https://vimeo.com/162993902 What's different about communication when you're with a colleague? Two tips that will keep you out of trouble. The...
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Beyond Naming
By David Schwartz
/ March 30, 2016
https://vimeo.com/159838379 When you are with a patient whose emotions are running high, acknowledging their emotion by naming it can help...
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Creative tinkering
By David Schwartz
/ March 9, 2016
https://vimeo.com/154660294 Trying for the perfect phrase? Going for perfect sometimes has a paradoxical effect--try tinkering instead! Then, track the effects...
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Hoping for a cure
By David Schwartz
/ February 24, 2016
https://vimeo.com/156579676 Have you ever asked a patient what they're hoping for, and they reply: "I'm hoping for a cure". When...
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Radical acceptance
By David Schwartz
/ February 4, 2016
https://vimeo.com/154206766 In the process of cultivating prognostic awareness, you'll hear patients (& families) swing from extreme to extreme. What to...
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The pitfall about ‘quiet’
By David Schwartz
/ January 27, 2016
https://vimeo.com/153238570
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Sent from beyond death…
By David Schwartz
/ January 14, 2016
https://vimeo.com/151929536 Two notable contributions to the public dialogue about living and dying with a serious illness appeared this week. David...
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Calibrating your emotions in real time
By David Schwartz
/ December 16, 2015
https://vimeo.com/148946421 We all have emotions while we're with patients—and we all need calibration so that we can distinguish whether we...
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Balancing your agenda with your patient’s
By David Schwartz
/ November 22, 2015
https://vimeo.com/145173080 Do you ever walk in with your agenda but find your patient's head is somewhere else? Try this principle...
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Fast & Slow Thinking
By David Schwartz
/ October 20, 2015
https://vimeo.com/142914851 When you’re in the middle of a conversation, your ability to switch between fast and slow thinking can make...
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Talking Maps
By David Schwartz
/ September 30, 2015
https://vimeo.com/140966988 When we're in a conversation, we organize individual skills into sequences that we call 'talking maps'--these maps help you...
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The wisdom of our emotions
By David Schwartz
/ September 17, 2015
John was waiting in the exam room for me. I was standing outside the door, not wanting to go inside....
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The affect you create
By David Schwartz
/ September 14, 2015
https://vimeo.com/139239734 The environment that happens around a patient-clinician encounter is not just about the patient's emotion--it's about yours too...
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