How to prepare to speak to your provider in a way that they can help you
Effectively communicating can be thought of as learning to pass the ball (your message) to your intended receiver (your healthcare provider), understanding that there may be obstacles. These might include limited time, health insurance rules, and the tools your healthcare provider can access or is comfortable with. Understanding this full context will help you package your message and explain your needs in a way that can be heard.
Another way to think about effective communication is as if you're giving directions for how to get from one place to another. It's important to understand that people coming from different places might need different directions if you're all going to meet in one final location. Understanding different points of view and working to reach a shared understanding of what's going on and what needs to happen to get better can be similar.
The video below explores communication from this angle and also addresses what to do if you don't know "where you're starting from" (or what's causing the issue you're trying to address).
