Why would a general surgeon review a book called POP?

The author, Sam Horn, is a cherished mentor who led the Non-fiction Writing course at the Maui Writer’s Retreat, where I began to write Collaborate for Success! Breakthrough Strategies for Engaging Physicians, Nurses, and Hospital Executives. Now that I have disclosed my relationship, let me tell you why I found her book riveting.  Sam is an award-winning speaker and communication/ creativity consultant who helps people craft memorable messages.

POP stands for messages that are (p.4-7):

• Purposeful: articulating the essence in a way that remains imprinted on people’s minds (e.g. “You’re in good hands with ____.”)
• Original: novel, something that people have not heard before
• Pithy: precise, concise communication that prompts people to say, “Tell me more.”

Because we are bombarded by hundreds of messages every day, messages that do not stand out end up being ignored, deleted, and forgotten.  Think of the implications for patient safety if a detail that really matters to a patient’s treatment suffers a similar fate. 

At the risk of being typecast, “What can Madison Avenue tell us about patient care,” I submit that it is our moral responsibility to learn to communicate so that our messages resonate with our co-workers rather than being dismissed as dull or boring.  Sam’s book tells us how.

Don’t be dismayed by the 221-page length of the book; it is a pleasurable read, with lots of examples to prove her points, such as:

• using the Valley Girl technique, “It’s like …” to link the unfamiliar with the familiar to create an “Aha” moment (Like a good neighbor, …, p.52-3)
• giving people an image that moves people from a logical, left-brained mental state to a right-brained state to which they can connect emotionally, as with the word “Aflac” (p. 81)
• employing alliteration to give our minds a memory hook, as in “Weight Watchers” (p. 146-7)
• rhyming, as with Tuckman’s Four Stages of Group Formation: forming, storming, norming, and performing (p. 159-161)
• telling stories about a hero’s journey, where someone succeeded despite what appeared to be overwhelming obstacles, rather than lecturing people (p. 191-4)

The question remains, “Once you have won people’s attention, how do you get them to do what you want them to do?”  Sam writes that one way to prompt people to act is to begin a sentence with phrases like, “Next time,” “From now on,” or “In the future,” which helps people convert a message into an action plan (p.214).

In Collaborative Leadership, another mentor, Tom Atchison, wrote that trust is the glue that holds a culture together and reduces friction during stressful times.  Meaningful interactions, characterized by active listening, are the basis of trust.   POP facilitates listening and thus helps to build trust.

What do you think?

• Can you remember a time when improved communication could have improved a patient’s outcome
• Is communication a journey that we can  improve by using techniques mentioned in POP
• Are you ready to start now

As always, I welcome your input to improve healthcare collaboration.

Kenneth H. Cohn
© 2009, all rights reserved