FEATURED ARTICLEToday’s Menu: Chuckles and Giggles with a Side of NutritionCompassion and candor are communication skills that are key to nutrition counseling, but think about adding a little humor to your repertoire as well.My interest in using humor in my professional practice arose from my very bad sense of timing — for example, entering a patient’s room right after they received “the news”; rushing to give a consult to a patient who was about to use the facilities or simply swinging by at the wrong time. But there was something I could do for these patients who were not quite ready for my message of the awesome power of good nutrition: I could make them laugh. Along with simple things such as a handshake, a warm embrace, a kind word, I came to discover that the gift of laughter may have just as much therapeutic benefit for a patient during those awkward times as a consultation on the importance of good nutrition. “Blasphemy!” you say? Contraire! Connecting with your patients lays essential bricks for the path of learning. You can’t make someone listen until they are ready to listen, and they will listen more to Current subscribersLogin to download this issue as a PDF |