2 Rules for Avoiding Confusing Communications as a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant

My housekeeper Tina speaks very little English and I speak absolutely no Vietnamese other than my daily xin chào. Despite this fact, we somehow manage to communicate through a strategy that also works for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants with attorneys. Tina and I have learned that the fewer words we exchange, the more we understand each other. The two rules we’ve developed to eliminate, or at least minimize, confusing communications are:

Rule 1:  Keep it short.

Rule 2:  Keep it simple.

On days when I forget these two rules I find myself spewing out a verbal tsunami of instructions. The result? You guessed it; household chaos reigns supreme. Parts of some instructions are captured and understood, others are lost in translation. The result, I’m just as likely to find Tom’s underwear carefully starched, ironed and arranged alphabetically as to find the groceries put away properly.

For me, keeping communications short and simple is an acquired skill. I’m used to working with an experienced team at LegalNurse.com. When I make ten requests at once, someone will capture them all and get three other people hopping to make them happen and happen accurately.

Keeping communications with your attorney-clients short and simple is important for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants too. The first time I gave a verbal screening opinion to an attorney-client, I articulated the case like I was defending a dissertation. I was so proud that I had communicated about the case just like my nursing instructors taught me to communicate about my patients. The attorney came right back at me, “Okay, let me summarize what you just said ” and proceeded to articulate the case in three succinct sentences. In that one meeting I got an education I never received in nursing school. That attorney taught me the power of using fewer words and getting straight to the essence of the communication. In short, if you can say it in one sentence, don’t use ten. The longer and more complex the communication, the higher probability of losing the attorney’s attention.

Anytime I forget these two rules with my housekeeper, confusion reigns and I end up hearing Tom’s complaints about starch in his underwear. Forget these rules with my staff and I end up wondering why the office’s frozen margarita machine is empty and why I’m the only one attending the Friday afternoon staff meeting. Most important, forget these rules with an attorney-client and you risk not getting a second chance to set that confusing communication straight.

I’m Just Sayin’ (succinctly)

P.S. Comment and share how you keep communications simple.