Reflective practice in the teaching of communication skills

Abstract

Reflective practice is encouraged in medical education in general and in teaching communication skills in particular to develop into a reflective practitioner. However, the term is complex to understand and multidimensional thus challenging to grasp, describe and teach. Furthermore, though used frequently little guidance exists on how to promote reflective ability in teaching communication skills. This paper builds on a keynote address delivered at the International Conference of Communication in Healthcare (ICCH 2019) and is based on the vast literature on reflection and the author's personal experience as a researcher and educator. It discusses the components of reflective practice as well as exemplifies the importance of reflective practice to student's capability to learn communication skills.

Keywords: Communication skills; Reflection; Reflective ability; Reflective practice.