Abstract IA49: New Perspectives on Training Complex Communication

Effective, empathic communication is a cardinal skill in healthcare, and is particularly important in the setting of cancer. What may be less apparent is the complexity of empathic communication, which involves cognitive, affective and behavioral components. Current training methods do not address all these elements; this can cause mismatches in verbal, paraverbal and nonverbal communication behaviors, resulting in conversation failure and adverse outcomes. Further, traditional training methods alone do not produce conversational skill development and maintenance. Considering that problems such as implicit bias and health disparities are, to some degree, smaller conversational failures writ large, underscores the crucial need for improved communication training. Blending current methods with new technologies can fills the gap between available methods and actual training needs to produce significantly better outcomes over a variety of challenging communication topics.

Citation Format: Frederick W. Kron. New Perspectives on Training Complex Communication [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr IA49.