Develop Effective Communication Skills

Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan had at least one skill every person with arthritis could use: He was a great communicator. Of course, politics generates a special need for effective communication skills, but so does arthritis-by imposing limits and demands that few people are equipped to handle by themselves. Quite simply, arthritis creates a need for others.

As never before, you'll need the help and support of a network of people, all of whom have a need and a right to know more about how you're feeling than you may have ever shared before. If you appear to be in a bad mood, your family needs to know it's because your arthritis has flared up, and not because you're angry with them or because you got up 'on the wrong side of the bed'; if you need a ride to the mall, perhaps your neighbour will be more accommodating if he understands that you find it difficult to drive when your knees are 'hot'; if you're late for work, your boss is likely to be far more understanding if she's been told about your arthritis, and how the pain and stiffness is especially difficult to manage in the mornings; and if your doctor or other health care worker is going to be able to help you design the best possible treatment plan for you, that person, too, has to know exactly what you're going through, what symptoms you're experiencing, and how previous treatment approaches have been of benefit or failed to work.

It's not sufficient, though, simply to communicate. The person you're communicating with has to understand what you're trying to say; in other words, you have to learn to communicate clearly and effectively. Developing effective communication skills takes effort, but they can be learned, and the results more than warrant the effort.

This page was last reviewed/updated on : 02/23/2008