Post 9: Deliberate Practice

How to best use these skills

As I reflect on two decades of learning and teaching communication skills, a few takeaways are:

• Lectures (which I have given hundreds of) are good at providing information, and they lead to “immediate recall” but not long-term skills acquisition.

• For sustained benefit and skill acquisition, we require what I first termed “consolidation of communication skills.”

Consolidation of communication skills is now “deliberate” practice. I learned that the 10,000 hour rule is probably a good rule. More you practice, better you get, But to really make a difference, practice with intent or deliberately.

From what I have learned, “deliberate practice” was termed by Anders Ericsson and colleagues in Harvard Business Review in 2007 as “years of intense practice and dedicated coaching.” They “analyzed many elite and successful surgeons, chess players, writers, athletes, pianists and other experts was the habit of engaging in “deliberate” practice - a sustained focus on tasks that they could not do before. Experts continually analyzed what they did wrong, adjusted their techniques, and worked arduously to correct their errors.

This substack is an attempt to build a platform to allow for “deliberate practice.” The curriculum here starts with SPIKES and NURSE. Over the next year, I will post 50 different exercises a learner can do to practice these skills. This will likely get you from “novice” to “advanced beginner” to “proficient and competent” and on your path to an expert (that will take decade or more).

Deliberate practice is a sustained focus on tasks that they couldn’t do before. Experts continually analyzed what they did wrong, adjusted their techniques, and worked arduously to correct their errors.

Besides defining these skills, we need to provide a platform for “the guidance of an expert teacher to provide tough, often painful feedback.”

In next week, I will post “giving goal oriented feedback” that provides how to work with each other and seek and provide goal-oriented feedback.

Along with today’s post and the goal oriented feedback, you will get a roadmap to build your skills, but you are still missing a Sherpa, an expert who can guide you on this journey I want to be that person, but challenge is how can I reach you?

What is the best platform to you to seek and an expert to provide feedback? Some may be absolutely ok posting their questions, their reflections and thoughts on substack. But some may not feel comfortable in a public forum, some may want smaller groups or even individual feedback. I can not promise to provide individual feedback, until we find a platform, please reach out at meaningfulconversations2024@gmail.com.

I am creating a google form here to get your feedback. Please complete to help me figure out best way to reach you.

Biren Saraiya MD

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