Decoding Generational Discourse: Cracking the Code to Improve Communication Across Generations

Every nurse has been there: caring for a patient who only speaks a foreign language. The shift is characterized by a high-stakes game of charades, a sincere effort to communicate, and a desperate search for a confirmation of understanding. When someone speaks words that sound so different from our own, we go out of the way to ensure that what we meant to communicate was understood. We try harder. We fully commit to and actively engage in the process of communication from beginning to end. By contrast, when we hear familiar words in our most comfortable language, we don't try as hard. We sometimes unknowingly assume the intended message was received without closing the communication loop. Communication is quick and effortless, or so we think; perhaps this effortlessness is because we are skipping the crucial step-a confirmation of understanding.