Good ICU communication isn’t about dumbing down the truth or overwhelming people with it. It’s pacing. Pausing. Letting silence do some of the work. It’s singing while eating the soup.
Superb framing of what makes hard conversations land versus just overwhelm. That line about families remembering whether they could breathe rather than the precision really nails it. I dunno why we default to believing more data solves tense moments when what people actually need is space to process and absorb.
Appreciate that. It’s wild how we interact when internally the voice correctly tells us to just pause. Do we listen tho? Makes us feel better etc., I guess.
Kamran jaan, this is a beautifully written, deeply human and engaging from the first paragraph, and the Anansi story is the perfect metaphor: vivid, memorable, and quietly powerful. The story was so interesting that I actually searched for it, listened to it, and treasured it in my heart, because it’s the kind of lesson I want to share with my grandkids and even with my colleagues. I love how you bridge it into ICU reality without preaching; you give readers something practical (pacing, pausing, naming uncertainty, letting silence work) while still honoring how “hot” these moments are. The line about families remembering whether they could breathe while you were speaking is unforgettable, this is the kind of writing that stays with people and makes them better communicators immediately.
Superb framing of what makes hard conversations land versus just overwhelm. That line about families remembering whether they could breathe rather than the precision really nails it. I dunno why we default to believing more data solves tense moments when what people actually need is space to process and absorb.
Appreciate that. It’s wild how we interact when internally the voice correctly tells us to just pause. Do we listen tho? Makes us feel better etc., I guess.
Please share it on LinkedIn as well. I’d love to repost it and help it reach a wider audience.
Thank you kindly I can reshare!
Kamran jaan, this is a beautifully written, deeply human and engaging from the first paragraph, and the Anansi story is the perfect metaphor: vivid, memorable, and quietly powerful. The story was so interesting that I actually searched for it, listened to it, and treasured it in my heart, because it’s the kind of lesson I want to share with my grandkids and even with my colleagues. I love how you bridge it into ICU reality without preaching; you give readers something practical (pacing, pausing, naming uncertainty, letting silence work) while still honoring how “hot” these moments are. The line about families remembering whether they could breathe while you were speaking is unforgettable, this is the kind of writing that stays with people and makes them better communicators immediately.