157: Engagement, Elevated by Context

On this episode of AAVMC’s On Air, we sit down with Maria Yusuf and Naomi Nishi of Colorado State University to discuss context communication and how high- and low-context communication styles shape the way messages are shared, received, and sometimes misunderstood. Join us, as we explore how culture, power distance, nonverbal cues, and neurodiversity influence communication in veterinary medical education and practice. We discuss why recognizing our own communication starting points matters, how assumptions can affect trust and understanding, and what veterinary professionals can do to make expectations clearer, invite questions, and create learning and clinical environments where clients, students, colleagues, and teams feel respected, supported, and able to engage more fully.