How a Doctor Overcame Public Speaking Fears to Better Serve Patients

According to research, approximately 75% of the general population experiences a fear of public speaking.* When combined with the fact that many medical professionals tend to be introverted by nature, it is safe to assume that a love or passion for public speaking is not common in healthcare. Furthermore, it is probably  safe to conclude that doctors are closer to the population that is likely to dread or deeply fear having to speak in public. Joining us on today’s episode of the Healthcare Experience Matters Podcast is Dr. Michael Smith. He outlines his journey from being very uncomfortable with public speaking to giving an actual Ted Talk in 2023. You can watch that Ted Talk here: https://youtu.be/0UZ4Wi21KPU?si=HJQrSzG8vE3J9Q7G The underlying force behind Dr. Smith’s communication confidence has been learning improv. By stepping outside his comfort zone and studying improv on his own time after work, Dr. Smith has sharpened many aspects of the communication tools he uses every day with patients. These skills not only help him communicate better with his patients but also enable him to teach medical trainees and residents how to utilize these skills when working with their own patients. Dr. Smith first joined our podcast in September 2023 to discuss improv comedy and how it led to his overall personal growth, professional development, improved listening skills, and combating burnout. You can explore that first episode with Dr. Smith in its entirety, titled “How Comedy Improv Skills Enhance Doctor/Patient Communication,” by clicking here: https://healthcareexperience.org/improv-skills/ As an academic hospitalist working with medical students, interns, residents, and surgical co-management teams, Dr. Smith interacts with patients at various stages of health. His experience in improv quickly became an asset to his work. He is the founder of HealthcareImprov.com and you learn more about his work teaching improv to medical practitioners here: https://www.healthcareimprov.com/ When it comes to building empathy, there may just be no better tool than improv classes, as Dr. Smith can attest from his own experience. Thanks to a gift from his wife in 2014, Dr. Smith embarked on his journey in improv by enrolling in Level 1 classes. He quickly recognized the potential of these newfound skills in enhancing his role as a hospitalist, prompting him to integrate them into his professional life. Today’s interview with Dr. Smith serves as an excellent anecdote of how hard work, learning a skill outside your comfort zone, and other outside-the-box thinking techniques can lead to great things for healthcare providers. This includes fighting burnout and becoming a better, more effective practitioner of patient care to truly elevate the patient experience even further. Source* Zauderer, S. “31 Fear Of Public Speaking Statistics (Prevalence)”, Retrieved from: https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/public-speaking-statistics