The 12 Fundamentals of Highly Effective Communicators

Erin Donovan, Laura E. Brown, Calandra Lindstadt, Billy Table, Elham Heidari, Andrew Coolidge, Suheib Omran, and Sharon Rush

Abstract: Pharmacists are increasingly expected to communicate skillfully, yet few Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curricula include theoretically-derived or evidence-based communication training. The 12 Fundamentals of Highly Effective Communicators is a pedagogical tool that we developed to teach principles of communication to two consecutive cohorts of PharmD students in their second year (P2). Students were asked to reflect on which of the 12 Fundamentals they found most helpful in their pharmacy training and practice. The most frequently selected Fundamental was “There is no ‘one size fits all’ message that will work in EVERY situation.” Students provided specific examples of how they perceived that these Fundamentals could help them have elective and appropriate interactions with patients and colleagues. For additional reading about a lesson plan from this project, see also Applied communication skills training for pharmacy students: Practicing an interprofessional voicemail.

Keywords: pharmacy communication, communication theory, instructional communication, pharmacist training, health-care providers, clinical communication