Thinking Out Loud

First, the story: A mother and her five-year-old daughter go to a check-up with the pediatrician, who has an intern with him. The little girl has not been to the doctor’s office for several months and is usually reserved when she is there, deferring to her mother for communication with the doctor. In fact, the girl hardly utters a word. The story ends with the doctor suggesting to the mother that she consult a speech and language pathologist. The mother replies, “I don’t think that’s necessary.” The doctor is quietly disapproving as the appointment moves along and he talks mostly to the intern. He never asks the mother why she thinks the consult is unnecessary. Read More

We have many opportunities to observe the communication styles of public figures and draw conclusions about them from what we observe. Because these individuals present themselves in public forums, however, we see them only in a limited context. They may all appear to be very outgoing, for example, but that is likely not true. Read More