Influencing and persuading skills at the interprofessional interface: Training for action

Norman Morrow, Owen Hargie

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    At the practitioner-practitioner interface, the concepts of teamwork and interprofessional collaboration are of increasing importance. This emphasis has incumbent demands and challenges, not least of which is the necessity to negotiate one’s own needs, roles, and responsibilities within the context of optimal patient care. Being able to influence others and persuade them to accept one’s point of view will thus be at the heart of effective interprofessional communication. Against this background, this paper presents a description of a communication skills training (CST) course for pharmacists targeting the area of influencing and persuading skills. Starting with a brief overview of the content of the course, where nine specific influencing strategies are elaborated, the article goes on to describe the key instructional techniques used, incorporating both pedagogic and andragogic models of education. Program evaluation is reported through analysis of a postcourse questionnaire designed to assess the perceived effects of the training on participants. Against the stated criteria, the course achieved an overall 86% score. Use of the relationship and logical argument strategies scored highest in terms of skill use outcome, matched by the ability to recognize influence attempts made by others. Conversely, the "negative" influencing techniques of threat/fear and aversive stimulation scored lowest. The implications of these results are discussed together with the advantages and disadvantages of experiential training, with recommendations made as to how this type of training can be optimized.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)94-102
    JournalJournal of Continuing Education for the Health Professions
    Volume16
    Issue number2
    Publication statusPublished (in print/issue) - 1996

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