Soft skills for clinicians: Communication

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Soft skills for clinicians: Communication

Instructor: Martine Abboud

Included with

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3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

4 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

3 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

4 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Communicate clearly and empathetically with patients, families, and teams.
Handle difficult conversations and deliver challenging news under pressure.
Give constructive feedback and manage resistance professionally.

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There are 3 modules in this course

In CREO Soft Skills for Clinicians: Communication Course, you will learn practical techniques to communicate clearly and empathetically with patients, families, and colleagues, even under pressure.

The course covers communication fundamentals, styles and channels, and the role of nonverbal signals in building trust and reducing misunderstandings. You’ll also practice high-stakes situations such as delivering challenging news, navigating difficult conversations, staying calm in tense moments, and giving constructive feedback while handling pushback. By the end of the course, you will be able to communicate with greater clarity, confidence, and professionalism to support patient safety, stronger relationships, and better teamwork.

This module builds the core communication skills clinicians need to create trust, reduce misunderstandings, and support better clinical outcomes especially in fast-paced, high-pressure settings. You’ll explore how meaning is conveyed beyond words, how interpretation can shift under stress, and how to maintain the right professional distance by balancing empathy with neutrality. Using the Four Foundational Forces of Clinical Interaction, you’ll learn a practical way to structure patient and team conversations, manage expectations, and communicate clearly in sensitive moments.

What's included

5 plugins

This module turns communication into a practical clinical skill you can apply in everyday interactions with patients, families, and colleagues. You’ll start by defining what communication really is and how different styles, channels, and nonverbal cues shape understanding. You’ll then focus on high-stakes moments in care sharing challenging news, handling difficult conversations, staying calm under pressure, and knowing what to do after a conversation ends. The module also builds your ability to give constructive feedback with the right tone, respond to pushback, and handle resistance so you can protect relationships while maintaining standards of care and teamwork.

What's included

11 videos6 plugins

11 videosTotal 13 minutes

How to Share Challenging News1 minute
How to transform bad news into encouragement1 minute
How can you stay calm and focused when delivering bad news 2 minutes
A difficult conversation doesn't end when words2 minutes
How to stay focused in high pressure conversations1 minute
How to act after a difficult conversation1 minute
Difficult conversations are rarely just about words2 minutes
Right tone for constructive feedback 0 minutes
How can you give constructive feedback without being too blunt? 2 minutes
How to respond to pushback of feedback you give?0 minutes
Tips for handling resistance to feedback 2 minutes

6 pluginsTotal 120 minutes

What is communication?20 minutes
Communication styles20 minutes
Means of communication20 minutes
Nonverbal communication20 minutes
Communication at work20 minutes
How to have a difficult conversation?20 minutes

In this final module, you will complete an assignment that applies the course communication skills from different angels.

What's included

1 assignment

Instructor

Martine Abboud

Creo Incubator

33 Courses3,134 learners

Offered by

Creo Incubator

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Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.