MICROLEARNING LIBRARY  
📚

Never Assume
(Filling in the Blank)

It's easy to make assumptions. We fill in blanks about people every day without checking if we got it right. A patient seems annoyed, so we decide they're difficult. A friend goes quiet, so we decide they're mad. We typically assume when we have incomplete information about a situation and an unwillingness to ask questions to get the information we need. This upSKILL shows how to catch ourselves and fill in the blank with the truth, not our own assumption.
   7:58 Watch Time [Week 19 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
This upSKILL is members-only content. See Memberships or if you are a member, make sure you're logged in to access.
 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

Empty space, drag to resize

For upSKILLers:

  • Deciding a patient is "just difficult" before finding out what's actually going on  
  • Assuming a coworker, spouse, or friend is upset with you instead of just asking
  • Losing patience with patients who ask a lot of questions instead of finding out why they need reassurance
  • Remembering that most reactions have nothing to do with you and everything to do with what someone is carrying
  • Getting the real story instead of guessing, with patients and with the people you love
  • Turning an annoyed or nervous interaction into one where the patient feels heard instead of judged

For Leaders:

  • Team members labeling patients as difficult instead of asking what's behind the behavior 
  • Negative reviews that could have been prevented with one simple question 
  • Team members assuming they know why a patient or coworker is upset instead of checking 
  • Coaching team members to replace assumptions with information and the right questions
  • Catching dissatisfaction before it turns into a negative review, not after 
  • Building a team that gets curious about patients instead of being quick to judge them
 Data 

It's science

One of psychology's most replicated findings, the fundamental attribution error, shows we tend to explain other people's behavior by their character ("they're just difficult") while explaining our own behavior by our circumstances ("I'm just having a rough day").(1)
Empty space, drag to resize
We do it to patients, coworkers, and the people we love, without even noticing.
Research on question asking found that people who ask more questions, especially follow-up questions, are rated as more likeable, more trustworthy, and more attentive by the people they're talking to.(2)
Empty space, drag to resize
Asking isn't just how we get the real story. It's also how we build trust while we're getting it.
Social psychologists call it naive realism: the deeply held belief that the way we see a situation is simply the way it is.(3)
Empty space, drag to resize
It's why an assumption can feel like a fact even when we've never asked a single question to check it.
 Note 

From The Experts

"What do we assume about our patients? It usually falls into two categories. Typically, we assume their level of knowledge, or we assume their feelings."
Empty space, drag to resize
- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
 TIPS 

How To
Use This

YOU

Watch Anytime

Bite-sized upSKILLs by topic so you can find guidance any time you need it.
TEAM

Share The Link

If you have a TEAMS membership, just share this link with your team to watch it on their own. 
TEAM HUDDLE

Watch & Discuss

Our favorite: play this video on a TV or big screen in your next team huddle, then talk through it as a group!
 HELP 

Can't find what you're looking for?
We probably have an upSKILL for that. 

Find exactly what you need: browse or search the topic library

 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

8 minutes each week

quick bites, by The Patient Whisperers.

Soft skills are people skills

Feel empowered (or empower your team) to
connect with anyone  
feel confident in any situation  
stay centered in difficult encounters  

See a weekly session (6:08) + Q&A!
Pause + zoom for a closer look.

Write your awesome label here.

Feels like social media

No boring training modules: It feels like an inspiring scroll that you + your team will actually enjoy.

Knowledge + Use

 The WHY: Science & Psychology
 Real scenarios
 Step-by-step actions
 Example scripts
See how easy it is to upSKILL your team.
 real talk 

Why is your team's membership important to you?

Ralph Chu, MD
CEO & Chief Medical Officer
Chu Vision Institute

 TEAM Membership
Write your awesome label here.
 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
 JOIN THE COMMUNITY 

Become a practice that upSKILLs.

Memberships built to make your life easier: for Leadership or Teams.

 what's next 

Curious? If you have questions, we've got you.

See if upSKILLery is the tool that will make your life easier.
Take one easy step: which feels best?

Get Inside

Test the format, sample the content, get a feel for the user experience.

Take a Tour

Let us show you around with a quick walk through upSKILLery.

Talk to an Expert

Get a FREE custom recommendation for you & your practice goals!
(1) Ross, L. (1977). "The Intuitive Psychologist and His Shortcomings: Distortions in the Attribution Process." Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 10, 173-220. (2) Huang, K., Yeomans, M., Brooks, A. W., Minson, J., & Gino, F. (2017). "It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 430-452. (3) Ross, L., & Ward, A. (1996). "Naive Realism in Everyday Life: Implications for Social Conflict and Misunderstanding." In Values and Knowledge.