Transcriber: Chika Mizuta Reviewer: Hiroko Kawano
It's Monday morning,
and I'm looking at my schedule for the day.
I notice that over the last few weeks,
I've seen a number of patients with injuries on Monday mornings.
They're not serious,
but neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain and a bruise here and there -
all sustained over the weekend.
And they describe it as a fall, a simple fall, a loss of balance.
It really didn't make sense to me because it came from nowhere.
And as a doctor of general medicine,
we ask questions.
We ask questions to be more specific
until we find out what had really happened.
A few friends go out to a bar,
and they have a few drinks
and then decide to challenge a mechanical bull.
[Bull bellows]
It was at that moment I realized
that the mechanical bull was the reason why
I was busier on Monday mornings.
It's Tuesday afternoon,
and while checking through my email,
I realized that I've been receiving an increasing number of job applications.
(Ringtones)
It came to me as a surprise
as I haven't been seeking staff or offering any positions.
The applicants wanted to learn English language.
So,
why did they all of a sudden want to learn English?
I figured out the Olympic Games were coming to Tokyo.
They wanted to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime event
held in their own country.
But why me?
I'm not an English teacher, and I'm not even in medical education.
I'm a clinician.
I'm completely out of my comfort zone, but we never say no.
I felt I needed to give them a chance -
a chance to learn or at least expose them to what I had to offer.
After receiving more requests from health care professionals,
I decided to create a study group.
We didn't have all the time in the world,
so for efficiency, I laid down a few rules:
I will not teach English. I will not teach medicine.
I will teach what they haven't learned
at medical school or in their training.
We will learn today what we can use tomorrow.
It's ironic.
They came to me for the language,
but I'm providing them with everything except the language.
At this point,
my students have absolutely no clue of where this is going.
According to one survey I conducted,
communication is more important than language.
These results were exactly the same
across patients, doctors and medical staff.
If communication were an iceberg,
the tip of the iceberg would be the language.
The underlying mass, volume would be nonverbal communication.
If nonverbal communication accounts for 80% or more of communication,
why are we not teaching nonverbal communication?
I needed to tackle this first.
Nonverbal communication would be like a simple handshake.
For the record, before 2020,
we used to shake hands when greeting someone.
It was a powerful message -
a powerful way to express that you practice American culture.
And it only takes a few seconds.
We also follow up with actively introducing ourselves.
It's an opportunity to make a huge positive impact
because the first impression is how a person will remember you.
Consider the first impression to be the last impression.
Next, to enhance cultural knowledge,
we study the values Americans hold.
And we studied dress codes, table manners.
We held dinners at small parties,
and we celebrated St. Valentine's Day, April Fools', Independence Day.
We wore green on St. Patrick's Day and had turkey for Thanksgiving.
We even went online shopping for Black Friday.
Another important part of communication is physically listening.
Our bodies should face the person we are talking to,
our eyes looking into the other person's eye
and our ears wide open.
We should not be using any phones, computers,
not even taking any notes.
We should be focusing on the speaker.
We needed to physically show we are present,
and we are here now with our undivided attention.
Unfortunately, physicians are not exactly very good at this,
and we tend to interrupt patients
within 11 seconds of a medical consultation.
Patients are literally explaining to us and telling us the diagnosis,
but we interrupt too soon.
I'm a Japanese American,
so I understand the differences and similarities
of both cultures.
Therefore, I was able to teach my Japanese students
what they needed to know in taking care of Americans.
But I believe this method is universal.
Anyone with any cultural knowledge
can teach any foreign national in any country, in any industry,
not only for the Olympics.
Currently, I have a group of 50 health care professionals
in my 2020 study group.
They come from various hospitals and clinics all across Japan.
I empower them with nonverbal skills,
cultural skills, cultural knowledge
and physical listening.
For the Tokyo Olympic Games,
I believe these health care professionals
will be present in a clinic or hospital near you.
And they will be introducing themselves
with the understanding of your culture and values.
And they will be listening to you, assisting you every step of the way
if in the case you happen to need it.
Thank you.