One Word Can Change Everything

Splat”

In one word, the entire course of the story, and this person’s life was changed. Unfortunately, it was describing a jump out of an airplane to skydive. Fortunately, it was all made up. Confused? Let me explain.

I was doing a day-long workshop with a group of pharmacy professionals, integrating the tools and skills of improv comedy to help make them better at connecting with professionals. One of the activities I had them do was a game called “One Word Story.” It involves getting a group to circle up, give them a title of a story, and have them tell it one word at a time. The stories are often fun, funny, and have a tendency to take an unexpected twist.

That is, of course, as long as everyone is staying in the moment, following along, and most importantly, listening. Often the feedback I get is something like this:

“I thought the story was going in one direction, then they said something that totally made me change how it was going.”

I love when people get these insights and realizations, because it is teaching the very skill that can be applied to interacting with our patients. We need to be able to follow along, get rid of our preconceived notions, and follow theirstory.

When I was debriefing the activity, one of the participants had a beautiful, yet simple insight that made me stop my train of thought and have a deeper discussion.

She said it “only takes one word to change everything.”

Like in a story about skydiving that ends with “splat.”

One word can change everything.

Of course, we have to be listening, and ready for that word to change it all. And that was the point of the exercise we did. To stretch those listening muscles, to live in the moment, and maybe the hardest thing: give up control.

It sounds so simple, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and our world would not have a listening problem.

So today, and everyday, stay in the moment, listen, and remember that one word can change everything.

Make a Good Day,

Cory