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Episode 17

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Published on:

24th Aug 2020

017: Storytelling As A Communication Tool with Lisa Evans

Stories and storytelling have been around for centuries since the birth of human language. Yet we can sometimes forget how powerful storytelling is as a communication tool. You can learn the most valuable lessons when you listen to others through storytelling.  In this episode, we delve into how good storytelling can be used as an effective communication tool for healthcare professionals and a way to build rapport with your patients. Therapeutic storytelling serves a powerful purpose. Nurses are in a great position to encourage patients to share their stories which is an effective way to break down barriers in communication.  To be a better storyteller you have to be a better listener. To be a better communicator, one must listen to learn, and not listen to reply.  TOPICS WE DISCUSSED INCLUDE: Sleep deprivation as a form of torture (4:58) Restful sleep (5:28) Diet as a form of self-care (6:18) Good communication as nurses (12:45) Storytelling as a nurse (13:18) Storytelling as a way of making meaning from the situation (14:00) Speaking about your experiences (15:36) Sharing your stories (16:00) Stories as a way to break down communication barriers (16:32) Getting older people to share their stories (16:55) Capturing stories while you can (17:45) Encouraging people to share their rich stories (17:48) Storytelling as a way to build rapport (17:55) To be a better storyteller you have to be a better listener (18:36) Holding space for others as a story listener (18:49) Listen to learn. Don’t listen to reply. (19:22) Advice to newly graduating nurses to communicating with patients (20:11) Never stop learning (21:00) Always ask for help (21:11) Having the courage to be vulnerable (21:34) Fear stops us from asking for help (22:43) Speaking clearly. Keeping communication simple. (23:49) Articulating your words and allowing for pauses. (24:40) CONNECT WITH LISA EVANS Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn Secure your tickets to Lisa’s event, Stories From The Heart, by clicking here. CONNECT WITH ELAINA MULLERY HappyNurse.com.au Connect with me on Instagram and Facebook Connect with me on LinkedIn Subscribe to my Youtube channel
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About the Podcast

The Happy Nurse
Winner — APAC Insider Australian Enterprise Awards 2024 | Most Empowering Self Care Provider for Nurses. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and stress are rising in healthcare. This podcast exists to change that — one practical, honest conversation at a time.
Nurses are the backbone of the health system — always there to care for a stranger as if they were one of their own, forsaking precious moments with their own families to ensure others' loved ones are in good hands.
Compassion fatigue, stress, and burnout are rising across healthcare. Self care has never been more important — or more overlooked.
Elaina Mullery McDonald RN has 25 years of clinical nursing experience, a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychology, and a Master of Business Psychology in progress. She is a certified NLP Practitioner, hypnotherapist, and mindfulness practitioner — and the founder and host of The Happy Nurse podcast. Having experienced burnout firsthand, she is passionate about equipping nurses with practical, evidence-informed strategies to protect their wellbeing and sustain the career they worked so hard for.

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Elaina Mullery


Elaina Mullery RN has spent 25 years working across some of nursing's most demanding clinical environments — orthopaedic trauma, operating theatre, endoscopy, recovery, and day surgery. She knows firsthand what it feels like to run on empty, and it's that lived experience of burnout that drives everything she does.
Elaina holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Psychology and is completing a Master of Business Psychology at Edith Cowan University. She is a certified NLP Practitioner, hypnotherapist, and mindfulness practitioner, and has developed the 3R Framework — an original evidence-based methodology for building sustainable human performance at individual, team, and organisational level.
Through The Happy Nurse podcast, her online courses, and her white paper No Margin for Error, Elaina is on a mission to change the way healthcare treats its most valuable resource — the people who show up every day to care for others.