Blog Contribution by NIHD President Kevin Meek RN-BSN, BA, MHI, EDAC, FACHE
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity and privilege to attend the Healthcare Design Forum in Colorado Springs, CO. The HCD Forum offers high-level, multidisciplinary industry professionals an unparalleled opportunity to exchange ideas, engage in real problem-solving, and consider topics that are tangential—yet remarkably relevant—to healthcare work. It is probably the one place that I get to engage with colleagues from all over the country, and from all different organizations, to collaborate collectively towards common ideas.
Image: HCD Forum Keynote Speaker Ethan Kross, an award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top ranked Department of Psychology (photo provided by HCD).
This year, the keynote speaker was Ethan Kross, an award-winning professor in the University of Michigan’s top ranked Department of Psychology and its Ross School of Business, he is the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory. Immediately during his presentation, it was clear that this was not going to be any ordinary keynote! He had us engaged in some very meaningful self-discovery, and it was so fun to see the room excitingly engaged and connected.
The big take away from his message for me was how all of the constant conversations I have in my head can have a huge impact on my overall behavior and health. More importantly, ‘how’ we have those conversations in our head matter! Every one of us have thoughts that pop in and out of our mind on a continuous basis – some more than others for sure, but something we all have. Simple rephrasing of our thoughts and referring to ourselves in second person language of “you” instead of “I” and using our own name “Kevin” when having those internal conversations, leads us to a greater ability to hear and understand rationale thought from irrational thought. As someone who works to overcome neurodiverse challenges on a daily basis, I found that working to harness the internal voice in my head really helps me respond more positively and appropriately!
I believe the internal dialogue we each can have at times can also lead to our hesitation to speak up during design meetings, or to voice ideas that could be contradictory to group think. Understanding how this chatter can hold us back and how to overcome it allows us to remain confident in providing the clinical voice to the projects we engage with. Personally, I have had to get myself to change my thinking when I thought an architect wouldn’t listen to what I had to share, or that an owner would question my knowledge of the industry and advice I was offering. Learning how to have conversations with myself in a more positive way builds my confidence and value internally, so that I can then be more confident externally to others.
You can learn more about Dr. Kross and his work by clicking here and the Emotion and Self Control Lab at the University of Michigan by clicking here.