A Quick Think About Being a Speech & Language Pathologist Part 3

Hannah: I think ideally I would want to capture the breadth of speech & language pathology but still make sure I have the opportunity to speak specifically about at least one population or one area in which I am developing my clinical expertise. That second part is important to me because it seems it would be a point for authentic advocacy. Time is a mitigating factor, at least in the context of the situation we are discussing. So, I wonder if it is better to spend the (short) amount of time speaking more generally? This would perhaps allow the greatest potential for connecting with your interlocutor based on their experience. Or perhaps providing a specific example . . .

A Quick Think About Being a Speech & Language Pathologist Part 2

Alaina: I see a sticking point when it comes to developing this type of elevator speech: it might be constantly changing (and that ties in nicely to our last conversation about growing as a professional). So developing an elevator speech might be an exercise to come back to regularly. At the moment, what do you want the scope of the elevator speech to be? Will you want it to include the entire profession, or just the parts that you yourself are involved in?

A Quick Think About Being a Speech & Language Pathologist

Hannah: I really enjoyed the way we approached our most recent blog topic. I asked Alaina if she would be excited about doing another discussion style series of posts. As Alaina and I often ride the same wavelength, but not elevator(sigh), she was happy to engage in another conversation using our blog as the medium. So here is round two. Recently, I have been thinking about my ‘elevator speech’ for Speech & Language Pathology. I find it challenging to describe what we do as professionals (and researchers) in a succinct yet meaningful way. I suppose one could argue that translation to individuals outside of one’s area of expertise (or to the general public) is difficult irrespective of the field. But that’s not the point. The point is, I want to better develop my ‘elevator speech’ because it is an opportunity to advocate for the populations we serve and the field I love.  

Diving into EBP: Final Thoughts

We started our conversation with EBP but ended up talking about the importance of participating in a professional relationship within which we can challenge our own ideas.  This aspect of becoming a more expert clinician is not a widely discussed aspect of EBP within Speech and Language Pathology.  Perhaps by looking to other disciplines, we can increase our own understanding of how best to apply this idea.

Diving into EBP: An Experiment in Conversation Part 8

Alaina: I see what you’re saying about conversing with different-minded people. One way to be sure to experience intellectual confrontation is to get in a conversation with someone with a basic philosophical disagreement. But under what circumstances do these conversations (with people who use different clinical practices) feel like they lead toward expanding wisdom, and under what circumstances do these conversations feel...for lack of a better term, annoying? Sometimes when I talk to someone I disagree with, I feel like I can see a problem from a different perspective, and sometimes when I talk to someone I disagree with I just feel more attached to my own ideas. Reading over what you said again, I see you used the phrase “cultivating that type of relationship.” I like that idea. It seems like a cultivated relationship, cultivated to support exploring differences in ideas, could make the intellectual confrontation something to enjoy rather than something to be afraid of.