ABSTRACT
Successful communication is achieved when what is in the brain of the speaker is matched by what is in the brain of the listener. People have preconceptions and preferences concerning the kind of things they want or expect to hear. Words that do not accord with those preferences are unlikely to be fully understood, so finding out what the patient's preferences are is of some importance for a family doctor in consultation. In most but not all situations, patients prefer to be talked to in their own language and not in jargon or acronyms. The family doctor tries to make her consultations creative that is situations where patient and doctor are responding to each other and generating more than the sum of the parts. Spontaneity is using the right words at the right time – a mixture of innovation and memory. A family doctor's voice is an important consultation tool so look after it.
