Most would agree that time is our most valuable resource. Once time has passed, we cannot get it back. As I age, I am so much more aware of the importance of making every minute count. That makes the subject of this post very important.

So much time is wasted due to incomplete and/or inaccurate information. I had a situation occur this week that is a great example of that. The details aren’t important, and if I were to even begin to recount them, I would get mad all over again, and that would just waste more time! So, I will turn this into a positive experience and discuss the ways in which we can avoid wasting time in this manner.

First, we need to be clear about what information other people need to have and deliver that in a manner that can best be heard. One example is if we have a family member having surgery, who do we need to make aware of this? While it is fine to deliver non-sensitive information via social media, that should not be the manner in which we tell our closest relatives, such as children. Just because it might be quicker and easier for us to just put up a post and hit “send,” we should be more considerate than that.

When we are giving information to others, we should consider what details are important to communicate. Although I said I was not going to discuss the details of the recent experience I referenced above, a specific example can help us better understand the key points. The experience I referenced involved a dental procedure that included more than one appointment, and several people involved in trying to decide how and when to schedule the first of those were either unaware of or failed to communicate the next steps. The next steps became very important due to other priorities and schedule conflicts of both the patient and the dental practice. At least two hours of several people’s time was wasted due to incomplete and inaccurate information. This was a completely avoidable problem.

It is the responsibility of the person “in charge” of the situation to ensure complete and accurate information is provided. It is also important for all of us to consider what information is important, and to make sure we ask good questions. Gone are the days when doctors and other health care providers were expected to be the “know it all and not to be questioned experts.” Lay people need to take responsibility for their own health and make sure they question what isn’t clear. However, in some cases, and medical and dental procedures often fall in this category, we do not know what we do not know!

When it becomes clear that incomplete and/or inaccurate information is involved, the person with the greatest emotional maturity needs to make sure the communication stays positive and focused on the delivery of accurate and complete information. Focusing on what all need to know, and delivering such in a positive and professional manner, should remain the priority. If fault finding becomes involved, more time is wasted, and for no good outcome.

There are many examples of communication problems, and not all involve the delivery of incomplete and/or inaccurate information. If we all take responsibility for effective communication, our time will be better spent, and our relationships will be improved.