The term denotes the ability to convey information effectively and efficiently; good verbal, nonverbal, and written communication skills help facilitate the sharing of information between people. All three are essential skills in palliative care: effective symptom control and accurate assessment are impossible without effective communication.
The idea that clinical practitioners automatically learn communication through experience, or that they are inherently either good or bad communicators, is being largely abandoned. It is now widely believed that such skills can be taught to both students and professionals as an important part of undergraduate as well as postgraduate and continuing medical education.