Ep.286 'Communication Skills For MSK Clinicians Part 3: Explaining Diagnoses' with guest Ben Whybrow

In Part 3 of our focus this month on Communication Skills for MSK Clinicians, entitled 'EXPLAINING DIAGNOSES', host Matt Phillips is joined by special guest Ben Whybrow, Clinical Communication Skills Facilitator at Norwich Medical School, specialist physiotherapist in an NHS Pain Clinic, and host of the Clinical Communication Podcast.

In this episode, Ben explores how MSK clinicians can explain diagnoses clearly, confidently and compassionately. He discusses asking about patients’ expectations, meeting people where they’re at, timing explanations, using simple relatable analogies (like the "cocktail"), and checking understanding.

Practical tips focus on keeping explanations simple, validating feelings over repeating facts, tailoring language to the patient, and prioritizing how patients feel so they leave reassured and able to move forward.

Chapter Markers

• 00:00:00 - Welcome to the STA Clinician Podcast
• 00:03:00 - Introducing special guest Ben Whybrow
• 00:04:30 - Ben Whybrow speaking at Therapy Show 2026
• 00:06:56 - What Is a Diagnosis?
• 00:15:21 - Start With What The Patient Knows
• 00:27:26 - Keep Explanations Simple
• 00:30:25 - Using Analogies That Fit
• 00:38:30 - Check Patient Understanding Gently
• 00:44:14 - What To Do When Patients Are Not Listening
• 00:49:14 - Teaching and Reassurance

Useful Links

• Ben Whybrow on Instagram
• Clinical Communication Podcast on Apple Podcasts 

Other Episodes In This Series

• Part 1 - Motivational Interviewing for MSK Clinicians with guest Orla Adams - Available on YouTube & all popular Podcast Apps.  
• Part 2 - Awkward Conversations with guest Richard Shorter of Non-perfectdad.co.uk
• Part 4 - 8pm (UK time) Tues May 26th - Serena Simmons, founder of the psychologyschool.co, will be introducing the Psychological Patterning Process (PPP) - a structured way of recognising the patterns that sit underneath your client or patient’s behaviour, and understanding what to do next.

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