Listening Priorities for Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) Part 2

Part 2 of my interview with Nicolas Georgiades dives into what it really takes for MSLs to go beyond surface-level answers and gather strategic insights. From reframing questions to reading the room and receiving coaching feedback—this is the art behind impactful listening

Kim: What techniques have you employed to move past the superficial answer to a more meaningful insight? 

Nicolas: A meaningful insight is a form of strategic intelligence gleaned from KOL/MSL meeting that may inform current or future strategy. The process starts with ensuring each MSL can articulate the prioritized medical strategies and the defined listening priorities aligned to the strategy. I like to emphasize that most meaningful insights aren’t novel ideas, but rather a validation of the strategy which can be just as valuable. I suggest the MSL focuses on what they are hearing during scientific exchange related to the medical strategy. Does it resound with the KOL? Through true scientific exchange, KOLs will provide their perspective and as an artful MSL you can use your skills to probe to find the “why” behind what they’ve shared to discover what they genuinely believe.

Kim: That works best when you have a relationship with the KOL and have situational awareness. For MSLs just building a relationship, how does that change the approach to insights gathering?

Nicolas: During an introductory meeting, be respectful of time and focus on relationship building. Once you feel that you have rapport, that’s when you can diver deeper into the scientific exchange and probe further to gain insights. Be purposeful but don’t force it.

Kim: What recommendations do you have for MSLs to move past the superficial conversation to gain deeper insights?

Nicolas: It’s important that leaders provide MSLs with timely feedback on the insights they provide. That feedback loop allows MSLs to see examples of what is and is not meaningful for strategy. In addition to the baseline training that includes medical strategy review and what type of insights that will be helpful to inform the strategy, continuous development of the soft skills utilized to gain insights is critical. This includes training on how to ask probing questions, active listening, and influencing skills. Coaching during field ride-alongs allows leaders to provide real-time feedback to enhance clarity and understanding of expectations. Specific feedback from the observed KOL interactions on how to frame questions differently, where asking clarifying questions would have been valuable, where listening would have provided more value than speaking, etc. will provide the MSL useful examples and direction.