There is a lot more to a dental office than simply diagnosing and treating ailments. There is more to it than efficiency and professionalism.
These things are vitally important, but to truly connect with patients and bring them back to your practice there is much more that you will have to consider and incorporate into your daily management.
One of the main problems that patients vocalize about dental offices is that they feel like there is a lack of communication. While a dentist diagnoses the ailment and talks about the treatment, many patients feel like the dentist is trying to deal with them as quickly as possible and is not really listening to them.
Communication involves a lot more than one-way relaying of the facts. Communication is a two-way and two-party activity.
It involves the talking and listening of both sides. However, the complaint of many patients is that their dentist does not truly listen.
When questioned, there are many things that dentists unconsciously do that indicate they are not truly listening. The first is that they do not wait for the speaker to finish before they respond.
While it will take more time to listen to them to the end, it is vital to your business and company that you service your patients well by listening to them.
Instead of jumping in with a long word for a condition or something of that nature, simply wait and calmly provide the answer at the end of their statement.
A good listener is also one that does not relay judgment or criticism through body language or spoken language. If you are critical of them, they will feel like you do not understand their situation and they will seek out someone who can understand them.
Even if patients have had bad habits with home oral treatment in the past, they need to feel supported in order to improve their habits and want to come back to your practice. Constructive support is much more effective in changing bad habits than deconstructive criticism.
Good listeners will never interrupt or talk over another person. Again, this makes the person speaking feel unimportant and misunderstood.
These are not the feelings that you want associated with your practice. You want to be developing an environment where the patients feel understood, accepted, supported, and important.
Through truly listening you are showing respect to the person who is speaking. Simply by listening you are building their self-confidence and allowing them to improve their life.
These principles not only apply to the patients, but to your employees and co-workers. Listening to others who work in the same office will relieve pressure and create a more ideal environment.
It is also interesting to note that the more you listen, the more others will listen to what you have to say. As you are making them feel important, they will develop respect for you and they will consider and follow your opinions and suggestions.
Listening is a service that should be provided in every office or every kind around the world. It is not about you.
It is much more important to develop respect and trust than to develop a single point and that you were right. Trying to prove you were right in one instance can ruin all of the trust and respect you have been trying to build.
Instead of being about you, it should be about the other person. Listening is a great way to continue learning, become relaxed, and develop a longer attention span.
Your body language is a big indication of whether or not you are really listening. There are several things you can do to adjust your posture to help let them know you are truly listening to them.
Start by leaning slightly towards the person who is speaking and using eye contact. Eye contact is vital and lets them know you are not thinking about other things.
If your eyes are wandering towards the clock or the window, they will think you are in a hurry to get somewhere and that you do not really care. Interestingly, tilting your head to one side indicates that you are listening and focused.
Folded arms indicate that someone in the conversation is defensive and closed to new ideas. Relay the feeling that you are open to their concerns by unfolding your arms.
Learning how to really listen will not only affect the success of your dental office, but all aspects of your life.
Author Resource:-
Ronald Pedactor is a formal dental hygienist and has authored hundreds of articles relating to dental practice and procedures, including dental consultants.
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