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First Impressions
Did you realize the number one cause of failure in a dental practice is the lack of effective communication. That is why it is so important to keep the lines of communication open and elevated. We communicate not only by what we say but also by our tone of voice, body language, how we listen and the energy we put out there. We retain
- 7% of what was said
- 55% body language
- 38% tone of voice
Our actions and tone of voice always speak louder than our words. To have effective communication it is imperative that our actions and tone of voice always match our words. Whenever you are speaking to another team member think about what you are really saying with your body language and tone of voice. Is it what you meant to say?
Active listening is equally as important and necessary to achieve effective communication. What I mean by active listening is being open, tuned-in and ready to receive what your co-worker is saying. Again your body language speaks mountains. If you are avoiding eye contact or rolling your eyes, raising your brow, crossing your arms or even just sighing you are shutting down the lines of communication.
Listening is wanting to hear. It is an emotional process, not a physical act.
To achieve Effective Communication it must always be a two-step process
listen - ask,
not
hear - talk. |
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Personal Inspiration
It's 7 AM and everyone is at the morning huddle. That is everyone except for Alienating Ann who doesn't feel it is necessary for her to be there. Dr. Tuned-Out I Just Want To Do Dentistry starts out by going over the schedule for the day. Without looking up he asks if there are any questions. Never noticing that Bashful Betty had raised her hand only to quickly lower it when she noticed Critical Cathy's raised eyebrow and Provoking Patty whispering about her to Gossipy Gail. Another successful morning huddle!
Do any of these characters sound familiar? I would like you to take a moment and think about the role you play?
To avoid having this scenario replay itself over and over again establish Social Behavior Expectations for your practice. These are guidelines of behavior for your daily interactions that are created together as a team. Everyone on the team agrees to embody these behavior expectations and hold everyone including themselves accountable.
It's 7 AM and everyone is at the morning huddle. Everyone including Agreeable Ann who feels it is necessary for her to be there. Dr. Tuned-In I Care About YOU starts out by going over the schedule for the day. Looking up he asks if there are any questions. He notices that Brave Betty had raised her hand and kept it raised when she noticed Complimentary Cathy's encouraging smile. Polite Patty is waiting her turn to talk after Gracious Gail. Just another successful morning huddle! |
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Professional Inspiration
When we interact with someone we are all coming from a place filled with our own expectations. Our expectations will differ because of our:
- Different Beliefs
- Different Opinions
- Different Assumptions
therefore Different Truths based on our personal experiences. Because of our unique and individual makeup we don't look the same nor do we expect to. Why than if we have unique and individual experiences would we expect each other to think and act the same? We have this expectation that we must react or behave in the same way. Our co-worker's behavior must mean what it would mean if we had reacted or behaved in that manner. For example: We think if a co-worker doesn't say goodbye to us before leaving at the end of the day they must be mad at us, because we know we would never leave without saying goodbye unless we were angry or upset. These are our own personal rules of behavior. Yet we expect everyone else to agree to and behave the same way.
That is another reason why it is so important to establish Social Behavior Expectations for all individual and team interactions to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication.
Just the other day I was talking to my good friend and life coach, Vanessa Emerson of Vanessa Emerson By Design. When out of my mouth came the following words; "Where I come from"! Thank goodness a light bulb went off and I stopped before I could finish my entire sentence. I couldn't believe I had just said that. I knew better yet here I was putting my beliefs, opinions and assumptions therefore my truths because of my experiences onto to someone else. Expecting their behavior to be the same as mine. Hmmm, our old habits really do die hard. Knowing this, the key is then to be aware and willing to be open to understand where they come from! |
