Successful doctors are those who take the time to understand their patient’s concern and address it accordingly. Although this may seem simple, the communication opportunities between doctors and their patients and team members can make or break business growth.
Below are seven methods of improving communication tailored to doctors.
Quickly Improve Communication For Doctors
Listen with curiosity.
Imagine someone comes into your practice and accuses your administrative staff of overbilling them. Approaching this type of conflict with curiosity means asking questions before making assumptions.
You may know your staff did not overbill, but asking questions can provide insight into how your patient is experiencing the issue, and why. This simple but revolutionary approach begets empathy.
Be aware of what isn’t being said.
Communication isn’t just about what we say to each other. A huge part of communication that is studied in universities across the US is nonverbal communication.
Awareness of not only your patient's nonverbal cues, but your own, can affect the outcome of a conversation.
Implement a workplace communication approach.
Streamlined communication is imperative to your practice’s success. Taking the time to create a system by which stakeholders in your business receive and send communication is a very practical way to ensure streamlined communication.
Ask for feedback.
Don’t hesitate to seek feedback from those around you - including the reason for your business - your patients! Directly requesting feedback sets others at ease and may illuminate opportunities for improvement that could have otherwise remained hidden.
Eliminate “noise.”
In communication studies, students learn about what communication experts call “noise.” Noise is a term used to refer to the obstacles within the channel of any communication.
Noise can mean literal auditory distractions, like loud music or chatter. It can also mean the emotions and feelings any individual is experiencing.
Doctors can work to eliminate noise by cultivating quiet environments or by asking their patients about what they are feeling.
Be concise.
It is easy for humans to fall into rambling or verbose speech. Concision is valuable in communication because the more concise the communication is, the easier it typically is to digest and respond to.
Practice concision by becoming aware of when you are talking without purpose, and focus your words on building the speech that is most pertinent for those around you to understand.
Watch your tone.
This skill is a little bit trickier to master because a lot of us often don’t realize how we’re coming off to others. However, becoming aware of your “tone” - the connotation the way you are speaking is carrying - can greatly improve your communication as a doctor.
Impatience and frustration can be gleaned through a tone. But so can gratitude and openness. Practicing mastering your tone - regardless of your inward feelings - can certainly help doctors!
It is crucial but little-known advice like this that Business Coaches like me supply small business owners with. If you’d like to go even more in-depth with me in order to improve your communication skills as a doctor and watch your business grow, contact Alison Lescarbeau at FocalPoint today!
Tampa, FL - Communication Training Services for Doctors | Business Coaching News
SYNOPSIS: Doctors experience pressure to provide effective communication. Contact Alison Lescarbeau, an experienced FocalPoint coach in Tampa, FL to learn how to improve your communication skills as a doctor!
Doctors Need Good Communication Skills, Too
BY: ,
Successful doctors are those who take the time to understand their patient’s concern and address it accordingly. Although this may seem simple, the communication opportunities between doctors and their patients and team members can make or break business growth.
Below are seven methods of improving communication tailored to doctors.
Quickly Improve Communication For Doctors
Listen with curiosity.
Imagine someone comes into your practice and accuses your administrative staff of overbilling them. Approaching this type of conflict with curiosity means asking questions before making assumptions.
You may know your staff did not overbill, but asking questions can provide insight into how your patient is experiencing the issue, and why. This simple but revolutionary approach begets empathy.
Be aware of what isn’t being said.
Communication isn’t just about what we say to each other. A huge part of communication that is studied in universities across the US is nonverbal communication.
Awareness of not only your patient's nonverbal cues, but your own, can affect the outcome of a conversation.
Implement a workplace communication approach.
Streamlined communication is imperative to your practice’s success. Taking the time to create a system by which stakeholders in your business receive and send communication is a very practical way to ensure streamlined communication.
Ask for feedback.
Don’t hesitate to seek feedback from those around you - including the reason for your business - your patients! Directly requesting feedback sets others at ease and may illuminate opportunities for improvement that could have otherwise remained hidden.
Eliminate “noise.”
In communication studies, students learn about what communication experts call “noise.” Noise is a term used to refer to the obstacles within the channel of any communication.
Noise can mean literal auditory distractions, like loud music or chatter. It can also mean the emotions and feelings any individual is experiencing.
Doctors can work to eliminate noise by cultivating quiet environments or by asking their patients about what they are feeling.
Be concise.
It is easy for humans to fall into rambling or verbose speech. Concision is valuable in communication because the more concise the communication is, the easier it typically is to digest and respond to.
Practice concision by becoming aware of when you are talking without purpose, and focus your words on building the speech that is most pertinent for those around you to understand.
Watch your tone.
This skill is a little bit trickier to master because a lot of us often don’t realize how we’re coming off to others. However, becoming aware of your “tone” - the connotation the way you are speaking is carrying - can greatly improve your communication as a doctor.
Impatience and frustration can be gleaned through a tone. But so can gratitude and openness. Practicing mastering your tone - regardless of your inward feelings - can certainly help doctors!
It is crucial but little-known advice like this that Business Coaches like me supply small business owners with. If you’d like to go even more in-depth with me in order to improve your communication skills as a doctor and watch your business grow, contact Alison Lescarbeau at FocalPoint today!
