A confused mind always says No. If you want your patients’ cooperation and full buy-in to the treatment plans you are presenting, you must make them understand what you want them to do and how it affects them. When you confuse people, you lose all hope of gaining their cooperation. Giving a complete diagnosis followed with, “You should do this, but you could do that, or this other thing, then there’s always this, that, and the other.” Stop! What is the best option? What would you do if it were your mouth and your health?
The seven most common mistakes I see when evaluating a Dentist’s presentation skills are:
- Overwhelming the patient with too much information at once. You should be educating the patient during the exam. Don’t allow your staff to talk about personal agendas during the examination process. Ask your patients questions about their dental health and dental habits. Educate them as to how they can do better, improve their health, and keep down their costs. Do this a little at a time over the exam to give them the opportunity to absorb the new information and ask questions.
- Giving them too many options. Start with one option – the best. Even if they have told you that money is an issue. (Money is always an issue, except to people who have no money.) Then help them make a choice based on their values and understanding. Once they and your financial coordinator have determined your treatment plan total is not possible, then decide where to cut corners. Until then, there is only one option, and please remember to not give up easily. This is your patient’s health we’re talking about here.
- Boring them with stories of other cases, just like theirs, how great they turned out because of how great a Dentist you are. If the patient is not sitting on the edge of her seat, lingering on your every word, you’re boring her. Shut up, get on with what effects her, and address her needs.
- Saying too much. Once you’ve sold the case, get out! Let your financial coordinator do the rest. Stop saying that there other ways of going about the treatment if they don’t get approved for financing, etc.
- Using visual aids (like patient education models) poorly. Make sure the examples you’re showing relate directly to the patient’s problems or leave it out.
- Using dental jargon. Your patients have enough to learn without learning our “code.” Make your explanations understandable by using everyday language. If the patient wants to learn and converse using dental speak, fine. Most of the time, forget about it.
- Speaking in abstractions. If the situation relates to them, say so. Don’t beat around the bush or try to spare their feelings. They came to you for your opinion. Don’t be mean, but make your point clear. In your introduction, explicitly tell people what you’re talking about. Give them an overview of your talk, your main points, and your structure. “Mrs. Smith, I’m going to explain to you what I found after reviewing your records. We’ll discuss how we can work together to get you back to excellent dental health, then I’ll answer your questions.”
Confusing people will, without fail, shut them down. Confucius said it another way: “If speech is not clear, then what is said is not what is meant. If what is said is not what is meant, then what ought to be done remains undone.”
If you are wondering if you are guilty of confusing your patients during case presentation, ask your team. They usually know. Next month, I’ll have a new report coming out on Case Presentation for the Dental Practice. To pre-order your free copy, e-mail me directly and I’ll put you on the waiting list.
I’d love to hear from you. Have you overcome the problem of confusing your patients? Or is it still a problem? Share your story by commenting below.
Posted under Education
This post was written by Debra Moorhead, Motivational Speaker, Author, and Coach on October 23, 2006
