Team Comm 101
Cathy Jameson, CEO
“My biggest problem is my team. I can’t seem to get the right people on board. Or, if I have good people on the team, they don’t seem to stick around.”
“The greatest stress in my practice is trying to get my team to get along. The constant bickering drives me crazy. Why can’t people just come to work, do their job, and get along?”
Paul Harvey says, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it!” I totally agree. So many times we taint our message by interspersing words and phrases that conjure up a negative response – or a negative thought.
Excellent communication takes place between two people when the message sent by the speaker is interpreted correctly by the listener. Obviously, both of these skills – listening and speaking – are critical for the communication flow to work.
In each and every one of your dental days, every member of the team has the opportunity to move a relationship with a patient further along – or to end it. In addition, how each team member speaks to patients and colleagues can make a difference in whether or not a person will make a decision to accept treatment and how the overall practice functions. Excellent communication skills are one of the most basic and most effective ways to take your practice to a new level of success and productivity.
The goals of good speaking are 1) to help people want to listen to what you have to say, 2) to deliver the message in the best possible manner, and 3) to check to see if you were heard (or interpreted) correctly.
There are three specific factors that define whether or not a person will want to listen to your message. They are as follows:
1. Self-interest
2. Who’s speaking
3. How the message is sent
Self-interest means: what motivates a person to do, be, or want something? Is the information useful, fulfilling, beneficial, or productive for them? If someone is told what’s good for them, they probably won’t buy it. A person must see how a product or service applies to them and how it will benefit their particular situation. In other words – people want to know “what’s in this for me.”
Who’s speaking means: does the person receiving the message trust the person sending the message? Your initial contact with a person is very critical. A person needs to know what your intentions are before they can or will trust you. People want to know “Are you for me?” “Will you help me?” “What will happen if I let you in?” “Will you take advantage of me?”
People decide if they will trust you in two ways – emotionally and intellectually. Most decisions are made emotionally. Even though a person tries to make a decision based on fact, the process is filtered through emotions. A level of trust must be established before you can gain another’s confidence. Don’t underestimate the importance of spending time and giving attention to the building of rapport.
How the message is sent means: how do you get your message across to the listener or receiver? Be aware of the fact that 60% of the perception of a message is sent or received via body language; 30% through tone of voice; and 10% through the words that are spoken. The delivery of your message may well have more impact on the listener than what you are saying.
How you communicate with your team will create either a positive or a negative energy in your practice. It will highlight efficiency or create dawdle. That energy and those affected business systems will affect how you and your team members communicate with patients. That will carry over and make a difference on the rest of your life. Teamwork can be a source of mutual respect and understanding or team interaction can be a source of frustration and discouragement for all involved. Your knowledge and skill of communication is the bottom line of successful relationships and ultimately, the success of your practice.
The study of communication skills may be one of your greatest challenges, but also may become one of your greatest assets. Set your mind and focus NOW on being an excellent leader, an excellent communicator and work as diligently at those qualities as you do in mastering clinical skills. Then, you’ll never have to sound like the hundreds of statements we hear similar to those opening this article. You deserve better so set your sights on that level of success now. GO FOR IT! ■
Cathy Jameson is founder and CEO of Jameson Management, an international dental consulting firm, working with practices throughout the world. She and her team of coaches work one-on-one with dental practices to improve productivity and profitability and control stress. Jameson’s LAUNCH program is tailored for new graduates and those looking to start a practice from scratch. For more information, visit www.JamesonManagment.com and call 877.369.5558