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And you thought your colleague across the
hallway was a poor listener. Consider this.
When the doctor asks you “Where does it hurt?”
you have less than 18 seconds to respond before
being interrupted.
That’s just one conclusion from a burgeoning field
of research into how doctors and patients
communicate, according to a recent article in
the New York Times.
For people trying to communicate more
effectively in business, the research provides a
fascinating case study in how to (and how not
to) diagnose problems. The takeaway message?
If you want to reduce misunderstandings,
frustration, and lawsuits, listen carefully,
don’t interrupt, and ask plenty of questions.
Some Scary Numbers
In our workshops, our clients tell us that the
number one result of poor communication skills
is poor job performance. “People go off and do
the wrong thing when communication breaks down,”
one client told us recently.
With that in mind, a study of doctor-patient
communication provides some interesting insight
into how communication breaks down.
According to the doctor patient research,
only 15 percent of patients understand what
their doctors tell them. That’s partly because
most people ask very few questions during a
typical visit. Most men ask zero
questions. Women ask an average of six
questions. It’s no wonder then that only
50 percent of patients know how to take care of
themselves following a visit to the doctor.
While doctors probably should improve their
communication skills, the lesson for all of us
is that we need to communicate better with our “patients”,
asking questions and not interrupting before a
person gets a chance to finish a thought.
Your Voice Energy Matters
And for those who think that in business, substance matters far more than style, consider
this. One study has found that those surgeons
that are sued most frequently have a “more
dominant tone of voice” as compared with
those surgeons who have been sued fewer times. The
surgeons that were sued less spoke with greater
warmth.
So what are these lawsuit-prone surgeons being
advised to do? Listen carefully, ask open-ended
questions, do not interrupt, make eye contact,
and indicate that they care.
Sounds like good business advice as well.
At Speechworks we help our clients learn how to
give communicate in a way that connects and
persuades. If you’re interested in becoming a
great communicator give us a call at
404-266-0888 or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
