|
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, this 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 |
