Vets, Practice Managers & Vet Nurses

Don't Speak The Way You'd Like To Be Spoken To!

Our mothers were right about most things – but not this one. 

‘Speak to others the way you’d like to be spoken to’ used to be the benchmark to ensure good manners and clear speech.

But now it’s not enough.  

Communicating effectively with the range of pet parents who make up your client database requires a very different tool set plus the observational skills of human body-language guru, Alan Pease.

You see, if all your clients were just like you, life would be a breeze. Clients would be professionals, they’d have spent years studying how to provide exceptional veterinary care to scores of species and would thrive on keeping abreast of the latest science and technology.

These ideal clients would understand the value of preventive health care and present perfect puss and perky pooch on a 6 monthly basis for health screens and follow all instructions to the letter.

The reality can be rather frustrating when Mr Everyday Client returns to complain that the special Diet Food you recommended to help his dog with kidney disease is a different one from the product your colleague mentioned as being his preferred choice while Mr Client was paying his bill. 

Now Mr Client is upset and worried that neither of you know what you’re doing even though you’d both explained that either product would ultimately have the same result.

It’s a true story and far from an isolated incident.  In fact, in comparison to other sections of the medical fraternity it would appear veterinarians are the best providers of patient care – hampered only by their communication techniques.

‘The largest cause of complaints to Veterinary Surgeons Boards is; poor communication.  Ie; “essentially because the vet appeared to the client to be indifferent, arrogant, off-hand or dismissive of the client’s observations..’ (WA Board Registrar’s Reflections, Sept 2004)’

The statement above was part of a 2009 curriculum development study ‘Enhancing Communication and Life Skills in Veterinary Students’ across 3 Universities which detailed the specific skills training which should become part of the curriculum to ensure future graduates emerge with greater empathy and more effective communication abilities.

While that augurs well for the future  - there is a wealth of scientifically proven methods to assist current veterinary professionals through the minefield of poor communications, such as the useage of Primary Sensory Dominance (PSD), Tonality, Word Choice and Body Language.

Firstly – PSD.  We perceive/experience the world via all of our senses, although three of them; sight, sound and touch are more important than the rest.  Of these, we unwittingly have a preferred or ‘Primary Sensory Dominance’ through which we learn and retain information best; we’re either Visual, Aural or Kinaesthetic.

Do you know which is your preferred learning style?  Do you fall into the; 55-60% of the population who absorb information best by reading or watching new material onscreen or; the 30-35%  who’d rather hear CD’s or presentations? Maybe you’re in the smallest group; the 5-10% who learn best by doing!

Alas - what works for you doesn’t necessarily work for all of your clients or your workmates either for that matter – which is why learning how to connect with and motivate the other two styles will pay dividends.

Here’s some tips to help identify them;

‘Visual’ clients tend to think, speak and move fast, they say things like “I see ” or “I can visualise that” – they are often animated and use lots of gestures. They want you to ‘show them’ ideally using visual aids like drawings, diagrams, slides or videos.

‘Auditory’ clients think in words and sounds, they speak with a steady even rhythm and would prefer you did the same.  A monotone voice makes them bored.  When you ‘tell them’ information they’ll say “Sounds like”or “I hear what you’re saying”.

‘Kinaesthetic’clients speak slowly and tend to have low-pitched voices.  How they feel about something or someone is what influences them most.   Touching or handling something is helpful in making decisions and they’ll say “My gut tells me” or “It feels like” or “my intuition is”. 

Next, there are the three elements of communication; spoken words, tonality and body language.

Surprisingly, the actual words used don’t have the greatest impact on how a message is received.  Just 7%.  Whereas ‘how’ you say something – your tone of voice - accounts for 38% and your body language  – a whopping 55%.

It’s painfully easy to send mixed messages.  Eg While you think you’re speaking in an appropriately serious tone – a client may be hearing ‘sombre’ and ‘dire’ yet seeing excited body language because you’re happy you’ve solved their pet’s problem.

So while it may be hard to undo years of using ‘correct veterinary terminology’ – downsizing  the words you choose to everyday lingo will make it easier to ensure the information you’re delivering matches your tone of voice and your body language.

Watch the News, listen to the radio, receive a text – short words are ‘in’. 

It’s the ‘Triple C’ concept – make sure what you and your entire workforce is saying is Clear, Concise and Consistent. 

Extend the same techniques to all your client communications and even your mother will have to acknowledge your new ‘tool set’ will achieve far greater dividends than ‘speaking to them like you like to be spoken to’.

Image: Dreamstime

Story © 2011 PetBiz Focus
Originally published in the Australian Veterinary Business Association's magazine 'In The Black' Summer 2011 issue.

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