By: Dr. Bill Gregg DDS
This topic originally appeared on Pankey.org. Dr. Gregg granted permission for igniteDDS to share with our readers.
The first step towards becoming a great clinician, who can diagnose and treat diseases is becoming an active listener.
Usually, the most important things you need to know for an effective treatment come from the patient themselves, since they know their body better than anybody else. Therefore, before doing any sophisticated analysis or radiograph, it’s important to gather all the information from what the patient tells us – mostly in this step we gather all the necessary information and this helps us to create the best treatment plan.
However, listening despite being an underrated skill by many clinicians, is what can differentiate you from the rest, since many times some things that are felt and seen clinically can’t be noticed even in 2D or 3D radiographs.
Listening is a skill that can be developed and improved. It requires intention and attention. You’ve to practice and gain all the information for the right diagnosis through the words patients say, by listening intently to your patients!
Actionable Skills to Become a World-Class Listener
Here are a few tips that help:
Offer Your Empty Presence
Most important of all is the intent to be present. Be here, nowhere else. Never enter a room without taking a deep belly breath to quiet the sympathetic, judgmental lizard brain and enhance the empathetic brain.
Empty presence is being fully available for the patient with no agenda, no busy talk going on in your mind, no judgment about what is said, no mental correcting or explaining chatter going on in your head for when you get a chance to talk.
I like to imagine an empty white balloon completely devoid of anything. My objective is to simply let the person fill it with their own thoughts and feelings. Really focus on what they say and how they say it and especially the feelings behind it. You are a gatherer of their information, not an explainer, corrector, teacher, or judge.
Let the Person Finish Their Story Without Interruption
Take a deep belly breath again once they have gone silent. What they just told you is simply what they first told you. There is probably more. When a person has finished their story, the silent period is when they understand what they just said.
Silently offer your open heart with compassion, allowing them time to spill out everything they need to say. Silently count to 10 before speaking, then use simple encouragements:
- “Is there anything more?”
- “Yes, I understand.”
- “I’m glad to know that.”
- “I’m sorry to hear that.”
- “Tell me more.”
Key Takeaways
If you’re looking to build long-term relationships with patients and cultivate thriving dental practices, The Pankey Institute stands as a beacon of excellence and compassion in the field of dentistry, setting a high standard for dental care worldwide.
Learn more to listen for feelings over content and become a world-class active listener by following Dr. Pankey’s Philosophy. Visit The Pankey Institute to learn more.
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