EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

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EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Jayne Takahashi DVM, MBA
• Grande Prairie
• Oct 25, 2006

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How you do gain new clients?

• 57 referrals from other clients
• 27 yellow pages
• 8 colleagues
• 7 by location
• 1 by chance

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Effective communication

• Creates that trust
• Develop rapport and relationship

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Customer Service

• People business
• Goal to form some form of relationship between
  two people who often dont know each other
• Speech, body language and facial expressions

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Objectives

• Information
• Basic communication
• Verbal and non verbal language
• Hosting at your clinic

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Objectives

• Skills
• Selecting your words
• Active listening
• Managing challenging situations

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COMMUNICATION

• n. the act of sending or receiving information
• n. the act of sharing or exchanging information

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Conversations have become monologues in the
presence of a witness. (Wall Street Journal,
July 1997)
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SENDING INFORMATION

• VERBAL SIGNALS
• NON VERBAL SIGNALS
• Body language
• Actions

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How is your message received?

• 7 Verbal message
• 38 Tone of the voice
• 55 Non verbal message

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In a telephone conversation

• 86 Tone of voice
• 14 Verbal message

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VERBAL COMMUNICATION

• Speed of speech
• Words chosen
• MEDICALese
• Words that make a difference
• Trigger words
• Words that devaluate

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MEDICAL ESE

• Medical terms
• Technical explanations
• Misunderstood terms

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Trigger words to avoid

• I cant
• Ill try
• No
• Thats not my department
• If I can find out
• Youll have to

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Words that make a difference

• Cancel your appointment
• Waiting room
• Pay for your bill
• Remind you of your appointment
• Shot

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Words that devaluate

• Drop off
• Cage occupancy
• Animal
• Routine procedure
• Dental cleaning
• Staff members (Mark Opperman)
• It will only take a minute
• Thats nothing!

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Tone of Voice

• Inflection peaks and valleys of your speech
• Signals how interested you are in what your
  client is saying

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VOICE

• Proper volume
• Warm tone
• Alert, not tired
• Well paced
• Avoid upper inflection at ends

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NON VERBAL SIGNALS
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People believe the non-verbal message more than
words spoken!
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YOUR BODY LANGUAGE

• Smile, open expression
• Eye contact
• Posture
• Gestures
• Personal space and comfort zone
• Overall appearance

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Body Language

• Your position relative to your client
• Eye to eye
• Body is angled to client
• Remove barriers between you and the client

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RECEIVING INFORMATION

• The body language of the other person
• Active listening skills

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BODY LANGUAGE OF THE OTHER PERSON

• Tapping fingers
• Shifting weight
• Frown
• Avoids eye contact
• Glazed over look
• Excited
• Engaged, nodding
• Looking at their watch

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ACTIVE LISTENING

• Shows respect
• Increases the sharing of information
• Shows trust

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BLOCKS TO EFFECTIVE LISTENING

• Thinking of what you are going to say while the
  other person is speaking
• Preoccupied with how much you disagree with the
  speaker
• Listen to what you want to hear
• You have come to a conclusion already
• Unfamiliar language or terminology
• Emotions

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LISTENING

• Speed of speaking
• 125 150 words per minute
• Speed of listening
• 750 1200 words per minute
• Often, not enough to keep us occupied

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A good listener will

• Let others finish without interruption
• Ask questions if they are confused
• Dont let their eyes wander around the room
• Remain open minded and ready to change their
  opinion
• Pay attention to non verbal signs

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Active listening encourages the person to talk by
asking questions

• Open ended questions
• How?
• Why?
• What?
• When?
• Who?

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ACTIVE LISTENING

• Listen to message
• Use a confirming statement
• Paraphrase or summarize the key facts
• Ask if your understanding is correct
• Clarify the message if necessary

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If you are determined to win the conversation,
you have stopped listening
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Communication BEFORE the clinic visit

• Telephone etiquette
• Using the pets name
• Clear, strong communication

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Telephone Etiquette

• Telephone is your first link to your client
• First impression of the clinic
• Often viewed as a nuisance vs. real work
• Every call is an opportunity to establish a long
  standing relationship

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Telephone Etiquette

• 2 ring maximum
• If receptionist busy someone else needs to pick
  up

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Telephone Etiquette

• Articulate and dont rush your greeting
• Smile through the call
• Use the other persons name
• Give the caller your complete attention

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Telephone Etiquette

• Is this an emergency or can you hold please?
• Wait for an answer before putting on hold
• Hold not greater than 30 sec
• Call back in given time

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Telephone etiquette

• Give as much service as possible
• Help the caller
• Prepare answers to common questions

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Electronic Etiquette

• Always include a subject heading
• Limit to 10 messages and never let fill up
• Keep it short no longer than 1 screen
• Check spelling, grammar, punctuation
• Avoid capitalization and emoticons
• Remember it is not private and can go to the
  wrong recipient
• Acknowledge receipt

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Communication DURING the clinic visit

• HOSTING AT YOUR PRACTICE
• Greeting both the pet owner and pet by name
• Make the pet owner and the pet feel welcome
• Individual attention
• Introductions
• Caution
• Automated system, standard forms

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Greeting

• Client name
• Pets name
• Make your client feel special
• Compliment the pet and the client
• Acknowledge something they are doing well
• Handshake

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CommunicationDURING the clinic visit

• Nurture the pet
• Explain the delay
• If gt20 minutes - try to contact before they
  arrive
• Clients with emergency

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The personal touch

• Thank clients
• When they do business with you
• When they offer feedback or complaints
• For their patience
• When they recommend your practice

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Farewell

• Sincere
• Lasting impression
• Good bye
• Thank the client for visiting
• Look forward to next time

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CommunicationAFTER the clinic visit

• Rechecks
• Confirm clients understanding

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CHALLENGING SITUATIONS

• Complaints
• Challenging people

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Managing Challenging Situations

• What do I say?
• How do I react?
• What are some techniques?

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Correcting a mistake

• Acknowledge the error
• Im sorry that happened. Let see what I can do
  to correct the error
• It is not necessary to defend yourself
• We have been very busy
• However, dont overlook the problem

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Complaints

• Opportunities
• Tell you rather than others
• Loyal clients
• Improve on clinic service

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Complaints

• Unhappy clients tell 6-9 people
• Happy clients will make recommendation to 3-4
  people
• Only 1/3 of lost clients return
• If the complaint is resolved, 9/10 clients will
  return

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• Complaint management is NOT about making the
  customer happy. It is about helping the client be
  successful with the options now available

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TEXAS Method

• T thank your client
• EX explanation of the situation
• A acknowledgement or ask
• S solution

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Solution

• Try to meet the need
• If you cannot, explain your reason and let the
  client know what you CAN do for them
• At least two options but no greater than three

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What would you like me to do to help you?
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Challenging people

• Hostile clients
• Dissatisfied or disgruntled clients
• Talkers
• Distracted or distressed clients

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Difficult People

• Those whose BEHAVIOR causes us difficulty
• Behavior versus people

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CHALLENGING CLIENTS

• This typically represents only 5 of your
  practice
• But, they can cause 95 of the human-relations
  problems

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Challenging people

• Learn how to manage YOUR side of the interaction
• Recognize you have little control over how others
  behave towards you

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Hostile people

• Many reasons for their anger
• unexpected problems
• dissatisfaction with services
• emotional (fear, guilt, grief)
• time conflicts (expect results quickly)
• poor communication
• personality

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• Angry client - a need is not being met
• Deal with persons feelings by acknowledging them
• Then deal with the problem

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Blocks to meeting a need

• No one listens to me
• Something went wrong
• Im not getting your help
• The product is not working

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Hostile clients

• Be silent
• Dont interrupt them
• Dont argue
• Wait for them to take a breath
• Dont let them bait you
• Speak calmly
• Target move aside so their words miss you

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Managing another persons anger

• Keep your cool
• Conduct private discussion
• Let the person vent
• Use the persons name
• Show empathy

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Hostile client

• Try not to
• - say no
• - assign blame
• - make unrealistic promises

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Disgruntled Clients

• Most client dissatisfaction arises from issues
  around
• Fees
• Performance of unauthorized services
• Results of treatment or services

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Fees

• Prevention
• Clear communication
• Fee estimate form
• Client will be contacted if additional
  non-emergency treatment required

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Fee Dispute

• Show clients the basis for charges
• Walk through the bill
• Visible demonstration

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Unauthorized services

• Prevention
• Will contact owner before additional procedures
  unless it is an emergency
• Written and verbal explanation
• Emphasize the importance of accurate contact
  numbers

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Unauthorized procedure

• Stay true to your policy wherever possible
• Contact owner as soon as possible
• Explain why it was in the pets best interest to
  proceed

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Results of treatment or services

• Prevention
• Confirmation of understanding
• Consider sensory language
• Visual aids
• Realistic outcomes
• Treatment authorization

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Results of treatment or services

• Timely recheck phone calls following clinic
  consultation
• Correct the problem, if at all possible
• Avoid defensive position by making excuses

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TALKERS

• Consistently long appointments
• Lingers after the appointment
• Shares too much personal information
• Calls the clinic frequently

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TALKERS

• Communicate that you need to go
• Body language
• Start to limit eye contact
• Briefly leave the area
• Words
• Ive enjoyed our conversation but I am getting
  behind
• Keep the conversation focused

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Distracted or distressed clients

• Not paying attention
• Not responding to questions

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Distracted or distressed client

• Intensify your connection
• Eye contact, talk more slowly, sit down with
  client
• Offer reassurance
• Offer smaller pieces of information
• Repeat the information

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Challenging peopleA Summary

• Concentrate on the problem versus your own
  feelings
• Take notes while the person talks
• Paraphrase to understand the problem
• Ask questions for additional information

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Challenging clientA Summary

• Provide concrete actions
• I understand that you feel strongly about this
  matter and I have made notes of what you have
  told me.

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Challenging ClientsA Summary

• Assume that the client means well
• Acknowledge that you cannot make anyone change
• Stay neutral
• Focus on understanding the problem
• Acknowledge the clients feelings
• Dr. Cecilia Soares

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Watch your body language

• Saying I am interested in helping client
• Appear to be uncaring, uninterested, annoyed,
  dont believe the client

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• OTHER PEOPLE DONT
• DECIDE WHAT KIND OF DAY YOU HAVE
• YOU DO!