Are you listening?

Are you listening?

Studies show we forget 50 % of what we hear immediately, 80 % within a day, and 97 % within a week.

“Problems can only be present in the absence of a truth-full conversation.”

Research is informing us that dentists, other dental clinicians and DCPs  are becoming more fearful of mistakes, complaints, and the GDC. The indemnity providers inform us that a complaint is more likely to be the result of a failure in communication skills than as a result of clinical skills. Most fears can be allayed, and problems prevented with effective listening.

People forget what you say

People forget what you do

People always remember how you made them feel.

Great leaders are great listeners.

To be a great listener you will want to use your EARS.

E          Eliminate distractions. Put down your phone, turn away from your computer, give the person you are communicating with your undivided attention. Make your intention, understanding. relationship building and generating fresh ideas.

A          Ape the other person’s body language. Psychologists also call this matching and mirroring. Notice the other person’s physiology and match it. We facilitate listening exercises in several of our workshops and delegates are always amazed how much easier it is to listen well when they adopt the other persons body posture and gestures. Things you can pay attention to include, upper body position, head position, arm and leg posture, breathing, eye positions.

R          Respond only when the other person has finished speaking. Interrupting is the death of listening and understanding.   Suspend your judgement, excitement and interruptions, be patient about sharing your perspective, knowledge and experience, your goal is understanding not to impress. Listen to the whole story, lest you miss the most important thing the speaker has to say. A great tip to avoid interrupting is to position the tip of your tongue so that you imagine that you are balancing an imaginary drop of oil between the tip of your tongue and your incisive papilla.

S          Schedule time to listen. We live in a busy world and conversations often happen on the hoof, in a rushed and unplanned manner. When conversations are quick, reactive and ‘’squeezed in’ trust, understanding, relationships and productivity are the casualties. Prevent misunderstandings, mistakes and misfortune by scheduling and prioritising time for conversations, listening and understanding. You can use morning huddles, end of day debriefs, weekly meetings, monthly RCT (review, celebrations and target setting) quarterly APR (Achievement and planning reviews) and annual visioneering.

What will be the benefits be for you and yours when you become a more skilled listener?

Remember you have two ears and one moth and use them in this ratio.

E = Eliminate distractions

A = Ape body language

R = Respond only when the other person has finished talking

S = Schedule time to listen.