COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY WITH EMPLOYEES

[Drsumitra]

 Communication Basics 

Joseph DeVito, in The Interpersonal Communication Book, states that 5 issues are important to becoming a good communicator: openness, empathy, supportiveness, positivity, and equality. These are qualities that you need to find within you before you can master the logistics of interpersonal communication.

Openness—You have to be approachable and you have to build a relationship with people so they feel comfortable bringing things to your attention. By sharing a personal anecdote or discussing hobbies and personal interests, you can help the employee better relate to you.

Empathy—Being empathetic is hard for anyone let alone those in a power position. It is important to be empathetic and not merely sympathetic when dealing with staff issues. “Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” This is an old adage but truly the best way to understand your employees’ mind-set and rationale.

Supportiveness—Show that you are an understanding boss, not just a judge. If employees feel constantly criticized, they will be reluctant to share information or discuss problems.

Positivity—Don’t have a negative attitude. Who wants to talk to a boss who’s always a sourpuss? Remember to keep perspective and appreciate the many things that go right on any given day.

Equality—This is essential for sharing of information and effective teamwork. It indicates mutual respect. While it is understood that the dentist owner often has more schooling and years of experience, they need to value input from all employees at all levels and work with them as peers.

Listening
Listening is the first step toward effective communications.

Effective listening is one of the most important skills anyone can possess. It is also the communication skill we use the most in a day. Most of us spend 30% of our time speaking, yet more than 45% listening. Listening is much harder than speaking. We must keep our focus on the train of thought and pace of the speaker. Too often, we become passive listeners losing critical details that lead to misunderstandings.

We may “hear” but not always listen. When listening, it is important for us to be visually aware in addition to being auditorily alert. Things like body posture, gestures and other nonverbal behavior can say just as much as words.

We can think much faster than someone can speak. Most people can speak about 125 words per minute while our minds have the ability to understand someone speaking at upwards of 400 words per minute. With this time gap, we often let our minds wander to our next appointment or last night’s ball game. So in becoming a more effective leader in your dental office, give every one of your staff members an open and active ear.

Common Dental Office Communications Situations
Doctors often have difficulty dealing with the following 4 situations. Here are some tips and suggestions on how to communicate when faced with them