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“Sticks and stones…but words will never hurt me”

It’s a familiar rhyme and one that you are likely to have either imparted on your own children or had suggested to you when you were a child.

The reality is that this rhyme is so untrue because the structure of the language patterns that we use can inadvertently cause harm or indeed you can use language to “deliberately” heal. This quite literally means that how you talk to your patients is as important as what you say.

The how includes understanding sentence structure, the sequencing and positioning of powerful words that can quite literally “delete” the previous sentence, the use of presuppositions that subtly suggest a certain behaviour or symptom will happen, using powerful synonyms to set up a pattern of behaviour and the use of embedded commands. 

I do hear of dentists saying things like “you may feel some discomfort after we have extracted your tooth. It will get worse after the anaesthetic wears off so you will need to take some painkillers. Call me if you have any problems”. Guess what? The patient will be calling the out of hours dentist before the night is through!

And what of “selling”? What is about “selling” to your patients that makes you and your team feel so uncomfortable? The inappropriate use of language patterns is one the main reasons why you will have experienced being “sold to” and found it uncomfortable, particularly if it is deliberately manipulative. It may provide a retailer with the gratification of a one off hit, particularly if they have used a technique to “close” us into making a favorable decision for them, but this is hardly congruent with building customer loyalty is it?

There are some electrical retailers who have become synonymous with selling extended warranties and you can spot their stepped approach from a mile away. This may the right thing to do for a high value purchase and yes we can expect to have our options explained to us, but when it is part of a manipulative technique that requires us to associate our brand new purchase with the presupposition that it is only time before it will break down…well, maybe that’s why these retailers have had to back off recently. With that in mind, are you really thinking about your long-term patient relationship when you resort to cramming in techniques that put your objectives first?

So, for the forward thinking dentist and in particular the private practice owner, now not only have you got to concentrate on delivering the highest level of clinical care, manage the day to day pressures of running a business (mainly from behind the closed doors of your surgery) attract and retain new patients and of course deliver the personal care congruent with a healthcare professional, you now need to think about how you speak to your patients?

The good news is that once you have brought the principles of healing language into your conscious awareness, the simplicity and immediacy to which it can be applied is remarkable. Listening actively, asking the right questions and the careful use of appropriate language will get the results that know your practice needs and deliver the patient care that your patients want.

The simple fact is that you have been communicating with other human beings and particularly using language to influence others, since you were about two years old. Surely the only question is how you choose to use language with your patients?

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Azimuth Dental are running a unique 2-day workshop in May that will fast-track you into effective ways to develop your practice, without having to resort to inappropriate “selling”techniques.

Book through Dental Angels and receive £50 off the ticket price.

For more information contact Kelly@dentalangels.co.uk