Comminunication incongruent with our body

According to Albert Mehrabian only 7% of our communication is derived from the actual words we use.  While it’s 7% words, 38% is your tone and 55% is body language.  When we verbalize it’s the words, tone and expressions we use that help us communicate our meaning.  The interesting thing is if one area is incongruent to another then we develop a lack of trust. 

In other words, I can say the right thing during an apology but if my tone is curt or my body language is closed off then you won’t believe me.  If you don’t believe me you won’t trust me.  If you don’t trust me then our relationship is at risk.  When we are discussing important patient needs or treatment it is critical that the patient trust us. Otherwise, they may refuse the best course of action.    

In addition to choosing the right words, we need to make sure we are congruent, that we watch for clusters of body language as well as the context.  Cluster of body language, means you take multiple outside stimuli, sensory events, facial expressions and eye contact to determine the message that speaker is intending. When we are listening to a message, we sometimes attempt to interpret the message with a single signal, however, just like in writing our body language is displayed in a sentence and in order to avoid a miscommunication we need to put it all together.

When we are in front of the patient and discussing a treatment plan, if we are avoiding eye contact or talking fast we may give the patient the message that their treatment is not important.  Be careful of the message you deliver, your patient’s are the reason you are there and the relationship is critical for the success of your patients and your practice.  

Lenora Milligan is a coach consultant with Salt Dental Practice Management. 

Original Article published by

Tri-County Dental Society

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Staff-to-Staff Communication-Communication Given

Be nonjudgmental in your communication. If you have a team member that comes to you and asks questions, you may feel it is a question they should already know the answer to or that you have already answered it. But in order to build stronger communication with our teammates we need to support the learning of others.  Everyone doesn’t learn at the same pace and you may find yourself in a situation where you need his or her knowledge about a topic. 

We live in a society where it is easy to make snap judgments about a person. We may judge the way they dress or maybe the way they talk. However, by freely and openly communicating with others we will find that we learn more than if we are shut down because we are focused on other things. 

This means, not judging others for the questions they have or the comments they make. By allowing others to freely learn information without judgment we let our coworkers build on their own strengths instead of shutting them down.  It is critical for team morale to support each other and
this means incorporating supportive communication.  

Great teams take effort. Take time to work on your practice regularly to build quality communication and strengthen your results. For more information and to read other articles, please visit us at www.saltdpm.com.

Austine Etcheverry is a positive, dedicated professional with over 10 years of experience in the dental field. Austine has a keen eye for designing websites and blogs. She has experience in social media and search engine optimization.