Building and maximising relationships
Good relationships built on trust are at the heart of great customer experiences. Download helpful resources below for smooth communication with your patients.
3 tips for great clinical conversations
To ensure we create the best experience and that patients feel valued, we need to step into their world and find out what is important to them. Here are three quick tips for success:
- Be clear about the Plan
- Manage expectations
- Use body language
It’s time to stop saying ‘see how you go’ to patients! This is not a proper plan and we know from talking to patients that when they hear this they feel as though they are being dismissed, that the physio doesn’t care and doesn’t want to help them get better. Be clear with your patient if you feel they will benefit from further treatment and need to book for another session. Whether patients have one session or five sessions, let’s make sure they have a clear plan as this will give them confidence that you're going to help them get better.
Set a clear pre-frame to your communication with the patient to help manage their expectations from the start. If you explain WHAT you are going to do, WHY you are going to do it and WHAT THE BENEFIT IS FOR THEM, it will lead to much more engaging and influential conversations.
Get the patient 'pacing' by using obvious statements whereby the answer can only be 'yes'. This will put the patient in a 'yes' mindset and will then enable us to be more influential.
Some tips for obvious statements are:
Hi, is it Mr Brown?
I believe you are here for your Physiotherapy assessment?
I can see you are having a little difficulty with your back at the moment?
Once you have listened to their story, repeat back the key findings from their history. This will not only get them ‘pacing’ but will also show that you have been actively listening.
Always set the right body language for any interaction – mirrored or matched (angle of spine and/or position of feet).
Notice a shift in body language and be curious as to why. Is there an objection to something that has been said? If so, try to explore why they may feel this way.
As well as mirroring body language, try to mirror/match rhythm and speed to help a conversation flow more naturally and allow your patients to open up.