26 Ophthalmology Business • July 2016
Understanding
patients'
personality types
While your practice can't offer a
personality test to patients, if your
staff are familiar with the different
personality types, that can help guide
their interactions, Mr. Hecker said.
By adapting to patients' personality
styles, "they're more likely to listen
and to adhere," he said.
Mr. Hecker gave the example of
diagnosing someone with a chronic
condition, such as glaucoma. If you
have someone with a Driving per-
sonality, tell him or her the diagnosis
first, and then you can focus on why
the patient may have the condition
and any other details. With an Ex-
pressive, make sure to let him or her
know that many other people have
the same condition. For someone
who is Amiable, you can address
right away why he or she may have
the condition. When you have a
type is usually logical, detail-focused,
organized, and a good planner.
Although they can be industrious,
they are also sometimes perceived as
indecisive or stuffy.
Although someone may see
him- or herself in 1 of these cat-
egories more than others, people
often fall into more than 1 category,
Mr. Besserman said. For example,
it's common to find someone with
both Driving and Expressive traits;
conversely, it's also common to find
someone with Analytical and Amia-
ble traits.
"There are no best or worst
styles, and there is no one who is
1 pure style," Mr. Hecker said.
In the general population, the
most common types are Amiable and
Expressive, Mr. Hecker said. Driving
and Analytical types are a smaller
percentage.
patient who appears to be an Amiable
type, the patient may need a bit more
time and hand-holding than others,
Mr. Hecker said. The Analytical types
usually will want to know how the
condition affects them first.
Finding out more
If you are interested in using the
Social Styles Model in your office,
there are several approaches. The
classic Merrill and Reid book is Per-
sonal Styles and Effective Performance,
published in 1981. You can find
online resources and links to training
if you look up "Social Styles Model"
online. Alcon also offers workplace
trainings on the topic to select prac-
tices, Mr. Besserman said. OB
Contact information
Besserman: Michael.besserman@alcon.com
Hecker: Michael.hecker@alcon.com
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