Eyeworld

OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 168 by John B. Pinto and Corinne Wohl, MHSA, COE April 2017 Encouraging great communication 1. Triangulation. This is when Bob talks to Joe about his problem with Sally, instead of talking to Sally directly about the problem. It's always better to talk and solve problems directly rather than indirectly through a third person. 2. Avoidance and withholding. You've probably had the expe- rience of someone coming to you with a problem they have about YOU, but talking around the problem, or saying it in such a watered-down way that you found it hard to understand. This happens because we fear the response of others. We've all been in this situation. Perhaps we delay confronting an employee about their behavior with co-workers, hoping for improvement. Or the board is fearful of approach- ing a productive doctor about his outbursts with technicians, because he will be upset and may threaten to leave the practice. The difficulty with avoid- ance is that it compounds problems. While you may find temporary relief in not ap- proaching an employee about their behavior, their co-workers are increasingly angry that you are not doing anything about the problem, which reduces their respect for your leadership and decreases their performance. 3. Defensiveness. This is the flip side of the "withholding" coin. People withhold things from each other because they don't want to deal with a defensive response. Being non-defensive invites others to be more open with you, and it's as simple as saying (to a disgruntled staffer or a complaining patient), "You may be right, tell me more." 4. Ineffective discussion. This commonly arises when you launch a business conversation without having an advance, spe- cific goal. As an administrator or physician, knowing the desired outcome when you launch a conversation with a staff mem- ber allows you to stay on topic and drive to a desired outcome. This starts before you launch every important con- Tips for increasing team communication by breaking certain habits "The art of communication is the language of leadership." —James Humes "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." —George Bernard Shaw U ncluttered lines of com- munication among staff and doctors are at the core of successful working rela- tionships in your practice. Without reliable communication, both administrative and clinical inefficiencies arise, gumming up in turn the quality of patient care, customer service and financial per- formance. "Communication," as the dictionary says, is any system of exchanging information. Incom- plete or miscommunication in your practice masks problems and creates more work. Negative exchanges can not only mask the needed com- munication in the moment, but inhibits and erodes future commu- nication. Unfortunately, positive and appropriate communication skills don't come naturally. Communica- tion skills are developed and honed over a lifetime, patterned after our parents, teachers and peers. Most of us are innately poor listeners, unless we get feedback from others. Most of us are defen- sive when we hear something about ourselves we don't like. And few of us are inherently unpracticed at saying things in a way that helps our message be better received by others. Happily, these deficits can be overcome and there are easy-to- follow rules that help you master better communication skills, even if the message from your parents and teachers didn't quite sink in. Value of accountable communication Accountable communication is defined as not hiding or watering down the truth. It's being brave enough to say words you may be uncomfortable saying, and then to hear (at least at the outset) the response you may be uncomfortable getting back. When problem solving, do not withhold information or focused feedback for fear of hurting some- one's feelings. Being direct and honest, even with the most gentle delivery, may feel uncomfortable at first. But the resulting conversa- tion will be more productive…and more "real." In a business context, it increases the likelihood that the problem discussed will be solved effectively the first time, avoiding a cycle of communications inefficien- cy that is not only frustrating but costly. We talk a lot about the need for accountable communication with client teams when we are on consulting assignments. When such communication is not present, and client staff are tiptoeing around im- portant issues, they create barriers to their success. Sometimes communi- cation gaps are easier to see from the outside looking in. You can take the same objective, outsider's approach we do by asking, "Does our team have any of these common commu- nication skill deficits?" To the point: Simple practice tune-ups for complex times

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