Nonverbal Communication by Regan Robertson

What you’re not saying is killing your business

by Regan Robertson

Professional athletes, politicians and top business influencers know that the most powerful way to influence yourself and others is through nonverbal communication. Decades of research show that ignoring nonverbal communication will create havoc in your practice in these two specific ways: unexpected employee turnover and lower patient engagement.

Ready to decrease your fears of patient no-shows and team mutiny? Let’s dive in. Nonverbal communication includes body language, breathing patterns, facial expression and voice tonality, as well as the speed in which you speak. Combined, these cues animate our words to create emotional connection.

Think for a moment about your nonverbal interaction. Are you conveying:

• Empathy or annoyance?
• Collaboration or dominance?
• Authenticity or a fake persona?
• Relaxed or rushed?

Facts regarding employees: Recent polling by DentalPost reveals that nearly 50% of dental assistants and office administrators would consider looking for a new job in the coming year. The primary reason for employees terminating their jobs is lack of engagement. You may be “saying” all the right things, but inadvertently disengaging employees.

Facts regarding patient compliance: According to MDedge/Medscape, “The physician’s ability to verbally and nonverbally communicate a safe, encouraging and efficient relationship is crucial for patient adherence to treatment. As a result, the patient is more trusting and communicative, which allows for greater progress in the patient’s care because it often leads to attending appointments as well as medication adherence.”

Improving your communication skills might be easier than you think. When we asked dental professionals who demonstrated a high level of success for their advice, they conscientiously practiced these four nonverbal skills:

• • Giving a smile encourages reciprocation and lowers anxiety and apprehension.
• • Relaxed body posture signals an open, receptive doctor.
• • Tonality that’s delivered clearly and unhurriedly communicates self-confidence.
• • Allowing space for the patient to respond demonstrates interest in the patient.

A tale of two dentists

Let’s break this down in two examples.

Dr. A has had an excruciatingly long day: One of his assistants quit, his son is sick at home, and after a string of no-shows, one could say he can’t wait for this no-good day to end.

One last patient in the chair and Dr. A can go home. The patient needs a significant amount of work done, and Dr. A assumes—incorrectly—that the patient isn’t going to want to hear what he has to say regarding treatment.

The stress of the day heavy on Dr. A’s mind, he rushes into the operatory with shoulders tight, eyes squinting, and he lets out an audible sigh. “Now, Brenda,” he explains, “I’ve had a look, and there’s a lot that we’re going to want to address to get your smile healthy again.”

The words themselves may be harmless enough, but unfortunately for Dr. A, the patient onboarded all the nonverbal communication first, which sent her a loud and message: This person’s body language is tense. Defense shields up!

Dr. A’s non-verbal cues:

• • Shoulders tight.
• • Eyes squinted.
• • Rushed pace.
• • Tense, audible sigh.

Before the words have a chance to get off the ground, the body language delivered is a staggering blow toward creating patient trust. Although it may not be consciously recognized, the patient’s body is preparing for an unsure interaction at best.

Now let’s look at Dr. O.

“We give all the nervous patients to Dr. O—he’s so chill, he could calm the most frazzled patient,” a dentist assistant recently remarked to me at a dental conference.

“He doesn’t do anything fast,” she continued, “yet he’s our highest-producing doctor by far. He is relaxed and calm even during emergencies. I don’t think his heartbeat gets above 100 no matter what.

“It doesn’t matter who’s in his chair; he connects with his patients, makes eye contact. It’s fascinating to watch. It’s like a secret weapon in the practice.”

Dr. O’s nonverbal communication:

• • Relaxed posture.
• • Easygoing pace.
• • Smooth and nonstartling.

Now, Dr. O has bad days just like the rest of us, so what has he learned that the rest of us haven’t? He may be naturally gifted. Or maybe he’s practiced intentional connection and knows that tonality, facial expression and body language play key roles in the patient experience.

Is your nonverbal communication costing you revenue?

According to David Grossman’s “The Cost of Poor Communications” report, a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees.

While none of us is immune to the outer pressures of life that equate to increased stress, there are some scientifically proven hacks that many productive dentists engage in to maintain calm, engaging and confident nonverbal communication.

Resetting your nonverbal energy

Dr. Chad Johnson, a successful general dentist in Iowa, explains his go-to remedy as soon as the pressure is on: “I burn off as much excess energy as possible by hitting the pool, bike or gym. After a solid workout, it’s much easier for me to mentally face what’s in front of me. My mind is clear, I’m refocused and I always end up making better decisions.”

According to a study at the University of British Columbia, regular exercise that increases heart rates and encourages sweating appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that’s involved in verbal memory and learning. In turn, mood is better stabilized, and stress and anxiety are shown to be reduced.

Other than a conscious recognition of feeling stress, here are some ways to self-check your body language before you meet with your team or patients:

• • Do your muscles feel tight?
• • Is your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth?
• • Is your jaw tense?
• • Is your breathing slow and deep, or fast and shallow?
• • Is your heart pounding?
• • Are you dehydrated and licking your lips or coughing from a dry throat?
• • Have allergies caused your eyes to be watery, or nose to turn red?
• • Are financial stressors or a family situation taking your mind away from the patient?

All of these things will be picked up and put you at a disadvantage before you even open your mouth.

And while you can’t hit the gym in between patient visits, the good news is you can connect with your body throughout the day.

Try one of these techniques to reset your mind in between patients and put you in a better place to confidently connect with the next patient:

• • Stretch your body between patient visits.
• • Practice meditation.
• • Listen to uplifting music.
• • Drink warm water.
• • Get a self-massage wand to ease shoulder and back tension.

Bringing some of these techniques into the practice will hit the “reset” button and puts your body in a more relaxed state, which will translate in spades to your patient. It will pull you out of your head and place you more into your heart space.

This will lower your heart rate, decrease any emotionally charged situations you were facing before seeing the next patient, and will serve as a needed pattern interrupt so you can contextually shift into the next scenario.

“As simple as flossing”—with consistency

If you find yourself rolling your eyes at the thought that the only thing standing between you and a $50,000 case is yawning three times, let me remind you that flossing is easy, too, but only 16% of adults surveyed say they floss daily, while 44% surveyed admit they’ve exaggerated to their dentist about how much they floss.

These techniques may appear as simple as flossing, but it’s the dentists that practice consistently that will win the day. Show yourself a little care, and your body will tell a story that patients will trust.