Do you have a plan B?

I play tennis fairly regularly with a guy who has no plan B.

If a shot – for example his serve – is not working he just keeps serving double faults over and over with never a thought of changing. He sometimes has a bad day with volleying and when he is in that mode he dumps shot after shot into the net.

His inability to change and correct errors got me thinking how essential it is to have a plan B to turn to when plan A is not working. If I'm having a bad day with a part of my tennis game I change and try something different. I reckon the same applies to communicating with patients in a dental practice.

When talking with a patient have you ever suddenly realised that you are not getting your message across? The person is disinterested or mistrustful or day dreaming or argumentative or upset.

To get back on track with your communication you need to change something and the first step is awareness. You have to be watching the patient and be alert to their body language. You can even ask the person what's going wrong. Why they are not following your message.

Then, you must be prepared to change something – that is, to do something different. Maybe you're talking too fast and need to slow down. Maybe you're talking too slow and the patient is bored. Maybe you're being too technical. and the patient is not understanding. Maybe you're being too glib and the patient is scared. Whatever it is, do something different.

So, there it is. If your communication with a patient is not working step 1 is awareness and step 2 is being prepared to do something different. Don't be like the guy I play tennis with who, when he is having a bad day, will serve 30 or more double faults with never a thought of change.