In the day to day consulting of patients there are many practitioners that just ‘talk too much’. I see it just about every week when I go to practices & sit in on consultations. Most of this unnecessary chit chat is about the weather, football, etc. & not even about the patient’s condition or what you are doing to address their problem. Worst still some talk about their woes & troubles in their own personal life – a definite ‘no no’. Don’t get me wrong I am all for some non-condition chit chat during the consultation but make it about the patient. Overall make your language in your consultations patient condition relevant & follow these 3 easy tips below…

1. “ASK ABOUT THEM & THEIR CONDITION. ALWAYS. Patients always love to talk about themselves. It’s something they know about and something they’re often happy to discuss because it means, on some level, you’re interested in them.”

2. “LISTEN. When a patient is talking, don’t stand there trying to think of the next thing you’re going to say. That doesn’t build a patient-practitioner relationship. Instead, listen to what they’re saying with as much care as you possibly can.”

3. “TALK LESS. You should never fill empty space in a consultation with your words. Rambling is the surest way to bore and drive away patients from your practice. Instead, ask a pertinent question and encourage the patient to fill the conversation space.”