- Why bother with communication?
- To ensure views, thoughts, knowledge, meanings, concerns… are received and understood by all involved.
- Depending on the intention, communications can have a number of purposes, such as to:
- Inform
- Persuade
- Influence
- Translate
- Negotiate
- Share
- Defend
- Console
- Promote
- Educate
- Assist
- Gain information
- Build trust/credibility
- Direct
- Enhance efficiency
- Enhance effectiveness
- Advocate
- Listen…
- Listening
- People take action based on their reasons, not yours! In order to be an advocate for the pet’s best interest, especially related to proper pet nutrition, do not make assumptions about any pet owner. A paramount edict in medicine is: “Diagnose before prescribing.” Said another way, as stated by Stephen R. Covey in his best selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, (Habit number 5): “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Said in an even more concise way: “Listen, with the intent to understand.”
- Everyone with a properly functioning auditory system is capable of “hearing.” “Listening,” on the other hand, is the ability to hear something with thoughtful intention.
- In Dr. Covey’s book mentioned above, he points out four levels of listening:
- Ignoring
- Pretending
- Selective
- Empathic
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Ignoring Listening is actively deciding not to be attentive.
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Pretending Listening is actively deciding not to be attentive, but acting as if you are.
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Selective Listening is tuning in for key words or phrases that are of interest to you, in order to respond.
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Empathic Listening is appreciating the other person’s frame of reference. It is not necessarily agreeing with their position, but it is acknowledging that they do have an opinion. In doing so, the other person is affirmed, validated and appreciated for his or her views. Only then, can you be of service and value in recommending advice or solutions to the other person’s needs and/or wants. While there are components to responsible pet ownership, (proper pet nutrition being one), understanding specific situations will allow you to provide the best guidance for each pet and pet owner.
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“People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
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One of the most poignant demonstrations of “caring” is to listen empathically. Even though the veterinary practice can oftentimes be an extremely hectic environment, the health care team’s ability to “listen” to each client, and then communicate accordingly, can make the difference between mediocre medicine and great medicine, average service and substantial productivity, selling pet food and promoting proper pet nutrition!
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