How do we Communicate?

HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE?
  • When most people think of face-to-face communication, it is usually in this order:
  • Curiously though, when percentages have been assigned to these three areas in a variety of studies, in regard to their contribution to communication, the following order is consistently obtained:
  • Stated differently, spoken words have less of an impact on effective communication than the inflections used in saying the words, and body language and gestures have more of an impact than the other two!
  • Veterinary health care team members need to relate specific information to pet owners, as established by the practice owners and management. Topics such as:
    • Neutering
    • Behavior
    • Parasite control
    • Vaccination protocols
    • Oral care
    • Test results
    • Wellness nutrition
    • Therapeutic nutrition
  • Oftentimes, the attempt to accomplish all of these things is through verbal communication with the spoken word. This information must be accurate and relevant to the pet owner. It makes little sense to discuss puppy socialization to a client with a 6 year old dog, or bloodwork results to a client whose pet had only radiographs taken. HOWEVER, pets usually eat everyday, so proper pet nutrition discussions are almost always relevant! Given that the information we are trying to convey is applicable, HOW we convey the essence of the information is paramount to effective communication—that of allowing the pet owner to make an informed decision based on value, (benefits/price), and our competence and sincerity.
Last modified: Friday, 4 February 2011, 5:42 AM