“UK adults of all ages say that
they prefer to communicate face-
to-face with their friends and
family. Eighty-three per cent of
adults prefer to speak in person
with friends and family. This
applies to younger and older
people alike, with 75% of 16-24-
year-olds saying this
is the case,
compared to
85% of
those aged
65+.”
This
comes from a recent report by Ofcom (August
2012) on the usage of communication tools, mobile phones, internet, tablets, radio and TV, ect. Does this surprise you? Why do we prefer face to face communication?
Our instincts tell us a lot about
another person
when we meet
them face to face.
As vets, you will be
aware of “fight or flight” behaviour,
but have you thought about how
many other instinctive behaviours
affect us and how this, in turn,
effects our communication and
understanding?
Did you realise that only 7% of
communication are the words we
use?1
Surely we must be missing a trick
or two.
Take yourself back to a memory
of an event, person or incident. What
triggered the emotions that fixed this particular time, place or person in
your memory?
- The environment – a sunny day,
green fields? - The experience – happy, sad,
euphoric? - The sounds you heard?
- What you saw – blue skies?
- Feeling and touch and their effect
on your emotions? - The smells and aromas associated
with the occasion?
Was this a good experience or
memory? When was the last time it was triggered and
what reaction did
you have? Was it a tune
that triggered a
happy summer
memory with friends and family?
Was it a smell that took you back to a past experience which would
never have come to mind otherwise?
The amygdalae in the brain
perform primary roles in the
formation and storage of memories
associated with emotional events.
Taking a pet to the vet is more often
than not an emotional event.
So what does this have to do with
compliance, empathy and harmony with
clients? And the higher mountain which has
to be climbed to attain understanding of the
importance of treating a pet throughout the
whole course of medication and health
management?
It has everything to do with the
treatment that has to be offered to
ensure the optimal effect from a
course of prescribed medication.
How does your practice maintain this
at the same level of importance in
the owner’s mind as when they made
the appointment and at the time of
their entry to the practice on the day
they saw you for a consultation?
Creatures of habit, routines
and rituals
We are creatures of habit, routines
and rituals. Most of us have daily
habits and routines which are
reported to constitute, in
combination, over
70% of our daily
activity, 40% being
habits.2
These activities are automatic and are the behavioural
patterns which are literally etched in
our neural pathways. The good news
is that through repetition, it is
possible to form new habits,
including the administration of
medication. The key elements
required are: (1) a cue; (2) a routine;
(3) a reward.
Why do we do this?
Habits and routines stabilise our
behaviour. They allow us to act
efficiently and to concentrate on the
tasks upon which we choose to focus.
There is a sense of security and
reassurance in doing the same things,
in the same order, on a daily basis.
This is especially noticeable as we
get older. For example, my mother,
aged 79, drives inordinate distances
to go to shops and services, such as
the optician, which she has used for
over 10 years since the time she lived
in another area more than 30 miles
away.
She says this is because they offer
a better service. But the reality is that
she doesn’t want to go through the
uncertainty of exploring a more local
provider, even though that would
save her petrol and probably give her
an equal or better service.
The optician has achieved this by
delivering an emotionally satisfying
service experience which gives
reassurance through knowing her
history and understanding her
situation.
The rational part of her brain
should be telling her to go to a more
local optician but it is the emotional
impulse which is the driving factor
here.
- Short communications stand
out, especially where they resonate
across more than one sense.
When treating pets and
communicating health issues and
relative treatment regimes to owners,
is verbal communication enough?
And what is the effect of what may
often be a rather uninspiring piece of
written information, which may not
be read?
How often do we read
instructions given to us in black and
white? In one study, involving
patients over age 60 who were treated
at two public hospitals, 81% could
not read or understand basic
materials, such as prescription labels.3
It is also
important to think
about the
communications
we all receive on a
daily basis and
how we respond to them. There are numerous figures
about but we receive an average of
247 commercial messages and 3, 000
advertising messages every day.
- Short communications stand
out. This is especially true where
they resonate across more than a
couple of senses.
We all lead busy lives. We are
constantly interrupted and distracted
by messages – not just by
advertising, but by phone calls, texts
and e-mails, to which most senders
expect a reply within minutes.
As a veterinary surgeon, you have
to find a way through this barrage,
emphasising the priority which needs
to be given in incorporating pet care
regimes into an owner’s life, habits and
routines, however long this may take.
How are you going to
engender harmony and
compliance with owners?
- By being more aware of non-verbal
communication elements. - By understanding that people
remember things they experience
through ALL their senses and that
this is what fixes things in their
memory. - By gaining insight into the different
ways in which people learn. This
applies to your practice too! - By tapping into each client’s habits
and routines in order to support
good compliance and harmonious
relationships.
Use multisensory tools to give
clients: (1) a cue; (2) a routine; (3) a
reward.
1. Albert Mehrabian (born 1939 in the
Armenian family in Iran, currently
Professor Emeritus of Psychology,
UCLA)
2. Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of
Habit–whywedowhatwedoinlifeand
business: “… a Duke University researcher
in 2006 found that more than 40% of the
actions people performed each day weren’t
actual decisions, but habits.”
3. The UK’s ageing population has
considerable consequences for public
services. Key Issues for the New
Parliament: 2010 House of Commons
Library Research.
