Building Trusted Doctor-Patient Relationships Through More Effective Communication with Shelly O’Donovan

Share:

Listens: 0

White Coat Wellness

Miscellaneous


After spending the first part of her career in political and governmental affairs for healthcare companies, Shelly O’Donovan noticed that there was a pattern to effective communication.  These patterns separated the strong communicators who could accomplish agendas and climb corporate ladders from the communicators who didn’t achieve their goals. That observation sparked a passion for decoding communication and understanding what makes others tick. “I started to be interested in what those patterns were and started to do some research on my own ... and eventually got trained in nonverbal communication by a behavioral research lab,” Shelly says of her journey to becoming a body language and communication expert.  On this episode of the Prosperous Doc®, our host Shane Tenny, CFP® welcomes Shelly to discuss her work and research about better communication — particularly with doctor-patient communication. Shelly, who delivers training programs to help executives and teams use authentic communication to deliver a message, shares how important strong communication and nonverbal cues are for building trust between doctors and patients. “If the physician walks in and really takes a moment to look at the patient, make some eye contact, be open, also be front-facing … that's going to make a big difference in opening up that trust,” Shelly says of the all-important nonverbal communication skills that encourage trust between two people.  Shelly also discusses how this trust is vital to the physician’s practice as it encourages patients to be more open and communicative about their current health, ailments, or whatever may be bringing them into the office.   ? Featured Expert ?Name: Shelly O’Donovan What she does: As the CEO of the Authentic Influence Group, ITM LLP and a Persuasive Speaking Lecturer at the Wharton School, Shelly helps healthcare executives and teams learn and apply effective and authentic forms of communication.  Company: https://authenticinfluencegroup.com/ (Authentic Influence Group)  Words of wisdom:  “We build our first impression of someone within 20 seconds of seeing them. It actually has nothing to do with hearing them speak — but 20 seconds of seeing someone.”  Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shellyodonovan/ (LinkedIn) | https://twitter.com/shellyodonovan?lang=en (Twitter)   ? On the Money ?Top takeaways from this episode  ★    Nonverbal cues carry weight. Three nonverbal cues — hand gestures, facial expressions, and vocal tone — can greatly enhance communication. A study conducted revealed that doctors whose tone was perceived as friendlier and more trustworthy had fewer malpractice suits filed against them. ★    Building trust encourages more honesty from patients. The more trust a patient has in their physician, the more likely they will be honest about what they are feeling or experiencing. Shelly believes strong doctor-patient communication can lead to better and more accurate treatments for patients.  ★    Apply communication skills for the digital age. Despite the rise in telemedicine, physicians should not forget the power of strong communication skills and nonverbal cues. During a virtual consultation, looking directly into the camera and facing the patient head-on is a great way to earn their trust.   ⚡ Prosperous Insights ⚡[05:49] Gestures (aka suggestors) tell a story: Shelly explains that hand movements, facial expressions, and voice tone are three forms of nonverbal communication that can really enhance an interaction. [07:28] Putting in the time: According to research, if a doctor can give any fraction of face-to-face time to a patient, it really helps open a trusted line of communication. [10:33] Quick first impressions: Shelly says first impressions are made within the first 20 seconds of meeting someone, so medical professionals have to...