Asking vs Recommending

If you were to ask me to pick one consistent thing that outstanding TCs do, it would be the way in which they talk to prospective patients. As I’ve told many clients, when I watch one of these Treatment Coordinators speak to a visiting family, I cannot tell by the way they manage the consultation whether they are the doctor or the TC. Their confidence level and their demeanor communicates one message: “I am in charge here.” Without being “pushy” or overbearing, they assume the role of a leader, and by doing so, they add value to the needs of the family. The same goes for doctors; I see a wide variation in the way that orthodontists talk to patients, and I find that, as you might expect, more experienced ones typically fit this role better than less experienced ones.

In your consultations, there is a time to ask questions and listen, and there is a time to present recommendations and do most of the talking. Questions should be weighted towards the front end of the consultation, and this should largely end once the doctor begins the patient assessment. Following this, the presentation portion of the meeting begins, and the time for asking questions should be largely over.  Unfortunately, too often, the questions continue. Consider the following examples of “ask-vs.-recommend” during the presentation phase of the meeting:

“Would you like to go ahead and schedule your next appointment?”
“I suggest that you go ahead and get your next appointment scheduled.”

“Do you have any questions?”
“Now, tell me what questions you have.”

“Would you like to get your scan completed while you are here?”
“If you have time, I encourage you to get your scan completed now and save a trip.”

“Do you know which treatment option you want for your child?”
“If it were my child, I would recommend ______  because ______.”

While asking questions is an important part of the first half of the consultation, once you are in the presentation phase of the meeting, try to minimize asking the person who is least qualified to have the answers – the patient – for their input. That’s your job, not theirs.  Be the leader and advise them. As I am fond of reminding clients, the family wants you to tell them what to do – it is what they are paying you for. Whether you are a doctor or a treatment coordinator, do it with confidence.