In a day, a week and a month, you may be treating a fair number of patients and sometimes days can become a blur of faces in and out of your practice. You may get to feeling that you are a bit disconnected from them. Patients can also sense this and you become just another face to them. No strong connection between you … just social politeness. No strong tie or loyalty results.
Be Memorable
People in general like attention, and unless severely aberrated, will open up and communicate more freely with you. Develop the habit of showing genuine interest or curiosity about those around you, whether patients, clients, staff, or family members … this will increase the quality of your life and theirs. Your interest in them will also make you more memorable to them.
An example for me was when I met and talked to John Travolta (the movie star). There were other people in the room but when he spoke directly to me and asked me questions, it felt like there was no one else around. He was completely focused on me. It was amazing. I have experienced some of this as well with professionals I have met and its an amazing skill to have.
And it IS a Skill
The point is that this IS a skill and can be learned. Turn up your curiosity button and start practising this with your patients. Decide at the beginning of the day tomorrow that you are going to have a “Curiosity Day” and decide to find out something interesting about each patient or client that you treat.
Enjoy the heck out of people. The life and interest you put into others, the more life and interest you too will feel!
