People skills Part 1 - Patient care

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This is the first of five articles on how to communicate more effectively with patients, recognise their differing personalities, understand their requirements and cope with any awkward moments and difficulties. This series will also help you to control your own attitude, even in the most trying situations.

For any optometric practice to survive, it is essential that patients keep returning on a regular basis. It is often said that it costs less to keep an existing patient than it does to attract a new one. This is why supermarkets and the like spend so much on loyalty cards and similar schemes to try to keep their customers returning time and again.

But a viable practice also needs to have a constant supply of new patients and attracting these is what advertising is all about. Where a proficient receptionist can help is in making sure that existing patients are happy with the way they are dealt with when they are in the practice (or on the telephone) so that they are less likely to be attracted elsewhere when they next decide to have an eye examination, or to purchase a new pair of specs.

Take a moment to think about which shops you prefer to visit on a regular basis. Are there two shops which sell similar items but one of them that you prefer to visit? What is it about the one you prefer that makes you choose it over the rival? The chances are that the staff are more helpful, or more welcoming, or just make you feel better for having been in contact with them. This is the kind of experience we would like all our patients to have.

This series will cover various aspects of your interaction with patients which will include communication, personalities, attitude, and service and will demonstrate how competence in these areas can be further improved.

The articles will include some relatively new concepts, such as personality profiling and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). The aim is to help you increase the number of people you enjoy dealing with and help you understand those you don't and perhaps help you deal with even the 'awkward' people more effectively.

It is worth pointing out that to a great extent your own attitude to people will determine how you interact with them. There is a story told of a Greek philosopher who used to sit meditating outside the town gates. One day a stranger passed by muttering to himself.

'Old man, what are the people in this town like?' said the stranger, 'I'm thinking of staying here.'
'What were the people like in the town you've just come from?' replied the philosopher.
'I wouldn't have trusted one of them. They were miserable, argumentative and rude, a terrible bunch. I couldn't wait to get away.'
'You'll find the people here are just the same.'
'Well, forewarned is forearmed I suppose,' and he entered the town, still muttering to himself.
A little later another stranger approached whistling a merry tune. 'Excuse me sir,' he said. 'I'm thinking of moving to your town and I was wondering what the people are like.'
'How did you find the people where you've just come from?'
'They were wonderful. Always cheerful, very helpful and supportive, I was sorry that I had to leave.'
'I'm sure you'll find the people here just the same.'
The man thanked the philosopher and went on his way with a smile.
If you assume someone's going to be awkward, guess what - they may well be. The best way to enjoy your day is to assume all will go well and the likelihood is that it will.

If you treat people as you would wish to be treated - politely, sympathetically - you will invariably find they respond likewise to you. Remember, a smile is never wasted, if nothing else it will make you feel better, it's difficult to be miserable when you are smiling.

In the final analysis, you are the one who is responsible for your own attitude. Some people blame the way they feel on other people. This, of course, gives away their personal power to someone else. It's up to you to decide how you will react to a certain set of circumstances, not the other person. If you want them to make you miserable, that is your decision.

Certainly, some days you will not feel on top of the world, tragedies happen and to pretend they don't is to live in cloud cuckooland, but putting aside major catastrophes you can have the sort of day you decide you want, and remember good days are the best type to have.