A closing question

Here’s a communication rule my mentor, Dr Omer Reed, taught me:

“When you ask a closing question shut up. The first person to speak loses.”

Let’s say that you’ve just laid out the treatment options to a patient. The next thing to do is ask them a closing question:

“So, what would you like to do?”

Once you’ve asked that question you must be quiet and wait for the reply.

Usually the reply will come within 5 seconds. Almost always within 10 seconds. But once I sat and waited in silence for two minutes before the patient finally said: “OK, let’s do the crown.”

If you keep talking, you’re not giving the patient time to process their decision. Patients need to be able to work through things in their heads.

So, always remember to be quiet after asking a closing question.