Enough already with minimising!
You should watch a Dr Ben Casey video.
It’s a very old television series but still good entertainment.Whenever Dr Casey tells a patient about something he is full of gravitas. You can tell that he really means it. The patients can feel the seriousness of their problems.
By contrast, I often hear dentists downplaying what needs to be done. They don’t want to worry the patient so they use lots of minimising words.
For example, they use adjectives such as “little” (“There’s a little crack in that tooth.”), “quick” (“Let’s have a quick look at what’s going on.”), “tiny” (“There’s a tiny spot of decay.”) or “touch” (“You’ve got a touch of gingivitis.”).
By trying to be nice they end up confusing the patients. The patients don’t know if their problems are serious or not.
If Dr Casey were speaking with a patient he would never use the words “little”, “quick”, “tiny” or “touch”.
When you tell a patient about the treatment they need are you dead serious? Do your words and demeanour let them know you are talking about something important? Something that requires action?
Of course, be kind to your patients but when it gets down to discussing treatment be like Dr Casey. Full of gravitas.
