Veterinary Professionals: Could Your Clinic's Communication Be "Broken?"

Open, frequent and constructive communication is one of the keys to sustainable success. Yet many clinics suffer from communication that is "broken." Broken communication tends to be more one-way than interactive; more talking than listening; more advocacy and less inquiry; and it has little room for integrating opposing points of view.

Veterinary clinics are made up of networks of relationships – and breakdowns in interpersonal interactions and communications are a frequent occurrence. We’ll explore how to address this dilemma and how the behaviors associated with the practice of dialogue are powerful tools for developing the capacity for deep, authentic conversation.

Dialogue is a conversation between equals. It is more than one person’s understanding; it makes the implicit explicit – whether assumptions, values or intentions that control and drive behavior; and builds collective meaning and community. Dialogue is inherently relational and collaborative.

Dialogue is also a framework where participants speak simply, authentically and from the heart, and listen openly, attentively and with respect. Four key behaviors are involved:

1. Voicing requires the courage to speak your ideas and the courage to hold a silence – to know what is really worthy of being spoken. The key questions are: “What needs to be said?” and “Who will speak for me if I don’t speak for myself?"

2. Listening is attending to the spoken and unspoken aspects of the conversation, the tone, the reactions and feelings – listening with “more than our ears." It requires letting go of resistance, and silencing the inner chatter of the mind.

3. Respecting is the willingness and ability to honor the other(s), and respecting differences without needing to fix them or bring them to resolution. It requires deep inquiry to understand the other’s intention.

4. Suspending one’s judgment is not to defend or advocate for one’s position but to keep an open mind and inquire into the position of another – the experiences, assumptions and beliefs that contribute to this position. Suspending judgment leads to trust and safety, allowing open, honest and authentic communication.

Introducing dialogue into your practice team can be as simple as:

- Ensuring that each person in turn has a chance to (without interruption) voice “what needs to be said” from their perspective.
- Allowing for some silence for reflection between speakers.
- Being honest and authentic when speaking.
- Being deeply present and attentive when listening.
- Being succinct while still allowing for spontaneous expression.

High performing teams are characterized by strong communication and a commitment to the success and growth of the team members. Dialogue enables the creation of a safe and trusting culture within the team where there is a genuine effort to listen to dissenting points of view without reacting and to engage in a process of inquiry to understand the basis for differences in perspective. This results in shared learning and growth.

As the business environment becomes more complex, a single individual simply does not have all the requisite knowledge to succeed. By necessity there must be reliance on collective intelligence. Through conversation, people are able to create, refine and share their knowledge. Dialogue provides a mind-set for real conversations and also contributes to creating an environment of safe risk taking and learning.

Resources

1. Gifted Leaders (www.giftedleaders.com)