“Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.” – Buddha
Have you ever been interrupted while providing sessions? Have you ever been afraid of losing clients because of a communication breakdown? Have you ever wondered why you never received a response to your email or phone call?
Clear communication is the answer to all of those frustrations.
Here are 3 tips our team has for effective communication in your professional relationships:
- Give a deadline. Don’t just say “Great! Looking forward to hearing back.” Instead, say or write “I’ll need your feedback by Friday. I’m looking forward to hearing back.” Whether you’re communicating with your boss, your employee, or a professional partner, giving a deadline commands respect for your time.
- Ask a closed, leading question. Being a leader in healthcare and an authority on music & health, this is completely appropriate if you experience interruptions during your sessions. You could say “I’ll make sure my client works with you right after our session. How does that sound?” Or you could make eye contact with the interrupter, and once you have his/her attention say “I’m just about to invite [my client] to engage in this experience, and I’d love your help. Can you assist him/her in playing this drum?
- Write in bullet points or speak in listicles. Have you ever followed a step-by-step plan to achieve a specific goal? It makes it so much easier! This approach might cause confusion: “The treatment room should be conducive to our clients’ progress. Can you help me do that?” Instead, you could say “5 minutes prior to the session, please (1) turn off the fluorescent lights, (2) turn on the floor lamps, (3) make sure the overhead music is off, and (4) remove any equipment from the floor.
Clear communication skills can be easily transferred to our work with our clients.
Dr. Anita Gadberry’s super power is effective communication, whether your client is using an AAC device or other means for communication.
I also recommend Dr. Gadberry’s course on AAC devices. Click here to read all about it!
