The responsibilities of a veterinary technician require many skills, both technical and personal. One of the most important skills is communication, necessary for the veterinary team member’s interactions with doctors, coworkers, and clients. Communication is crucial for technicians to convey information and ideas to others, but it is equally important to be able to listen. A large part of building a relationship with clients is building trust through communication. Using appropriate body language, active listening, printed materials, while avoiding negative mindsets can help clients be more trusting and compliant, even during the most difficult visits to a veterinary facility.
A veterinary team member must always remember respect and empathy …show more content…
It indicates to the client “I am here for you” and strengthens the veterinary team - client relationship (Roark, 2013). Active listening is a structured form of communication, listening and responding that focuses attention on the speaker. As an active listener, team members will listen attentively to what the client is saying and then repeating what the client said to check for understanding. By paraphrasing the client’s information, the client can confirm its accuracy and the team member can avoid misunderstandings (“Active Listening”, 1998). Knowing that information will have to be repeated allows the listener to avoid thinking about their next response and focus on what the client is saying (Boss, …show more content…
According to Dr. Andrew Roark in a 2013 Veterinary Team Brief article on active listening, feeling heard is one of the top needs of veterinary clients. Roark says active listening gives clients the space they need to “think, participate and collaborate” in their pet’s health. Active listening impacts client interaction by allowing the team member to investigate a patient’s disease process from the client’s perspective, understanding the client on a personal level, and finding commonality. All of these components are the key to helping the angry or upset client by identifying their wants and needs (Gasper). A client may be very angry and confused about a difficult or unexpected diagnosis. The team member speaking with the client can use active listening to understand exactly why the client is upset, what they need expect, and how the client expects the situation to be
A veterinary team member must always remember respect and empathy …show more content…
It indicates to the client “I am here for you” and strengthens the veterinary team - client relationship (Roark, 2013). Active listening is a structured form of communication, listening and responding that focuses attention on the speaker. As an active listener, team members will listen attentively to what the client is saying and then repeating what the client said to check for understanding. By paraphrasing the client’s information, the client can confirm its accuracy and the team member can avoid misunderstandings (“Active Listening”, 1998). Knowing that information will have to be repeated allows the listener to avoid thinking about their next response and focus on what the client is saying (Boss, …show more content…
According to Dr. Andrew Roark in a 2013 Veterinary Team Brief article on active listening, feeling heard is one of the top needs of veterinary clients. Roark says active listening gives clients the space they need to “think, participate and collaborate” in their pet’s health. Active listening impacts client interaction by allowing the team member to investigate a patient’s disease process from the client’s perspective, understanding the client on a personal level, and finding commonality. All of these components are the key to helping the angry or upset client by identifying their wants and needs (Gasper). A client may be very angry and confused about a difficult or unexpected diagnosis. The team member speaking with the client can use active listening to understand exactly why the client is upset, what they need expect, and how the client expects the situation to be