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About A. Woodward & Associates

Our company’s primary focus is to help clients develop healthy patient and staff relationships. Our consulting services are customized to your organization, and your specific needs. Areas of expertise include customer service, patient satisfaction and employee engagement.

A. Woodward & Associates was established in 1999 by Anita B. Woodward, MBA, FACHE. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, we have clients in all parts of the country. Anita has over 20 years of healthcare management, customer service, and human resource experience, and her associates have a variety of complementary skills and experiences.

January 2008 Newsletter

Resolutions You Can Keep:
Communication Tips to Use in Conversations with Everyone!

By now, most of us have probably broken some of our News Year’s resolutions. No problem. It is still January, and there is still time to make, and keep, some effective communication resolutions. The following skills are suggested based on our experiences in talking with hundreds of patients, family members, and healthcare professionals at all levels. The best thing about these tips is that using them will improve your relationships, and even your results, at work and at home.

The overall theme of these tips is to remember that you are talking with another human being. That seems obvious, but we often fail to act on it. We have all witnessed (and been the victim of) someone talking to another person as if they were a medical record number, a job description, a body part, or a title. Human beings have a need to be recognized as people. When we are not seen as people, hurt feelings, anger, resentment, and sometimes push-back are the results. Remembering the human-ness of our conversation partner will cause the conversation to go better, and will lead to better outcomes.

1. Remember the Basics!

Use phrases like hello and goodbye, please and thank you. We learned these phrases as young children, buy often fail to use them, especially at work.

2. Start and end conversations on the human level.

Hello and goodbye are the simplest examples; "how are you?" and "have a nice day" are even more effective. Think about the types of conversations you have at work, and choose an appropriate way to begin and end. Avoid jumping straight to the business reason for your conversation, or ending when the business is done without a human closing.

3. Actively listen to your conversation partner.

This involves stopping everything else in our brain and focusing. We must stop multi-tasking when we are talking with someone. Active listening means we are thinking about what is being said, and what it means to the speaker, rather than thinking about our own "stuff." People know when we are really listening, just as we know when people are not really listening to us (or not).

4. Use paraphrasing to communicate that you have heard and understand what was said.

By doing this, we also communicate that we cared enough to listen. Simply use your own words to say back what you think you heard.

5. Use empathy if the speaker is emotional.

Empathy is when we try and understand another's feelings. We show empathy by saying something that communicates we understand those feelings. Saying, "I can see that this has made you very sad," is an example. When someone is emotional, respond to the feelings before you respond to the content. There is no better way to show you see the human being, and that you care.

6. Apologize when something has gone wrong.

Even if it is not your fault, you show you care when you apologize. Use a "blameless" apology. Say "I am so sorry this has happened to you," or "I am sorry things did not go the way you wanted." If you were actively listening, this apology will be sincere, and will be very much appreciated.

7. Never promise what you cannot deliver.

When people are pushing us, we can fall into the trap of saying what they want to hear. This often creates problems later, when our promise is unfulfilled. Promise only what is under your control.

8. Use nonverbal communication skills.

Smile, make eye contact -- these show you see a human being in front of you. Sit down whenever the other person is sitting or lying down; it is perceived as showing interest and caring. Watch your body language -- lean toward a person to show interest, nod your head to show you are listening. Don't start backing away as they speak, don't stand in a doorway as if you are waiting to escape. And finally, since everyone in the world has heard that crossing your arms means you are shutting the other person out, avoid doing it, even if you really are just cold!

For more in-depth information about these or additional communication techniques that work, please contact us at 216-631-1852 or by email.


Upcoming Speaking Engagements

Anita Woodward, FACHE, will be speaking in the following locations this year. Please stop by to visit, and let her know how we can make our e-newsletter and our consulting services more useful to you.

  • April 9-11, 2008, Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy (SHCA) of the American Hospital Association. This is SHCA's annual meeting, to be held in St. Louis, MO. Anita will be co-presenting with Carol Santalucia, Director of World Class Service, Division of Nursing, for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Their topic is "Gaining Senior Leadership Support for Your Ideas and Projects." For more information or to register, go to www.ashes.org, or call 312-422-3700.

  • June 10-12, 2008, Michigan Association of Healthcare Advocates annual meeting at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI. Anita's topic is "Making Meetings More Productive." For more information, go to the MAHA website or contact Mary Lou McFadden, VP of Education.

Real Life Customer Service Case

The following situation really occurred. Consider using it as a case study for quick discussions in staff meetings.

The first-time patient arrived for her early morning appointment ten minutes before her scheduled time. The waiting area was darkened. A TV was on in a corner of the room, playing very loudly, and near it were two employees, talking and laughing. One asked "can I help you?" The patient said she had an appointment and was told to take a seat. She then asked if the lights could be turned on, and the employee said, "When the staff gets here." In the next 5 minutes, 10 employees entered the building through this area. No one greeted the patient. When someone arrived behind the desk, she turned the desk lights on, but not those in the seating area. She did not speak to the patient.

  • Do staff members in your department ever act as if the customer is invisible, especially if it isn't time, or isn't their turn, to help?
  • Are customers acknowledged by employees who pass them in the hall, in a waiting area, or when they enter your work area?
  • If this happened to you, as a first-time patient, would you be likely to return?

We welcome your feedback, questions and story ideas!

Let us know if you find this newsletter helpful. If you have a case study you would like us to include, or if there are certain topics you would like to see addressed, please email us.


About This Newsletter

This newsletter is published for clients and colleagues of A. Woodward & Associates, and for others who are interested in customer service, employee relations, and organizational communication, especially in healthcare organizations.

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