Can patients detect when a dental team member doesn’t believe in the doctor?
Yes, in milliseconds. Daniel Kahneman documented this in Thinking, Fast and Slow. Humans have hardwired pattern detection for incongruence. When a staff member’s words say one thing and their tone, body language, or pacing says another, the patient registers the conflict consciously or subconsciously and shifts into avoidance behavior. The only way to prevent this signal from getting through is to eliminate the underlying incongruence. A team member who quietly doubts the doctor cannot fake belief well enough to fool patients consistently. The doctor’s job, beyond clinical skill, is to be the kind of doctor the team genuinely believes in. The team’s job is to communicate that belief naturally because they mean it.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.