Teaching Your Staff to Reframe Negatives into Positives

What’s wrong?” “Are you dissatisfied?” “What’s the problem?” “Are you confused?” “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you.” “You’re not being reasonable.” “There’s no need for you to be rude to me.” “We can’t do that for you.” “No. The answer is no.”

Do you cringe when you hear your staff use negative phrases such as these in your medical practice? If you don’t, you may want to rethink that. According to Newburg and Waldman,(1) negative words are the most dangerous words in the world. That’s because they worsen the way people feel and function both emotionally and physically. As Newburg and Waldman explain, “If I were to put you into an fMRI scanner...and flash the word ‘NO’ for less than one second, you’d see a sudden release of dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters. These chemicals immediately interrupt the normal functioning of your brain, impairing logic, reason, language processing, and communication.” In fact, just seeing a list of negative words for a few seconds will make a highly anxious or depressed person feel worse. The more a depressed person ruminates on negative words, the more damage will be done to key structures that regulate memory, feelings, and emotions, Newburg and Waldman warn. Negative words can ultimately disrupt sleep, appetite, and even a person’s ability to experience long-term happiness and satisfaction. On top of all of that, negative words lead to negative thinking, which is self-perpetuating. “The more you engage in negative dialogue—at home or at work—the more difficult it becomes to stop,” Newburg and Waldman say.

Clearly, then, negative language brings with it a host of physical and emotional problems. It will undermine good customer service in your medical practice, too. But it can also make your practice an unhappy, stressful, and miserable place to work. So how can you get your staff to stop speaking negatively, even when your patients speak negatively to them? How can you encourage the use of more positive language without forcing your staff to sound like they’re reading from an overly upbeat and insincere customer service script? The answer is, first, to get your staff to want to reframe their communication, and, second, to teach them how to do it. According to McNamara,(2) “Reframing is seeing the current situation from a different perspective, which can be tremendously helpful in problem solving, decision making, and learning.” The key will be for your staff to believe that that’s true, and to regard reframing as a truthful and empowering new way to look at things.

When the medical practice’s employees learn to reframe negative ways of communicating into sincere positive ways, they will not change the basic situation or problem; rather, they will change the way that they and others look at it. As Hooper(3) explains, “The purpose of reframing is...to shift the person’s feeling about the issue/problem.” Reframing makes the most of positive language (and congruent body language) to reinforce positive yet accurate messages. It can help your staff to shift your patients, the other members of your staff, and even themselves away from anger, frustration, and blame, and to move gently and steadily toward openness, satisfaction, and even gratitude. Fortunately, as you’ll see in this article, reframing can be taught, practiced, and learned.

Five Ways that Reframing Can Improve Your Medical Practice

Although negative language has all of the disadvantages just described, reframing to more positive language offers equally powerful benefits. According to Conversational Receptionists,(4) “Not only do positive words encourage and motivate others more effectively than negative words, but they also help forge meaningful connections between the speaker and receiver.” Specifically, Conversational Receptionists suggests five ways that reframing can improve your medical practice. Reframing language from negative to positive leads to:

1. Less patient conflict: As we all know, the wrong words can put a tense patient on the defensive and make a bad situation worse. “When you start every interaction with positive language, you’ll experience less conflict overall,” Conversational Receptionists says.

2. Better relationships with your patients: With fewer instances of conflict, better relationships and connections can be formed. Reframing paves the way for building the connections with your patients that are necessary for creating and fostering their loyalty.

3. Faster resolution times: Miscommunication, patients’ perceptions of negative language, and allowing an angry patient to take control may all result in longer resolution times. However, as Conversational Receptionists suggests, “Using positive communication from the start...can keep the conversation focused on the issue at hand and resolve it faster.”

4. Improved reputation: Less conflict will create better relationships and faster resolution times. Therefore, patients will be more satisfied in general with your medical practice. Satisfied patients are more likely to remain loyal to your practice and to recommend you to their friends, colleagues, and family. That ultimately leads to improved patient retention and a better reputation for your medical practice in your community.

5. Stronger culture for your medical practice: The changes that occur as a result of reframing negative language can create a stronger medical practice culture that is unified toward a common goal. When employees can see for themselves the positive changes that occur with positive language, they will be more invested in what you do. That, in turn, creates a stronger loyalty to your culture with more faith in your practice and its inner workings, Conversational Receptionists suggests.

Help Your Staff to See the Value in Reframing

Despite these advantages, it will do little good for you to give your staff a list or chart of reframing words and phrases and require them to start using them. If you do that, you may be able to get them to say the right words. But you cannot get them to mean them. Unfortunately, insincere positive language is very easy to detect. A phony, overly positive style of communicating can sound like the speaker is out of touch with reality. It can easily come off as uncaring and condescending and backfire by fanning the flames of anger and hostility.

Using positive words and phrases can enhance patient engagement, increase satisfaction, and reduce patient ambivalence.

Therefore, the first step in introducing reframing to your staff will be for you to share what both negative and positive communication does to others. Help your staff to see that communicating negatively almost always works against what they are trying to accomplish. Explain that using positive words and phrases can enhance patient engagement, increase satisfaction, and reduce patient ambivalence. Also help them to see how reframing their negative language can be beneficial to them and how it can make your practice a happier place for everyone. In other words, bring your staff along with you on this journey.

Teach Your Staff to Reframe

As a next step, introduce reframing as both a concept and a tool your staff can use with your patients. Share with your staff a quote that supports reframing, such as this one from Polacyzak(5): “The most important rule of verbal communication is to forget ‘no, ‘can’t’ and ‘don’t’ as these are the worst words that can be said to a [patient].” Explore with your staff whether they agree and why this is so. Make sure that your employees understand that reframing does not ask them to lie or do something that feels false. Rather, stress that reframing encourages them to look for and discover true, accurate, and positive new ways to look at things. Then offer them some examples. For instance, ask them to suggest truthful, positive ways to reframe typical negative communication such as:

• “No. We have no openings next Tuesday.”

• “No. We can’t do that.”

• “I don’t know the answer.”

• “Well, I’m not the one who told you that/established this policy/made that mistake.”

• “You don’t have things right.”

Explore with your staff how they feel about both the negative and the more positive reframe of each phrase. Be open to what they say. Remember: they must feel comfortable with the concept of reframing before they can use it effectively in your medical practice.

An excellent way to reinforce the value of reframing with your staff is to use role playing to demonstrate the power of both negative and positive language. A good place to begin is to ask an employee to participate in a role play with you in which you play the part of an employee and the employee plays the part of an angry patient. Suggest one or more scenarios or ask your employees to suggest good ones for this role play. Encourage the employee playing the part of the patient to be forceful, but realistic. In the first role play, respond negatively to the “patient.” Focus your language on what you can’t do, what the patient can’t do, problems, what the patient has wrong, how unreasonable the patient is being, and how bad the situation is. Then, do a quick debrief. Ask your staff observing the role play to give you examples of your negative responses. Ask the employee who played the part of the patient to describe his or her feelings about the negative communication. Then, do a second role play, asking the same employee to behave the same way. This time, respond with more positive and constructive language. Again, debrief your employees. Ask your staff to give you examples of your positive responses. Ask the employee who played the part of the patient to describe his or her feelings about the more positive communication. Describe the truth in your positive reframes. Draw from your staff the lessons they learned through this role play. Offer to do a second or third set of role plays as need, interest, and time permit.

From this point forward, share examples of positive language for reframes and give your employees opportunities to practice using them through additional role plays. You may need several sessions with your staff to allow the lessons to sink in and to provide ample practice time. While your employees are learning to reframe, ask them to pay closer attention to their day-to-day interactions, especially those with patients or colleagues who are confused, displeased, or angry. With practice, your staff will begin to identify opportunities for reframing in their daily activities. They will become increasingly more comfortable reframing their communication, and eventually, master the technique.

Teach Your Staff to Focus on What They Can Do

As your employees become more comfortable with and adept at reframing, they will be able to express themselves more and more frequently with positive language. However, there will be times when they just can’t give your patients what they would like. In such instances, they may be tempted to focus on words like unfortunately, but, and I’m sorry. However, as Gao(6) suggests, such words still express a negative thought. They focus your patient’s attention on what can’t happen, Gao says.

Of course, a sincere, well-deserved apology is always a good idea. In addition, Gao suggests that you teach your staff not to leave the communication on a sour note if there is a legitimate way to end things more positively. Teach your employees to focus their communication whenever possible on what they can do, Gao says, not to leave things stuck on what they can’t. For example, if the employee can’t fit a patient who calls into the schedule that day, have her focus on the soonest appointment she can make and have her offer to put the patient on a short-notice call list, in case of a cancellation. Or if the patient objects to paying for services the day of the appointment, your employee can require that day’s payment but offer to work out a payment plan for future appointments, if your policy allows for that. Or if you are behind schedule and the patient complains about the wait, your employee can offer to reschedule the appointment or suggest that he or she can leave your office and return in 45 minutes or an hour. As Gao suggests, never let patients leave before they know what you can do and know all of their options. They may not get their first choice, Gao says. However, they may end up feeling much better about things if they feel that something is being done for them or that they have a choice.

Give Staff Reinforcement for Reframing and Using Positive Language

It will take time and practice before your staff becomes expert in reframing negatives into positives. Along the way, be sure to offer additional training and support as they expand and hone their skills. Highlight and praise the good examples of reframing that you observe. Continue to design role plays and to encourage your staff to analyze their daily interactions with patients and with one another. And when you catch your employees slipping back into negative language, consider these to be teachable moments. Ask your employees to revisit those interactions and to explore more positive ways that they could have phrased things.

Of course, an effective way for you to stress the importance of reframing negatives into positives in your medical practice is to include this in your performance appraisals. Employees will take notice of what you measure and what you reward. Be mindful, however, that you will not be privy to every conversation your employees have with your patients. It will be hard for you to quantify improvement. One possible way around this is to ask employees to establish reframing goals and to self-assess their progress. That, along with your own observations and positive reinforcement, can help your employees to become more masterful reframers.

Finally, employees who have excellent reframing skills may find that they can reframe their thinking as well as their language. They can learn to reframe their own perceived weaknesses, job stress, and other potentially negative challenges as positives. For example, if an employee were to stop calling himself impulsive and instead referred to himself as spontaneous, he would be reframing a weakness as a potential strength. As Pinnacle(7) suggests, “It wouldn’t be surprising if reframing employee weaknesses made for a stronger and more productive workforce.” In addition to making employees potentially more productive, reframing also can be an effective stress manager. According to Pinnacle, “Reframing aids employees in not only seeing themselves in the best light, but also situations.” With reframing practice, employees may come to see that problem and opportunity are two sides of the same coin. As Scott(8) aptly put it, “Reframing is a way of changing the way you look at something and, thus, changing your experience of it. It can turn a stressful event into either a major trauma or a challenge to be bravely overcome. Or it can depict a really bad day as a mildly low point in an overall wonderful life. Or it can see a negative event as a learning experience.” Clearly, reframing offers potential benefits in customer service within your medical practice and for your employee personally. As Pinnacle asks rhetorically, “Can you see how reframing could be a beneficial practice?”

References

1. Newburg A, Waldman M. The most dangerous word in the world. Psychology Today. August 1, 2012. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/words-can-change-your-brain/201208/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world . Accessed May 24, 2018.

2. McNamara C. Basic guidelines to reframing – to seeing things differently. Coaching and Action Library. February 2, 2012. https://managementhelp.org/blogs/personal-and-professional-coaching/2012/02/02/basic-guidelines-to-reframing-to-seeing-things-differently/ . Accessed May 24, 2018.

3. Hooper B. The awesome communication tool – reframing. Brenda Hooper The Blog. July 6, 2016. http://brendahooper.com/the-awesome-communication-tool-reframing/. Accessed May 24, 2018.

4. Conversational Receptionists. 5 ways positive words can make customer service easier. Conversational Receptionists. www.conversational.com/5-ways-positive-words-make-customer-service-easier/ . Accessed May 29, 2018.

5. Polacyzak J. The art of positive communication in customer service. Ecwid. August 31, 2016. www.ecwid.com/blog/the-art-of-positive-communication-in-customer-service.html . Accessed May 25, 2018.

6. Gao K. 40+ Positive phrases to create positive scripting for customer service. Comm 100, September 15, 2017. www.comm100.com/blog/positive-customer-service-phrases.html . Accessed May 29, 2018.

7. Pinnacle. Why you should teach employees reframing skills. Pinnacle Blog. https://pinnacle.jobs/blog/why-you-should-teach-employees-reframing-skills/ . Accessed May 29, 2018.

8. Scott E. 4 steps to shift perspective and change everything. Very Well Mind. June 8, 2017. www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-reframing-for-stress-management-3144872 . Accessed May 25, 2018.

The Top Twenty-Five Reframing Words for Customer Service

One way you can help your employees to reframe their negative communication is to provide them with positive words they can use. Call Centre Helper(1) has devised the following list of the top 25 reframing words for your employees. Says Call Centre Helper, “These little words should win medals, as adding any one of them to a conversation has the potential to transform [negative or] average customer service into great customer service.” Here’s the list:

Call Centre Helper suggests that using these reframing words in conversations can make your employees sound upbeat and highly energetic. But is there such a thing as reframing language that’s too upbeat? Call Centre Helper doesn’t think so. “You’ll never hear a customer complain about how the employee was too positive or upbeat,” Call Centre Helper says.

Reference

1. Call Centre Helper. Top 25 words, phrases, and empathy statements. Call Centre Helper. February 14, 2018. www.callcentrehelper.com/the-top-25-positive-words-and-phrases-1847.htm . Accessed May 29, 2018.

Ten Positive Phrases for Your Employees to Use

How can your employees turn sour interactions with patients into positive ones? Conversational Receptionists(1) suggests the following 10 positive phrases your employees can use to “spread a little kindness.” As Conversational Receptionists suggests, your employees can write down their favorites from this list and put them somewhere in the office where they (and not patients) will see them. Posting their favorites from the list below will remind them to put their new positive words and phrases into frequent use.

Reference

1. Conversational Receptionists. 50 Positive words and phrases to use in customer service. Conversational Receptionists. www.conversational.com/50-positive-words-phrases-use-customer-service/ . Accessed May 29, 2018.