A customer-service discussion with a colleague at KAT reminded me of research I conducted years ago regarding how women choose a doctor and what women liked about their doctor. The most important thing wasn’t the doctor’s credentials or qualifications, although that ranked high. What mattered most was how their doctor related to them as a person. Most of all, they wanted someone who would LISTEN, someone who cared!

In questioning women about their doctors, I found out about the importance of examination room behavior. I’ll never forget one woman telling me how her doctor would come into the exam room, sit down, put his feet up on the counter, and begin to chat with her in an unhurried manner. She loved that about her doctor—she felt valued and important. Some of the exam room behavior women didn’t like was the doctor acting like he was in a hurry, the doctor looking at his watch too often, and the doctor always seeming to be working his way toward (and out) the door during the visit. Talk about the power of nonverbal communication!

There’s probably a lesson here that applies to ALL of our relationships: as parents, friends, teachers, business associates. Giving someone your undivided attention when you’re with them goes a long, long way, and in some cases, doesn’t even have to take any longer!