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EW SHOW DAILY 18 Monday, May 9, 2016 ASOA News Today by Lauren Lipuma EyeWorld Contributing Writer There are 3 basic types of listen- ers, she said: competitive, attentive, and active. In order to become a bet- ter listener, she recommended first understanding what kind of listener you tend to be and then taking steps to becoming an active listener, if you aren't one already. Competitive listeners are those more interested in promoting their own point of view than listening, Ms. Musgrave said. Competitive listeners only half listen, while internally they are already forming rebuttals to what the other person is saying. They are impatient and simply want to win, she said. Attentive listeners are interested in what the other person has to say, but listen only passively. Attentive listeners assume they understand everything correctly, even though they may not, and don't interact verbally with the other person, Ms. Musgrave said. Active listeners, on the other hand, are genuinely interested in what the other person says, are fully engrossed in the conversation, and ask meaningful questions. Active listeners clarify if they don't under- stand everything the other person says and when responding, repeat or rephrase to verify the message, Ms. Musgrove said. The 4 steps to active listening To become an active listener requires 4 steps, according to Ms. Musgrave: encouraging, restating, reflecting, and summarizing. Encourage the other person to speak, convey inter- P hysicians and ophthalmic administrators can use listening skills to engage their patients, convert prospects into new patients and grow their practices, according to Brandi Musgrave, director of business development, Fast Track Marketing, Broomfield, Colorado. In Saturday afternoon's ASOA session "Stop Talking. Start Listening. More Engagement = More Patients," Ms. Musgrave explored the different ways in which people listen and how ophthalmic managers can use listening skills to benefit their practices. "Listening is the single most essential tool we have in today's society, both in business and in our personal lives," Ms. Musgrave said in her presentation. When it comes to a medi- cal practice, listening is essential because selling is mostly listening, according to Ms. Musgrave. This could be during a phone call with a potential patient who has a question or during a consultation with an existing patient. "If you don't listen, you're going to lose that patient," she said. "You're not able to sell your services or consult on what the best choice is for [that patient]." The 3 types of listeners A startling fact is that the average person listens with only 25% effi- ciency, so even average listeners are not able to do it very well, according to Ms. Musgrave. est in what he or she is saying, and keep the person talking, she said. Use non-committal words such as "I see," or "That's interesting." Then, show you are listening and under- standing by restating what the other person said in your own words. Reflect on what the other person has said and ask for clarification if you don't understand, she added. Fi- nally, summarize everything you've heard: Put together all the important information and establish a base for further discussion. Do this using the same energy level as the other person; adopt a similar tone and rate of speech, Ms. Musgrave said. One thing to remember when listening actively is to not just respond to the meaning of the words, but look for feelings or intent behind those words. For example, if a patient is interested in a particular procedure but does not want to schedule it, dig deep and find out what's holding the pa- tient back; fear and money are often the obstacles that keep patients from moving forward with procedures, Ms. Musgrave said. Another thing to keep in mind is the 80/20 rule: Listen 80% of the time and talk only 20% of the time. When taking a phone call with a patient or during a consult, make sure your focus is on the patient the entire time. Give the patient time to voice any concerns and take notes if necessary. Finally, remember that listening goes beyond your practice, Ms. Musgrave said. Keep an eye on review sites, social media, surveys, and messages from patients. EW Editors' note: Ms. Musgrave has no financial interests related to her comments. Be a more effective listener to grow your practice, expert says T he National Board for the Certification of Ophthalmic Executives (NBCOE) an- nounced that Karen Butler, Toms River, New Jersey, and Liz Parrott, COE, Raleigh Ophthalmol- ogy, Raleigh, North Carolina. ASOA executive director, Laureen Rowland, CAE, also serves on the board, along with John Bell, MBA, COE, ASOA immediate past president, North Suburban Eye Associates, Wakefield, Massachusetts; and Tamim Qaum, MD, COE, Martinsburg Eye Asso- ciates, Hagerstown, Maryland. Dr. Qaum is the ASCRS liaison. Charla Ferchow, COE, Eye Physicians of Central Florida, Maitland, Florida, continues on the board in the role of NBCOE immediate past president. New NBCOE board members elected Karen Butler, LPN, COE The Certified Ophthalmic Ex- ecutive (COE) designation recog- nizes those who have achieved the experience, knowledge, and skills identified by the NBCOE as essential to practice management. This elite certification promotes excellence and professionalism in ophthalmic practice management. NBCOE board members volun- teer their time to ensure the validity, credibility, and continuing prestige of the COE. For more information about NBCOE, visit www.asoa.org/about- asoa/nbcoe. EW Ms. Musgrave discusses ways that listening can be used to convert prospects into patients. LPN, COE, Crew & Boss Eye Asso- ciates, Big Rapids, Michigan, is its 2016–2017 president. The president-elect is Cathi Lyons, MHA, COE, Gordon Weiss Schanzlin Vision Institute, San Diego. New NBCOE board members are Traci Fritz, COE, OCS, Children's Eye Care, West Bloomfield, Michi- gan; Jane Shuman, COE, COT, Eye- techs, Needham, Massachusetts; and Sondra Hoffman, COE, CPC, Florida Eye Clinic, Altamonte Springs, Florida. Returning board members include Sue Balfe, Invision Eye Care,