Patient Body Language Signals You’re Missing

Andrea (00:04):
Well, hi there. I am Andrea Watkins. And if you're listening to this, while juggling three patient calls, checking in a couple patients, taking a payment, selling skincare, and trying to catch your doctor in between procedures, you might be working in an aesthetic practice.

Blake (00:18):
And I'm Blake Lucas, and this is Practiceland. This is not Your doctor's podcast. Welcome back to Practiceland. Thank you so much for listening. Again, make sure you're subscribing and telling all your friends and coworkers about the podcast. Returning to Practiceland again today we have Heather Hughes Hardy and Jenna Hennig. They're the brains behind the CORE IT method, helping aesthetic practices grow without the burnout. Think higher conversions, stronger teams and treatment plans patients actually stick with. Super excited because on a previous episode we talked about listening for code words and patient conversations, and we touched on a little bit about body language and that's what today's episode is all about. It's funny, this topic reminds me of my early days, my first job working in retail, which side note, I feel like everyone needs to work at least retail or work in the food industry. It's like you have to do it.

(01:13):
You got to get to know people. And any position in your life where you're working with people, you have to have that foundation to start with because it can be brutal, but it is, I think, a very rewarding first job. Mine was working in an Apple store. I think I was lucky enough or maybe I was just crazy enough to work in one. And I remember you could see certain customers coming in and you immediately knew where it was going just from their gate, the way they walk, there was maybe if there was that rigidity or that stiffness, you're like, oh, this is going to be a good one. And so you maybe avoided those ones or you're just like, I can't get out of this, this is me. And so people do get really upset when their phones don't work, so that's always a fun one. But Heather, what nonverbal signals do aesthetic patients display that help you spot maybe hesitation or distrust during a consultation?

Heather (02:10):
Yeah, I'd say the most common nonverbal cues are probably fidgeting, eye shifting, their posture changing in their chair quite a bit. I have a moment that really stuck with me, and it was a patient that was a rhinoplasty patient, a consultation, super prepared, had her reference photos. She knew exactly what she wanted and the consult went really well. The surgeon who was incredibly thoughtful mentioned that a subtle chin enhancement could help balance her overall profile, and it was a great clinical suggestion, but as soon as it came up, I noticed a shift in the patient, or I shouldn't say I noticed a shift in the patient. She got really quiet, her body leaned back. She kind of stopped making as much eye contact and started fidgeting with her hands quite a bit. And when you see those cues, your mind automatically goes to what are they thinking?

(03:02):
Maybe they're worried about the added cost, maybe they're uncomfortable being offered something that they didn't really ask for. But here's the trick that I kind of try to keep in my mind, and it's that if you're wondering what the patient is thinking you should ask, because when you ask them, and I did, I asked her something like, you seemed really confident earlier and then got kind of quiet. Do you want to walk through how that all felt? And it opens the door automatically. This patient, she was like, I actually really valued the recommendation, but she just hadn't expected the plan to change so much, and so she needed a moment to catch up. We ended up scheduling for her a follow-up call with a doctor, and they walked through the why again and about why it aligned with all that she was looking for. And then we broke down the pricing again with really clear options, and she ended up booking the full plan, including the chin enhancement, and months later she came back and she was just glowing. And honestly, that's the power of noticing, but then acknowledging the unspoken because that's staying in sync with the patient's pace because so often, like I said, you just kind of get in your head and you start worrying and then you automatically start putting words out there that may not be even be what the patient's thinking. So I think noticing it, but then calling it out right away too.

Blake (04:18):
That's a beautiful story. And I think there's so many times when you're in those interactions, you miss those cues that are so, so important. And obviously this is a great example of it, when you catch it right? You see that in the moment and you do have the confidence to call that out or ask that question just to see, Hey, tell me how you're feeling right now. This is a lot what's going through your mind, and you can catch that early and again, turn that moment into an opportunity to build that trust. When we think about those moments where we maybe ourselves or a colleague we were watching, listening in and saw that they missed that critical body language. What causes that? What would you say is something that happens or that gets in the way of them being able to catch those things?

Heather (05:08):
Yeah, I think it's really common that, especially for clinical providers, I'm actually trained as a nurse too. So a lot of my background is in doing actual patient care, but you get kind of stuck on your internal script. It's the thing that you do every day. This is how it goes, I start talking. So we've trained providers and honestly, even our sales staff, because they go through this whole medical system of how to be clinically thorough, but then emotional intelligence is really what seals the deal. And so if you're focusing on delivering that perfect spiel, you are going to miss the little flinch that tells you that they're hesitant because your mind's just one track. So it's taking that moment to slow down and be like, Hey, I do know I have my spiel, but let me be present with this patient.

Blake (05:51):
Yeah. Oh man, I kind of have a love hate relationship with scripts. I feel like they can be so important to make sure that you're hitting everything and you're saying it in the right way or you're making sure you're following that, but it feels so structured, and that's just not me as a person. And even within the department that I run here with the customer service side, I have tried so hard to stay away from scripts, even in something that is very regulated with financing and those types of things. There's special certain language or certain words that we have to say and all those types of things. But beyond that, I really, really encourage our people to be human, have that connection or take that time to really talk with someone like a normal person. You have such an amazing opportunity in front of you when you're working with someone and there's so much more information that you can get from the body language that they're giving you. So Jenna, when you're thinking about body language and all the little quirks and all these tiny little things, what are you looking for? How do you spot what people are saying with their bodies?

Jenna (06:59):
It sounds simple, but it's an incredibly complicated thing. Even having studied it, you really, really have to be paying attention to see, these are very, very subtle changes. And so the way that I kind of try to think about it in my mind is are they guarding or are they relaxed essentially? Because if somebody is, when I say guarding, I mean are they protecting their torso is kind of what we'll usually see. So it's going to be crossed arms, it's going to be maybe they're like, for a lot of us women, we're maybe playing with a necklace or even men playing with the necklace, you're protecting your chest. The feet are they pointed towards the exit. That's one that I commonly see too, like their feet are, they're like, we're ready to get out of here.

Blake (07:38):
Yeah. I need to know how fast I can get to the exit.

Jenna (07:40):
Exactly. Exactly. Are they holding onto a pillow any sort of barrier between the two of you where they're closing off their body, that would be guarding and then versus if you're looking at somebody and they just have relaxed posture, maybe they're leaning back in the chair, maybe they're leaning towards you, but they're not really closing off their abdomen, they just look very relaxed and you can kind of tell when things are going well. But paying attention, are they kind of blocking off themselves to you? And if so, that's a good opportunity to kind of slow down your pace because I think a lot of times we get so excited, we're like, oh yeah, you tell me what you need. I'm going to tell you exactly what I can do for you. I'm going to explain it all, and we can just get into this spiel y'all are saying, and the patient's like, oh my God, you're overwhelming me. And so just using that radio host voice and slowing down and then really letting the patient talk the most. Because the thing is they want to tell you how they feel. They want you to understand, they want to know that you can help 'em, but they don't want you to be doing all the talking and they don't feel like they can actually tell you what's going on.

Blake (08:35):
Wow. Yeah. I think it is really difficult to, I know from my personal experience to be able to actively listen, understand and comprehend everything that they're trying to say, and there's so much going on and I'm thinking about, okay, well how does this fit with what I'm about to talk to them about and how do I make sure I provide that value? And all those types of things. You're doing all that, and at the same time you're like, where are their feet pointing?

Jenna (08:58):
Yeah, exactly.

Blake (08:59):
How difficult to do that in actual practice, but let's say, okay, I've got it down and I'm starting to catch those cues, those nonverbals, what if, what's next? What if I'm getting that negative response, what do I do?

Jenna (09:17):
What I find to be super helpful, which I think a lot of us are afraid to do, is just kind of call it out. And so when I noticed that maybe things were going well and the patient starts to draw back, or maybe I never really am breaking through, I'll just take a pause and say, I'm noticing a little bit of hesitation. Tell me how what we've discussed so far sound to you? Do you feel like we're on the track to get to your goals? Do you feel like what we've discussed makes you confident that I'm the provider to get you to that lifted rejuvenated, whatever words they used, mirroring back to them, appearance that you're going for, and that gives them the safety to be like, you know what? This just really, I was really hoping for something quicker. It allows them to voice whatever that concern is because otherwise they're just going to sit there. There's a reason why they're withdrawing, and they may not feel comfortable if they don't trust you yet to actually say that. Even if at the end you're like, okay, you ready to book, which I hate saying that anyways, they're going to be like, okay, lemme get back to you. But you're never really finding out what that hesitation is, so just asking goes a long way.

Blake (10:12):
Yeah, be bold, get out there and just ask them. I love that. So there's a million things going on in our heads as we're having these conversations with patients, and I think something that's incredibly important as we're doing all this at the same time is understanding what we're doing with our own body and space. So what's my goal or what am I trying to do with my own body language when I'm in these consults?

Jenna (10:42):
The most important thing is not creating any barriers or blocking behaviors between you and the patient. You want to tell them, I am trustworthy. You are safe, and I am open. And so that's one of the things that Heather and I always talk about is right when you walk in, something as simple as giving them a hand up and showing them that your hand is empty and you're like, hi. That is a signal that you have nothing in your hands to harm them with, which is a subconscious thing that goes a long way, which is kind of funny to think about. Vanessa Van Edwards?

Heather (11:17):
Van Edwards.

Jenna (11:17):
Yeah, has a ton of really, really cool books on this and a lot of really great podcasts just about that simple gesture and other things you can do. But yeah, just giving a simple wave, open palm and then keeping your hands visible throughout the entire consultation, and most importantly, slightly mirroring back gestures that they're using, so if they're leaning forward, you can kind of lean forward a little bit.

(11:36):
If there's somebody who tilts their head, you can do the same thing, not to where you feel like you're literally mimicking everything, but you want to kind of make them feel like you're on the same level and that you do get them, and those subtle sort of mirroring efforts really go a long way to be like, okay, you understand me? You're like me. And that just really builds the rapport so that way that openness is really reciprocated. And then that way too, you can kind notice if you're paying attention to what they're doing, so you can slightly mirror it. You also notice if they start to kind of retract a little bit.

Blake (12:07):
Literally I'm like, okay, I need to put my,

Jenna (12:09):
Hi.

Blake (12:10):
I'm starting to practice this myself. Okay, I got to give my hands open. I'm thinking about all the things that I do. I don't even notice. It's become second nature. You're just like, my hands are down and they're behind a desk. I'm like, no, no, no. I got to get 'em up. So there's so many little tweaks that can help make that whole experience more comfortable for your patient, which I think ultimately is a goal of everyone.

Jenna (12:29):
Totally. Or even just a lot of us go in there, we just start charting and we get our iPad in front of us and we just sit there and the patient's talking. You're just looking down, not even at them, and you're charting the whole time and you feel like you need to, but really, if you're actively listening, you will remember the most important parts, and so just removing that barrier of the iPad or the chart or whatever it is, goes a really long way.

Blake (12:49):
When we end with these things. I always love to come back to an actionable thing that we can take away. I think it provides a ton of value to our listeners to say, okay, I can do that. From our conversation about this, what's one thing that you would want our listeners to take away with them as like, okay, I'm going to do this literally in my next consult in the next five minutes.

Heather (13:09):
Truthfully, your energy does set the tone. Just like Jenna's saying, you're walking into the room, you're having no guarding, and so just slowing down and making space for your patients, that can shift the entire consult, not only in their favor, but in yours as well.

Jenna (13:25):
For me, it would be being adaptable. I think that's one of the most important things as providers or any sort of service industry individual, you have your own personality, but it's more important to pay attention to the patient and see what their personality is so that way you can give the feedback and the way that they're going to receive it best, and that way you kind of really create that trust and rapport, so be adaptable, know how to adapt to different personality types. That way you can really serve the majority of the patients that you see.

Blake (13:55):
This is great. Fantastic. There's so much here that we can take away. I think we could talk about this for hours. I love the intricacies, all the little tiny details that can really change an interaction. Jenna, Heather, thank you again for taking the time out of your day to come on to Practiceland. We love having you here. Where can we follow you online if we want to see what you're up to?

Jenna (14:18):
I'm online at Austin Beauty Boss and also on LinkedIn at Jenna Hennig.

Heather (14:24):
Yeah, you can find me everywhere, LinkedIn, Instagram at Heather Hughes Hardy, and if you're interested in these social behavioral psychology hacks, feel free to DM Jenna. She has a whole library of books that she can send you some references to. It's super awesome.

Jenna (14:38):
My favorite subject.

Blake (14:40):
Thank you so much. Got a question you want our team to answer? Send us a message at Practiceland podcast. Thank you listeners again for joining us on this beautiful day in Practiceland. Stay fabulous, and we'll see you next time. Bye-bye. Got a wild customer service story or a sticky patient situation? Send us a message or voicemail. If your tale makes it into our "She did what?" segment, we'll send a thank you gift you'll actually love. Promise no cheap swag here.

Andrea (15:08):
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