Haugseth-Basic Communication Skills with patients/parents/team members: Tips, Techniques and Comedy-View Dr. Haugseths Course Video CSPD2

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Oriana Lowe welcomes attendees to the CSPD-WSPD morning seminar and introduces pediatric dentist and past AAPD president Dr. Rhea Hall-South, along with sponsor Steen Laasie, who will present at lunch.<br /><br />Dr. Hall-South’s talk focuses on “Basic Communication Skills” for dental teams, emphasizing that communication is critical for patient relationships and for risk management (reducing complaints and malpractice exposure). She explains that lawsuits are often driven less by poor clinical care than by money disputes and, especially, miscommunication—when families feel a lack of empathy, respect, or concern. Common risk factors include language barriers, low “dental IQ,” unmet expectations, billing/collections conflicts, missed diagnoses (e.g., refusing radiographs), and procedural mishaps—many preventable with clear systems like checklists, “time-out”/code-word protocols, and good documentation.<br /><br />She highlights how families evaluate a practice directly (staff interactions, tone, teamwork) and indirectly (cleanliness, décor, timeliness, professionalism, odors, attire). Using examples and video clips, she stresses that only a small portion of communication is the words; most is tone and body language. Key skills include conversational warmth, focusing on the child, active listening, empathy, clear plain-language explanations, providing visual/written materials (because people remember little of what they hear), returning calls, and avoiding judgment. She closes by previewing an interactive afternoon exercise with prizes.

Keywords

CSPD-WSPD morning seminar

Dr. Oriana Lowe

Dr. Rhea Hall-South

AAPD president

pediatric dentistry

basic communication skills

dental team communication

patient relationships

risk management

malpractice prevention

complaint reduction

language barriers

active listening and empathy

plain-language explanations

documentation and checklists