STOP Selling, Start HELPING feat. Dr. Brad Stewart | AudCoach

STOP Selling, Start HELPING: Why Motivational Interviewing is Essential 

The one word that describes Dr. Brad Stewart is simple - passionate. Brad believes that better hearing is served through motivational interviewing techniques to ensure trust is built between the provider and the patient. Think back to the last time you went to the doctor and didn't "jive" with the provider. Did they lack empathy? Were they just having an "off" day? Were they rushing through the appointment? Chances are, you got home and said to yourself, "Well, I think I am going to get a second opinion."

In hearing healthcare, we really only have one shot to make sure that the new patients that come to our office for the first time have the BEST experience possible. Why? Because said patient waited 7-10 years to see you, the hearing healthcare provider. If they have a lackluster experience, they may just hang up their hearing cleats and say, "I'll try again in another 7 years." This is not what we want!

What is Motivational Interviewing? 

The most current version of MI is described in detail in Miller and Rollnick (2013) Motivational Interviewing: Helping people to change (3rd edition). Key qualities include:

MI is a guiding style of communication, that sits between following (good listening) and directing (giving information and advice).MI is designed to empower people to change by drawing out their own meaning, importance and capacity for change.MI is based on a respectful and curious way of being with people that facilitates the natural process of change and honors client autonomy.

The In-Office Hearing Aid Demo

During this episode, Blaise and Brad discuss the importance of demoing hearing technology during the patient's office visit. The in-office hearing aid demo is an essential element of a patient's first visit. One of the reasons office's should implement the in-office demo is because patient's have been waiting YEARS to hear with increased clarity, you want your new patient to leave your office excited about their new hearing world! (Disclaimer: of course, the in-office demo depends on the patients type and degree of hearing loss.) 

Brad has strong opinions about the in-office demo and states, "We have the ability during a 90 minute consultation to change that and to let them experience what hearing is like again. And for a lot of these people, it's been half a decade, a decade, 20 years since they've heard normally. And so that's like such an experience, such a light bulb moment. It's a peak experience. It's something they will remember throughout their life this time when they heard well again. And that we would just like for the sake of efficiency or time just wouldn't do that, and wouldn't allow them to experience such a transformative moment, seems crazy to me. And I have a really hard time rationalizing why you wouldn't do that." 

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