“Word Search” Team Meeting Idea

BY DR. MARK MURPHY, DDS, FAGD

Sometimes we speak or answer quickly without thinking about the WORDS we are choosing or the impact they will have. When we say, “Root Canal,” it invokes a different emotion than “Saving the Tooth.” A great Team exercise we have used in the past is to make a substitution list. It provides choices of HOW to say something in a way that may feel or fit better than what we are currently using. Pass out the list below to your team at a meeting and give then 10 or 15 minutes to thoughtfully think up alternative words. Share the list and develop an armamentarium of Word Search answers you can consciously choose to use in different situations.

·       Full Mouth

·       Recall

·       Cleaning

·       Waiting Room

·       Operatory

·       Dental Work

·       Grind

·       Price

·       Bill

·       Cost

·       Discount

·       Policy

·       Simple Extraction

·       Root Canal

·       Running late

·       Cancellation

·       Any Questions?

·       Hurt or Pain

·       Crown

·       Filling

·       Scaling and Root Planing

·       Make up your own!

Have fun with this kind of an exercise. It is meant to be positive and growth oriented. There is no ONE right answer and sometimes, different situations or people require alternatives. It is about building your verbal skill set and library with options. Let your team shine and embrace their ideas, after-all, as dentists, we are not usually described as Great Communicators! Enjoy!

Mark T. Murphy, DDS, FAGD