LETTERS: Some people are gifted to be able to communicate well, while others must learn how to communicate.
Saying the wrong words, using inappropriate body language, failing to respond, responding at the wrong time and lack of knowledge of the subject matter are recipes for communication disaster.
This may result in relationship disruptions, leadership failure, job loss, customer dissatisfaction, tainted company reputation and financial losses.
Statistics show that 70 to 80 per cent of medical litigations were related to poor doctor-patient communication.
The paternalistic attitude of doctors has contributed to this poor communication.
However, in the 21st century, doctors prioritise the importance of communicating with their patients to deliver patient care. Doctors provide information and, at the same time, are good listeners.
Doctors maintain eye contact and smile during the conversation to indicate full attention, interest and respect.
Doctors who put themselves in patients' shoes are more empathetic and can give better care.
Managers can build or destroy businesses depending on their ability to communicate with top management and employees.
The ability to understand employees' needs and develop a good communication routine (such as replying to staff emails) will allow managers to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of employees and take action to create a productive team.
A sustainable business depends on many factors with one of the most important factors being customers.
Good customer relationship depends on good communication between frontline staff and customers.
Frontline staff should be trained to captivate customers and find out what customers want and deliver it.
I once shopped for a pair of walking shoes in Chicago, Illinois, the United States.
The salesman brought out more than 20 pairs of shoes for me to try on and told me to walk with the shoes and buy them only if I felt comfortable with the shoes.
He helped me to put on the 20 pairs of shoes each time.
He smiled during the interaction. This salesman showed a lot of passion for his work and made customers feel that whatever they bought was worth it.
Digital interaction has disadvantages if the interaction starts with an automated telephone-operator system, which takes the customer round and round, wasting the customer's time.
This communication ends up frustrating customers, who will be less inclined to call again.
This system can be improved by "making an appointment with customers" at their convenience.
A pleasant soothing voice at the other end of the telephone will facilitate the conversation with customers, who will be at ease to conclude the business.
Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, said: "If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles."
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR PATRICK TAN
Director of the Clinical Skills Centre, Faculty of Medicine, AIMST University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times