How important is nonverbal communication, such as body language, eye contact, and tone of voice, in building trust with new patients?

Question

Lakshman Swamy · Answer

The most important thing that a patient needs or a family member needs when we're trying to build trust and I'm meeting them often for the first time, is they need to know that I really am focused on them and that I hear what they're saying. And that is conveyed almost more through nonverbal cues than it is by what I'm saying because I'm listening. So for example, if I'm constantly looking at my watch or my phone, even if it's for other patients, even if my pager is going off, anything like that, that breaks that kind of magic circle of privacy between us, that the outside world almost doesn't exist, I'm just listening to you. Anything that shows that my attention really is not there is going to really impair the building of that trust. So first of all, I try to not let anything interrupt me in those critical moments because once I've built that trust, then we can be more relaxed later. So I try not to let anything interrupt me and I really convey with my whole body that I really am fully engaged, focused, listening.

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"How important is nonverbal communication, such as body language, eye contact, and tone of voice, in building trust with new patients?"