Tis the season for FUN mail. Christmas cards, holiday packages, charcuterie boards, mini cupcakes and…..
A Jury Summons?!
Yup, that’s what hit MY mailbox 2 weeks ago. And if you’re like my wife Susan and most people, your reaction is along the lines of “Oh great, how can I get out of this?!”
But I was actually excited to be heading into court to be part of this process.
Why? What would thrill me about burning several productive work days sitting in a courtroom, having to reschedule meetings, disrupting my daily routine…?
I had this sneaking suspicion I would learn a ton about persuasion that I could use for myself and bring back to share with our coaching clients.
Suspicion confirmed. Even BEFORE I was on the actual jury, I had several pages of notes on observations, tactics and strategies from the defense and the state attorneys during the selection phase.
And then after being sat on the jury (I was Juror #1 btw)… and watching the case unfold and reach the conclusion… I ended up with several more pages of notes. What a treasure trove of education on the topic of persuasion!
I was pumped about Jury Duty for the same reason I was excited to attend a timeshare presentation a few years ago. I wanted to SEE how it works and what I could LEARN.
Then I use my “particular set of skills” (Liam Neeson reference) to distill my newfound knowledge into repeatable processes and tactics our clients can apply in their interactions with patients.
For example, in our coaching community (The Green Room), we did 1 hour and 12 minute group coaching call yesterday, the majority of which was spent reviewing the case and the persuasion tactics at play throughout the process I experienced.
And we discussed how to apply those concepts in patient interactions. People were furiously scribbling notes as I shared my lessons (which isn’t necessary since our weekly coaching calls are recorded so our clients can go back and look at them any time, but to each their own).
We covered:
- Multiple tactics on how to get “out of the weeds” in a convo with a patient and get back on track toward booking surgery
- How to use “identity” to empower patients and build rapport (very powerful)
- How to “inoculate” patients against misinformation from other practices (in case they happen to be visiting a competitor for a consultation too)
- The power of “painting the picture” and how it can help even the most hesitant patients become comfortable with your process and move forward with scheduling
- The 2-word phrase to avoid at all costs because it instantly creates doubt and downgrades your authority
- Why and how we have to teach patients how to think so they make the right decision (and how this played out during jury deliberations – fascinating!)
- Why “your argument is only as good as your evidence” and how to stealthily gather and leverage “evidence” to build your “case” toward scheduling a consult / surgery
- and plenty more…
Couple big takeaways for you today:
1. If you get called for jury duty, go. Check it out. I don’t even care about the whole “civic duty” aspect. Just go so you can learn and observe!
2. As you go through your daily life, try to maintain some awareness around interactions that make you think / feel a certain way.
This can be an interaction with a cashier at a store, an advertisement you see, a comment you read online. If something makes you think differently, or causes you to pause, or makes you feel negatively, or gives you a small dopamine hit…
Just take 2 seconds and say “Why?” Why did I like that? Why did I NOT like that? Why am I still thinking about that one sentence someone uttered in passing 4 hours ago? What made me stop and read that post?
Think about it, then make a note of it, or screenshot it. I use a tool called Workflowy.com to hold any random thoughts / ideas I have. You can use a phone note or even a small notepad (I use those too when I’m on the go).
Hopefully you get the idea here. Experience, ponder, glean, apply. This is a habit you can build.
This habit served me well on Jury Duty as I gleaned valuable lessons on persuasion, and thus it served our coaching clients as well when we brought the education back to them.
And it’s a habit that will serve you well, as long as you’re practicing this approach in your daily interactions.
Hope that’s helpful! And if you’re in the Green Room and couldn’t make the call, the replay of this coaching session is now posted in the “Backstage Convos” section of our app. Go and watch / listen at your leisure. I promise you’ll get some gold nuggets from it.
And for anyone reading this who is NOT currently enrolled in our coaching programs… the new year is a great time to introduce your team to a new initiative. Especially one that is educational, encouraging and empowering, which is what we’ve created in our coaching ecosystem.
I don’t know if you can actually coach “culture,” but I can tell you the practices that are involved in our coaching have a stronger culture and an even higher level of belief than they had when they first started with us.
And to be clear, we do NOT take all the credit for that. Heck, for us to invite any practice to join us, they must already have a good culture, strong leadership, etc. We don’t allow toxicity into our coaching community (protects us and protects our clients).
But I can say our coaching programs have helped to build confidence and camaraderie among the folks we coach, which results in more conversions, which results in a positive and energetic team, which results in stronger practice culture.
It’s all connected, ya know.
Enough for today. Hit me with any questions or if we need to chat about coaching, or if you want to know more about Jury Duty.
Best,
T
PS – It was a drug possession case and the dude was found guilty.