Medical Encounters of the Third Kind

Regarding your Service Encounters of the Third Kind, how do I apply that in my medical practice? The first and second kind are no problem. But how can I use the third kind in medicine? How do I ask, 'What do you want to become?' to my patients?

Thank you for that great question!

Service Encounters of the Third Kind in medicine moves the doctor/patient relationship beyond 'What's wrong or what needs fixing?' (an encounter of the first kind), beyond 'Which therapy or style of treatment do you want?' (an encounter of the second kind), to a dialogue focusing on your patient's preferred choice of lifestyle: nutrition, exercise, bodywork, stress release and emotional well-being included.

This is a proactive conversation about changing behaviors and practices to create and achieve intended health objectives. It's not a traditional (often remedial) conversation about what's wrong and what needs to be, or can be, fixed.

In medicine these third-kind discussions are usually seen as preventative in nature, and often aren't easy to broach given the intense pressures of time most doctors face, and given the traditional view most patients have of their doctors.

However, some chiropractors, naturopaths and holistic medical practitioners have built successful practices in the third-kind direction. They provide education for their patients on movement (yoga, exercise, breath work), nutrition (supplements, dietary choices, cooking styles), and even family and career matters (stress clinics, relationship workshops, company wellness retreats).

Key Learning Point

Many professionals are moving from first-kind encounters to second kind interactions to truly third-kind conversations and commitments with their customers. Those who engage customers in such proactive conversations will invent a successful future more assuredly than those who only satisfy immediate customer demands.

Action Steps

Gather a group of colleagues and customers to explore the question, 'What do you want to become?' Imagine and create new possibilities for customers, for colleagues, for your company. Don't get caught with all your attention on the requirements of today. The future of your business is already forming in the possibilities you can imagine for tomorrow.

Copyright Ron Kaufman

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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed educator and motivator for partnerships and quality customer service. He is author of the bestselling "UP Your Service!" and founder of "UP Your Service College". Visit UpYourService.com [UpYourService.com] for more such Customer Service articles, subscribe to his Newsletter, or to buy his bestselling Books, Videos, Audio CDs on Customer Service from his secure Online Store [UpYourService.com/shopping]. You can also watch Ron live or listen to him at RonKaufman.com RonKaufman.com.