The Business of Dentistry Podcast

Barry Oulton, dentist and communication expert, talks about the benefits of better understanding the way you communicate. He explains a Neuro Linguistic Programme model that can help you achieve this.

What you’ll hear:

• The importance of good communication
• Examples of why it’s not what you say, it’s the way that you say it
• Details about how being congruent is essential for great communication

Who should listen:

• Anyone in practice who communicates with a patient
• Hygienists who want to help patients improve their oral health
• Dentists who want to develop good relationships with their patients
• People wanting to communicate better with colleagues

Employment and HR specialist, Sarah Buxton shares details of the latest changes to Employment Law and how these impact practices and teams.

What you’ll hear:

• Recent changes with regards to parental bereavement leave
• The consequences to employers of not understanding these changes
• Steps an employer can take to protect themselves
• Details of other changes on the horizon

Who should listen:

• Anyone with responsibility for team members
• Anyone with HR responsibility
• Practice managers keeping on top of HR changes

In a podcast of two halves, specialist solicitor, Thomas Coates, discusses a new policy introduced by the CQC that is making practice sales, purchases and restructures significantly more difficult. He also talks about an updated policy from the NHS regarding ‘24-hour retirement’ which makes the process more straightforward.

What you’ll hear:

• The historic position in respect of CQC and NHS on the sale of a practice
• Details of the new position being adopted by CQC and how it is obstructing the sale and purchase of NHS practices
• An explanation of ’24-hour retirement’ and how it has been historically used
• Details of recent NHS guidance which has made the process more straightforward 

Who should listen:

• Practice owners considering selling thier practice
• Anyone considering buying a practice
• Practice owners who hold an NHS contract and wish to start claiming their pension

Employment and HR solicitor, Sarah Buxton talks to Nigel Jones about how to deal with sickness absence in your team and explains the risks if you don't handle it correctly.

What you'll hear:

• The best way to handle frequent short term absence
• What to do if a member of the team has provided a long term sick note
• What your responsibilities are if a team member has a disability

Who should listen:

• Managers responsible for a team
• Anyone handling HR in practice

Barry explains the concept of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and how becoming aware of your language can impact your communication, positively affect your relationships with patients and increase your profits.

What you’ll hear:

• An introduction to how language can influence the subconscious mind
• Easy ways to turn negative statements into positive ones
• The importance of being aware of how you use the word ‘but’

Who should listen:

• Dentists & hygienists wanting to improve their communication with patients
• Team leaders looking to improve internal communication
• Front desk teams who are often a patient’s first point of contact

Nigel Jones, Sales and Marketing Director at Practice Plan, shares the results of the latest NHS Confidence Monitor survey. He explains what the survey asked and looks at the contrast between the responses from NHS and private dentists. Nigel refers directly to the results, you can access them here

What you’ll hear today:

• An overview of the results
• What the results could mean for the future of the profession
• Nigel’s reflections on the current feeling within the profession

Who should listen:

• All dental professionals working in NHS dentistry or private practice

Zahid chats to Nigel Jones about the way young dentists view dentistry. They discuss the ongoing changes within the profession and what they think the future might hold for the newest generation of dentists.

What you’ll hear:

• The key challenges facing young dentists
• How being a young dentist now differs from previous generations
• The impact of technology and social media on both patients and dentists today
• How well university prepares graduates for practical dentistry

Who should listen:

• Dental students and newly qualified dentists interested in peer views
• Dental professionals who would like a better understanding of their younger peers

Ashley Latter explains why obtaining referrals is the easiest way of growing your patient numbers and shares his expert advice on how to discuss this with your current patients.

What you’ll hear:

• Common reasons that prevent dentists from asking for referrals and how to overcome them
• The three main benefits of asking for referrals
• A basic script to help you open conversations with your patients
• How to utilise the law of reciprocation

Who should listen:

• Dentists who want to grow their patient base
• New dentists who are building their patient base

Digital marketing expert Myke Woollett explains the basis of marketing metrics for a typical dental practice. He discusses the reasons why you should think about marketing metrics and shares easy to implement advice about where to start.

What you’ll hear:

• The relevance of marketing metrics in your Practice
• How buyer behaviour impacts on your bottom-line growth
• Advice about the best way to manage enquiries

Who should listen:

• Business owners who want to increase bottom line growth
• Practice managers who would like to convert more enquiries
• Anyone who would like a better understanding of buyer behaviour

Colin Campbell shares his views on leadership in a dental practice. He explains how leadership through example setting leads to a development of the team who will go above and beyond what is normally expected and in turn respect the leader of the organisation in times of difficulty.

What you’ll hear:

• The difference between leadership and management
• Principles of transformational leadership in a relaxed context
• The benefits of this style of leadership for your team

Who should listen:

• Anyone responsible for team motivation.
• Team leaders looking to improve internal communication
• Anyone who aspires to progress in their career towards a role in leadership

About Colin Campbell: