56 episodes
Soft Bites Podcast Your Life, Your Dentistry
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- Health & Fitness
Manuela and Jorge André joined on a podcast to reflect on both challenges and beauty of dentistry as a profession and its impact on one's lifes, hopes and dreams.
Together they try to understand dentists' common struggles and create awareness, communication tools and emotional insights to make dentistry a fulfilling activity while making space for one´s freedom, wonder and creativity in this ride called life.
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Hiring Dentists: Go for good clinicians or good team players?
Hiring the right Dentist for your clinic needs can be tricky. Should you go for someone with 20 years of experience or no experience but with the right energy to be a good team player?
Of course, this is not black or white, experienced dentists can also be good team players, but let's face it, with experience comes a more individual attitude. This is not necessarily bad, it just needs more adjustment to a new team. And having a cohesive team that can work well together makes a successful dental practice.
How do you make sure that the dentists you are hiring not only have the skills, but the right energy for your dental practice team? Here are some insights from our conversation:
- Hire dentists who embody the culture of your dental practice and they will be an extension of your practice.
- Invest the time needed in evaluating in detail your dental clinic needs. You can only look for the right dentist for your team by knowing what you need.
- Once you know what your dental clinic and team needs, don’t settle for just anyone to fill your vacant positions.
- Offer training to the right candidates: Sometimes a candidate with no experience but the right attitude, and disposition can be way more valuable to a dental clinic than someone with years of experience and a bad attitude.
- Ask yourself regularly: do I have the right people in the right seats?
If you want to learn more about this take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession better so we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf -
Developing a "learner" attitude
There is no question that dentists view learning and constant technical updates as part of their profession. But when the subject is human skills we are not that interested.
What would happen if dentists develop a learner mindset for human skills and connection? What would happen if we shifted away from a non-productive, conflict-oriented judger mindset?
We think that with a learner mindset, you become more “other-centered,” leading to you to be more open. And this shift could be your passport to a transformed dentistry.
Insight: The most important thing is your attitude and motivation.
If you want to learn more about this take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession better so we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf -
The Art of Confrontation in Dentistry
Difficult conversations are hard but much needed in a dental practice if you want things to go smoothly. It seems a paradox but it's not: confrontation is part of healthy conflict resolution.
Confrontation situations can be described as conversations where you are worried about an emotional reaction (either from you or from the other person). Mastering confrontation is difficult and most people have difficulty expressing how they feel in a straightforward and frank manner that resolves conflict. But you can overcome this if you positively reframe confrontation.
In this episode, we talk about healthy confrontations. Confrontation does not mean shouting at someone or being rough or hurtful. It means being authentic while preserving the relationship. It usually requires a combination of assertiveness and care — firm compassion - because you want to create clarity and understanding.
One insight: prepare for confrontation and make sure you are emotionally ready. Before a difficult conversation always check: do you want to achieve something positive or do you just want to be right? Are you able to listen in an attentive way to the other’s position? Have you clarified your mind so that you know what you want to say?
If you want to learn more about this and how to master leadership skills in dentistry take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf -
Bruno Seabra: : The Art Behind Dental Photography
Bruno Seabra is a Dentist with a mission: helping dentists be better professionals through dental photography.
In this conversation, we talked about:
- Why taking good dental photographs is important to a dentist's career development;
- Fundamentals to make dental photography;
- How to start documenting your cases;
- How to get consistent and predictable photos
- Why should all the team learn about photography (and not only the dentist);
- Storing and organizing photos;
- The power of in-house dental photography;
Insight: Patients don't like photos without lips.
About Bruno Seabra:
Master's Degree in Dental Medicine from FMDUL
Guest Assistant at FMDUL since 1999 in the Imaging Department
Exclusive Clinical Practice in Oral Rehabilitation
Photography Course at the Portuguese Institute of Photography
Photographic Studio in Lisbon – Light Up Studio
Postgraduate Marketing ISCTE
Postgraduate in HealthCare Management from NOVA SBE
Trainer in the area of Imaging, General Photography and in Dental Photography , Marketing and Leadership.
You can connect with Bruno on Instagram @bruno_seabra_photography or visit his website https://www.lightupstudio.pt/en
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf -
The Power of Please, Thank You and Sorry in Dentistry
In team communication ”PLEASE”, “THANK YOU” and “SORRY” are three of the most important words. Especially in Dentistry where you spend your day working directly (or indirectly) with other people.
Please is a respectful request for cooperation;
Thank you shows gratitude;
Sorry embodies the courage to take responsibility for our actions;
Insight: Often overlooked, these simple yet powerful words play a pivotal role in shaping an optimistic mood and environment in a dental practice, and more compassionate dental communities.
As part of this community, we urge everyone to recognize the profound impact of these words on human language and their ability to shape our interactions positively.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf -
Tips for more efficient written communication in dental teams
The performance of a dental team can depend on many factors, but clear communication can make all the difference and should be a priority in a dental practice.
In an ideal world, team meetings should be held regularly, but let's face it: it's not easy for everyone to attend. So why not implement a system with clear guidelines for written communication? Written communication is an easy way to improve any team’s communication, and allows both professional and practice to record, store, and access notes, instructions, and other written resources.
If you want your team to be more productive and successful, you should encourage effective written communication at your dental practice. In this episode, we’ll discuss the differences between synchronous and asynchronous communication, the benefits of asynchronous communication, and why dental teams should move toward asynchronous communication. We also talk about the WhatsApp group culture, used as a communication tool nowadays.
Insights:
- If it's not written it doesn't exist.
- Dental practices already communicate asynchronously with their lab, they just need to establish the same protocols of communication in the team.
- In the end, being specific is a form of kindness.
Book Jorge André mentioned: Rework – Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
We would love to hear your thoughts on this episode. Leave a comment or connect with us on social media.
Your comments and messages will help us to know you and our profession a little better so that we can offer real value in return. And, if you like it, please subscribe!
Take a look at our Conscious Leadership Course here: https://softbites.online/
Follow us on Instagram @mindful.dentistry & @andredolf