The SECRET to Avoiding this ONE MISTAKE in Sales
Why talk less in the OR?
In this episode, The Girls of Grit dive into the crucial topic of effective communication in the operating room. They reveal the "Morse code of the OR" and discuss why sometimes less is more. Over-talking can disrupt teamwork and patient care, so understanding when to speak and when to listen is key.
They provide practical tips for overcoming "Chatty Kathy" tendencies and stressing the value of listening and speaking only when necessary. By understanding the unspoken rules of the OR, medical device professionals can enhance their effectiveness, build stronger relationships with surgeons, and contribute to better patient outcomes.
Tune in to discover the secret to avoiding this one mistake in sales and how refining your communication style can elevate your medical career.
Episode Chapter Markers
00:00 Introduction
2:13 Tackling the 'Chatty Kathy' Problem
4:22 Talking Less in the OR
7:11 Understanding the Silent Language of the OR
12:37 Self-Reflection and Feedback on Over-Talking
18:06 The Importance of Observing Interactions
18:30 Balancing Your Speaking and Listening Skills
20:11 Embracing Conciseness and Preparation
22:21 Reflection and Feedback for Improvement
Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments
The Power of Listening: They highlight the importance of listening more than speaking in the OR. Effective communication involves understanding the dynamics and adjusting your input accordingly.
Impact of Over-Talking: They discuss how over-talking can distract and potentially disrupt the flow of an operation. It’s crucial to gauge when your input is needed and when it's best to be quiet.
Building Trust: By speaking less and focusing on listening, you can build stronger relationships with surgical teams, earning their trust and respect.
Recognizing Non-Verbal Cues: Learn how to pick up on and respond to non-verbal signals in the OR. Understanding these cues can improve your ability to work seamlessly with the team and enhance overall efficiency.
Observe, Speak Clearly, and Minimize Distractions: Before contributing, understand the conversation flow and team dynamics. When speaking, be direct and relevant. Frame questions thoughtfully to enhance clarity and avoid small talk or irrelevant comments.
Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode
“It's really important that when you're in the OR, you are direct, you are thoughtful, and you are knowledgeable.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“They want you to talk when they are asking you a question, and they need you to be silent and listen when they're not talking to you.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“Take a minute to organize your thoughts before you step foot in that OR.” — Anneliese Rhodes
“Every time you step into an OR, you are interviewing to come back.” — Cynthia Ficara
“Being concise and confident in your delivery will just make your presence that much better.” — Cynthia Ficara
“You have to communicate your ideas concisely and effectively.” — Cynthia Ficara
Every day is about making you better, and how do you become CEO of your career path? You take charge, and you take hold and you take responsibility.” — Cynthia Ficara
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A Team Dklutr production
Blog Transcript:
Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies
Cynthia Ficara: You know, sometimes, maybe that's all we hear. Both men and women do this but nowadays, women are stereotypically more often.
Anneliese Rhodes: Today we will uncover the secret language of the OR, also known as the Morse code of the operating room. Tune in and become a master of workplace communication.
Cynthia Ficara: Hello everyone. How are you, Lisa? I am doing great today. How are you doing? I'm glad all our listeners are here today. And you know, it's really fun because Lisa called me last week when she ran into a competitor who pulled her aside at work one day to ask her a question.
Now all of us work at medical devices, and you realize that if your competitor seeks you out for something, then this is probably an important conversation. You know, some companies don't even talk to their competitors. And this conversation aligns with what we deal with in a lot of these topics about women working in medical devices.
So to not take away anything from this story, Lisa, I want you to start from the very beginning and tell everybody what you told me and why we're going to discuss what we're talking about today.
Addressing the 'Chatty Kathy' Dilemma
Anneliese Rhodes: You know, he pulled me aside because he knows we have a podcast, and he knows that we talk about a lot of things that pertain to both men and women, but mostly women, and how we can better ourselves in the male-dominated medical device industry.
And he's like, I think this is something that you should talk about. He goes, and it stands out to me because I have a colleague of mine who just won't stop doing this. And I'm like, what do you mean? And he's like, I feel like I need to tell her, but I don't know how to tell her.
So maybe in the podcast, you guys can talk about it. You and Cindy can talk about it, and then she'll hear it. And I was like, well, I don't know. Maybe that'll work but you know, I do think it's really important, and I think you and I probably take this for granted at this point, Cindy, because we are tenured.
We've been doing this for so long and we're pros. We know how to handle ourselves in a no, or we know how to immediately read an OR, be self-aware, and feel the tenure of the room. I mean, it's all of that combined, but I think sometimes maybe not everybody's like that. So today we will talk about what he pulled me aside, we're titling Chatty Kathy.
For those of you who remember the old comic strips, there was the comic strip of Chatty Kathy. And it's about a woman who doesn't know when to stop talking, and it becomes so obnoxious. And the reason he asked me about this is that he feels bad for her because she's a good rep. She's smart, she's pretty, and nice, but she just doesn't know when to shut up. And he's like, I'm starting to see some of our customers are calling me now saying, hey, can you cover the cases for her because she annoys our doctors and that's not good. So, I think today is a really good topic to talk about. And even if you don't think you do it, I still think it's good to listen to because I learned something in the little bit of research that we did on this topic.
Talking Less in the OR
I'll just talk about this data quickly. Cindy and I always like to look things up for you guys. And so this was one of the things that we looked up and it was quite interesting to me. I didn't know we had this many words in our vocabulary every day. It is said that research shows that most women speak on average 20,000 words per day, approximately 13,000 more than the average male. I just want to stop for a minute. Like that, 20, 000 words, 13 more than men. Which means saying 7,000 words, like what? So we have a problem with words, Cindy. And you know, I know that's across the board. That's not just in the workplace, but it can be a real problem when you're in our line of work and I think about it a lot of times. We do it for a lot of different reasons, right? And will run through some of these reasons, but I think it's just really important to be aware of that.
Cynthia Ficara: I thought 20,000 words was pretty amazing to think that we spoke that day. And let's be fair, maybe somebody in sales speaks 40,000 words a day because all we do is talk. And you know, you have to think about that when you're in the field and you're talking to different people and talking to different things, what we want to focus on today is the OR. And you know, we've had other conversations when you put on the red hat and you cross the red line like you got to remember where you are.
The OR is like a theater, and everybody needs to have the right role. And that right role doesn't mean that you always bring what you were talking about in the hospital. You know, it's not like we're sitting in a cubicle and we all have our little cubicles and it doesn't matter if the conversation happens in the cubicle, or outside the cubicle. All of us work in hospitals and we're told, you know, you never discuss a patient name on an elevator.
Absolutely not. Patient confidentiality is of utmost importance. So you think about certain times and places for things. But I think that this conversation that we're talking about, which is excessive talking, is important because I think there are people out there who don't even know they are number one. But I was still really shocked that this male competitor of yours. I've got a female friend who likes talking too much and it's hard. It's hard to work with her, it's hard to be in a room and then you think, oh my goodness, is that me? Have I done that? Like, wait a minute, I'm a big talker, we all know that. And these are things that I have had to learn over time about when to talk and when not to talk.
The Silent Language of the OR
This topic is just important for all of those because I think number one, I guarantee there's somebody out there that doesn't even know this is you.
Anneliese Rhodes: I agree. I think we all probably started that way, truth be told. I mean, it's not like you learn in a textbook. Hey, you can only talk about X, Y, and Z in the OR.
No, nobody talks about that when you go through training. It's kind of a given that you should know it. So I think this is an important discussion because like we said in our intro, the snippet is you coined a fantastic phrase, which is the Morse code of the OR and that is true. When I think about this chit-chatting and Chatty Cathy, I'm thinking about what we mentioned at the beginning of this episode Which is we are coining the Morse code of the OR, which is, you know, the silent language
Cynthia Ficara: It's so secret.
Anneliese Rhodes: Secret in the silent language of the OR. And you know, truth be told, I don't know a whole lot about the Morse code. A lot of people don't know what it's like to be in an OR. But the people who work in the OR every day know what that means. They know the way that the language goes, they know how to act in the OR, how to hold yourself, and how to speak.
And that's really what we're talking about today. And you know, when I think about Morse code, it's very simple, very succinct. The same goes for when you're in the OR. It's not the time for chitchat, it's not the time to talk about what's on Instagram or Facebook or what you did on the weekend. You're there to support the physicians and their staff, the nurses, the techs, and everybody else in there who's depending on you.
I think when that rep pulled me aside and he said, you know, it's getting to a point where the doctors are calling him now saying, hey, we want you in the room versus her. What they're saying is we don't like this language that's happening in the OR. It's very distracting and this is not what we operate in.
We operate in a very sterile environment, number one, these physicians are probably men and women who potentially don't even listen to music in the OR but don't want a lot of chit-chat.
They want you to talk when we are asking you a question, and we need you to be silent and listen when they're not talking to you.
And so to me, I think it's all about understanding what that language is in the OR.
Improving OR Etiquette with Self-Reflection and Feedback
Cynthia Ficara: That is so well said, let's try to figure out what we are talking about. How do you know if this is you? Because you may have walked out of an OR and be the most knowledgeable, you may have known a great concept of your products. And maybe you have good relationships with those people outside the OR, but maybe you're not moving your business.
So let's just take a second, and how do you know if this is you? Number one, a little bit of self-reflection. I have a question, I'm just going to ask you this simple question. Do you walk out of the OR and think that you're the one that dominates the conversations? And so how do you know that? Like I'm not asking this subjectively. Did you learn more about somebody else in the room or do you tell them more about your day? Did you tell them about what's going on? If you can walk out of the room and tell me you learned more than you spoke, you're fine.
If you're somebody who realized, I don't know that person's son's name and I don't know where that one piece of equipment is in the OR because I was too busy talking about the fact that my dog threw up this morning before I left for work. Like, you know, did they learn more about me than I learned about them?
Anneliese Rhodes: That's a great point. Did you dominate the conversations? I mean, there's a time to speak up when they ask you and they need your help, but as you said, you should be actively listening, watching, paying attention, and waiting to be called upon.
Number two is feedback from others. Now this can be anyone from a colleague like the guy that pulled me aside or one of your supervisors and this doesn't necessarily have to be that they're telling you, you're too chatty in the OR. They could tell you, hey, you're talking too much in meetings. You know, you're not listening enough when we have these collegial meetings and you're always talking.
Can you just stop talking so much and listen a little bit more? I mean, it could be as simple as your mom or your dad or your spouse saying, hey, will you just stop talking to men and listen to what I'm saying? I mean, those are all pieces of feedback that people are telling you, hey, you might be talking a little bit too much. Maybe not talk so much and listen a little bit more.
Cynthia Ficara: Because you certainly do not want to lose your welcome in the OR. I mean, okay, let me guess, were you ever in school when you're like a little kid and you're like, oh my God, the kid that always talked in class, or you'd be like, please don't raise your hand.
We want to leave, this is almost over and that person would be the obnoxious one that let me ask this long question. You're like, no, don't ask the question, the bell's going to ring. We want to leave. Right?
Anneliese Rhodes: That's funny, but hang on. I was that kid that didn't do that. But Cindy, I got in trouble for talking too much all the time. Well, I was legit the talker in class, like I got spanked for talking too much by my parents. They got so tired of me getting in trouble for talking.
Cynthia Ficara: So there's a difference. I also literally would have liked an elementary school before they had A's and B's and C's. It was like S is satisfactory, E is excellent, and N needs improvement. I was at ease when I had an N for talking from the time I was in kindergarten. It's just that it's talking, but it's sharing, but there is so unnecessary talking.
Anneliese Rhodes: I know the guy you're talking about, the one that just won't shut up, the droning on of the questions.
Cynthia Ficara: You don’t need to keep us here longer than we need to be. And so think about that, you just don't want to be. And then they're not going to want you back.
The Importance of Observing Interactions
Cynthia Ficara: I want you all to think about this when you step into an OR, that silent language is so important. Why? Because do you realize every time you step into an OR, you are interviewing to come back? And I think you need to think about that because you're not paid by that staff. You don't clock in like they do, you don't clock out like they do. They choose to work with you for your knowledge, your professionalism, the value you bring, how you communicate, and how you help them.
Something as simple as excessive talking unnecessarily can break a relationship. That invite can completely cut off your communication with your customer. And then there goes your numbers and whatnot, but it's very simple to fix as well. So I think self-reflecting on, is this you? Feedback from others if you're hearing it.
And then I think the last thing just to make this simple is just observe interactions around you. Do you find that they turn your back? Are they walking away? Are they trying to avoid you? You know, body language, paying attention, and then also do they not look at you? Because eye contact is, I want to speak to you, I don't. If you start talking, are they turning away? Literally these simple questions to ask yourself, then you'll know if it's you.
Anneliese Rhodes: And another one I would think too, is maybe when you're being hurried by someone, you know, like if you just won't stop talking and they're like, okay, please stop talking, please go away, I gotta go.
I think that would be another one. You know, and that's all part of observing interactions with others is the third thing though. That points out, you know, hey, maybe you are talking a little bit too much, and look, it doesn't mean you have to be the Chatty Kathy.
It just means maybe you're just overstepping your bounds a little bit. Maybe it's just nervousness coming in and you're just not aware of it, but it's really important in the OR. I love what you just said about your interviewing to come back again. That is the one place where all bets are settled.
When you step foot in there, you are being judged and you need to be on your game. It is a theater, you're on stage and you gotta have it going on the whole time, being aware, active listening all the way through.
Mastering Active Listening and Speaking Time
Cynthia Ficara: And I think if we just kind of break it down to make it simple. If this is you or this is somebody you work with, I think that these are things that we can work through. And I think some quick tips, if you tend to do this, this is a very simple fix and it's also something that even if you do this slightly you're aware of it. Being concise and confident in your delivery will just make your presence that much better.
And so instead of decoding your whole Morse code, we're trying to do it for you. So number one, practice active listening. We just talked about that. Like, look what's around you, listen with your eyes, listen with your ears, and know those interactions. Number two is to be mindful of speaking time.
I think this is kind of funny because like, you know, pay attention to how much time you speak and you can think back, we are talking about the OR right now, but what about meetings? What about discussions? What about you going to dinner with your friends? Do you dominate this conversation? How much do you speak versus letting others contribute and share their perspective?
Anneliese Rhodes: That's a great point. You're right. I mean, if you just think about going out to dinner with your girlfriends, are you constantly the one talking all the time or are they talking too? Because it's a give-and-take relationship, you know, you're there to support one another.
The same thing goes for the OR. You're there to support the physicians and it's you, it's a give and take. You're offering information, you're there to support your product, but he's also there or she is there. You're there to use your product and lean on you when they need you. And those are the things that should be going on back and forth.
Enhancing Communication with Preparation and Conciseness
Anneliese Rhodes: Like you said, how much time are you spending talking? Another one is, you should be prepared. Take a minute to organize your thoughts before you step foot in that OR so that you're not going off track and you're not talking about what you did on the weekend or your dog vomited this morning or your kid was up all night with the temperature.
Honestly, they don't care. I mean, they do, but they don't. They're in there, there's a patient on the table. They're there to figure out what's going on in the patient, do the procedure, get in and get out, be effective, be swift, and be successful. They don't want to hear about all the stuff that's going on in your head.
Cynthia Ficara: It just makes me think of different scenarios where I hear people do this and I'm kind of glad this guy said something to you and we're talking about this. Now, I will say, we're going to just mention 2 more quick tips, but the fourth tip we want to give you to make this better is to embrace conciseness.
Why am I laughing? Because seriously, everyone out there who knows me, this is something I work on daily. Ask my husband, what did you say? Get to the point. I asked you a question. You're talking too much. You have to communicate your ideas concisely and effectively.
I will tell you, this is something I worked on in the OR. And if you're in there with me, you will see I am clear, I'm loud when I need to be, and I try to shrink my words. This is something that I have worked on myself. And what are the important words? If you're in there with your device, what are the louder words and the important words? Practice knowing how to talk about your device and then know how to answer in one-word answers.
The gray hand left, right-hand black. I mean, something as simple as that is a concise way when things go bad or you're in a hurry or you need to say something like what's concise.
Anneliese Rhodes: Yeah, that's a great point too. I mean, we just talked about making sure that you've got your thoughts all planned out, have everything planned out in your head.
Improving Your Approach with Feedback and Reflection
Anneliese Rhodes: And if you know ahead of time that maybe you're not as concise as you need to be, well, that takes work. There's an art to it, there's an art to speaking. And I think that these are really good tips. The last one is, that there's nothing wrong with this, but seek feedback, not only self-reflect, but ask others.
I mean, if your manager or supervisor has said to you multiple times, hey, Cindy, or Lisa, you talk too much, you're not listening. Maybe work on it and then the next time you have a meeting with them, ask them and say, have I gotten better? Are you noticing that I'm still talking too much? Am I interrupting you?
That's a big one, by the way, don't ever do that but you know, in the OR, ask them because they'll probably tell you and truth be told, it's kind of nice to get that feedback because you know that you're doing something right. You know, you are working on it. So I think all of these things help outline a very key component that I don't think we talk a lot about, but really for women more than men is that we can tend to get a little chatty.
Anneliese Rhodes: We can tend to get a little caught up in all the other things that are going on because maybe we're trying to be friendly or maybe it's a bad habit of ours. Maybe it's a nervous tick, whatever those things are that causes you to talk a little bit more than you should be in the OR.
This could potentially be damaging to your business. They could potentially be pushing away your customers to a point where they no longer want to call on you and they want to call on either your competitor or somebody else that you know, or you work alongside and it's not you and now you've lost the sales.
And that's a really big deal because we're all in this to gain customers, to do better in sales, to make our business thrive and these are just simple things to think about. I can even think of some of this stuff that I need to remind myself of when I'm in the OR. Am I listening enough? Am I talking too much? Am I dominating conversations? All of these things are very simple to put into action to become more successful in your business.
Cynthia Ficara: I was going to say in summary, the same questions you just did. So Lisa, thank you for summarizing that. I think that's awesome. I hope you guys laughed a little bit with us because I'm really glad that that story was brought to your attention so we could share it with all of you.
And again, every day is about making you better and how do you become CEO of your career path? You take charge, you take hold and you take responsibility.
And how does that start? Start with self-reflection, and ask yourself the hard questions. So we don't chat for too long here. We hope you had a little insight into our secret quote-unquote, Morse code of the OR, and that sign language of the OR that we respect so well that we enjoy so much that thrives in our business, we want you all to be a part of, and we hope to learn something today. So farewell to all, and I will stop talking.
