John Bell TOPICS: Health Health Management Health Policy Healthcare Medical Nursing FEE CATEGORY:* 5.0k to 10.0k Profile Program Outlines Testimonials/Client List Request This Speaker

Keynote Speaker

John Bell's tailored presentations serve up a potent blend of practical learning points and humorous observations about patient and practitioner behaviour.

He has a remarkable ability to get audiences laughing at the absurdities assumptions can throw up, and then guide them into new ways of thinking and responding to the challenges of their day to day working lives.

And, as you would expect of a speaker who gets voted best speaker so often, his ability to engage and win rapport with audiences is exceptional. It's why he gets rebooked, referred and requested time and time again.

Imagine You Have This Problem

You have 150 doctors that have just finished a Friday surgery after an exhausting week. You have managed to get them all to the airport where an aircraft whisks them off to a remote part of Scotland.

You book them into a five star hotel, allow them to drop their luggage in their room and then view the inviting, luxurious bath which no doubt has copious quantities of hot water on tap.

Tired, hungry and now rather thirsty the doctors are herded, first past the bar, and then the restaurant where an invitation to dinner wafts past the dejected looking delegates.

As you show the doctors to their seat in the conference room you try to pacify your clients telling them they are going to enjoy the lecture. You are viewed with that look of skepticism only weary, experienced doctors can give.

"It's only an hour then you can go down to the bar" you plead. It does no good. You try to explain how educational meetings are expected to have a minimum level of tuition and this is the only logistical way of achieving those requirements if they are to have any downtime at all over the weekend. They now have that staring expression tomcats have towards their owners after returning from castration at the vets.

The Chairman opens the meeting, describes the safety regulations particular to that venue, gives an overview of the weekend and, after a few other domestic matters, introduces the first speaker - John Bell.

Keynote talks can be presented at the beginning, middle or end of a conference. Dr. P. Moreton, Chair of Thames Valley Faculty of The Royal College of General Practitioners is just one of many clients who have discovered John delivers.

Seminars, Breakout Sessions and Short Courses

Training for Doctors

In March 1997 a working party set up by The Royal College of Physicians of London in the UK reported that poor communication is one of the main sources of complaints that are made by patients about doctors. The working party commented that the most common criticism was not about the doctor's competence but that he or she had failed to listen.

There are known reasons why people fail to listen and active listening is a skill that can be taught. It was also identified that a lack of adequate communication skills had important implications for the medical welfare of doctors.

The working party put forward a series of recommendations to remedy its findings. Highest priority was given to the teaching of communication skills to doctors in both undergraduate and postgraduate education.

John Bell offers a training session on communication skills for doctors. Topics covered during the session include:

• Active listening - what it is and how to show it.
• The six main reasons why patients stop listening and how to identify the fact (with examples).
• What is listening and how good are 'we' at doing it? If patients are poor listeners how can you check without offending them?
• Very often what a patient says is not what they mean. A series of examples may well assist the doctor in realising what their patients are really saying.
• A demonstration of how easy it is to confuse a patient.
• The most important words to listen out for are described, with an explanation as to why it is essential doctors identify such words when uttered.
• What never to say to a patient, even with the best of intentions, unless the doctor wants them to lose sleep.
• Managing a consultation to the satisfaction of both patient and doctor.
• Communicating with difficult or aggressive patients.
• 'Heartsink' patients - can what doctors do or say help create such patients?
• The art of non-verbal communication. A practical demonstration of non-verbal communication used by the patient during a consultation.

  Duration can be varied and may be produced as a seminar breakout session if preferred.

* Please note that while this speaker's specific fee falls within the range posted at the top of this page (for Continental U.S. based events), fees are subject to change without notice. Also note that most celebrity keynotes begin in the $25,000 and up range (most list "Contact for Fee Schedule"). For current fee information or international event fees, please contact your Speakers Platform representative.