MICROLEARNING LIBRARY  

Positive on Purpose (Nothing is Neutral)

This foundation mindset affects everything + it's the lens we must use every day! There are a million ways we can apply this: every interaction we have with patients will be either positive or negative. If WE think it's neutral = negative to our patients.
   8 min, 28 seconds
   Adapted from the Weekly Microlearning Series (Week 1)
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Moments that feel 'negative' to the patient (even though you don't intend it to come across that way)
  • Routine interactions accidentally feeling rushed, dismissive, or transactional to patients 
  • Patients becoming more anxious, frustrated, or guarded during everyday moments in the practice 
  • Wanting patients to leave interactions feeling genuinely cared for instead of just “processed” 
  • Creating smoother, more positive patient encounters (even on busy or stressful days!) 

For Leaders:

  • Patients leaving interactions feeling dismissed, rushed, or unimportant even when the care itself was good 
  • Team members becoming transactional during busy or repetitive moments without meaning to 
  • Inconsistent warmth and attentiveness that changes depending on stress, time pressure, or personality type 
  • Patients judging the entire experience based on small everyday interactions that feel cold or disconnected 
  • Coaching team members to create stronger patient connection without adding extra time to the day
 Data 

It's science

Research on stress and emotional processing shows anxiety heightens emotional sensitivity and perception.(3)
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In healthcare settings, fear of the unknown, pain, stress, and uncertainty can make even small interactions feel emotionally amplified for patients. 
Research published in Review of General Psychology found that “bad is stronger than good,” meaning negative interactions have a stronger emotional impact and are remembered more intensely than positive or neutral ones.(1)
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Patients may not remember every detail of the interaction, but they WILL remember moments where they felt dismissed, unimportant, anxious, or uncared for.
Neuroscience research shows the brain processes negative emotional cues faster and more intensely than positive ones, especially in the amygdala — the brain’s threat detection center.(2)
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That means patients don’t just logically hear our tone, body language, and words… they emotionally FEEL them. 

A Note From The Experts

Patients (and people!) will either feel better or worse after interacting with you. No interaction is neutral. When make every tiny interaction POP (Positive On Purpose) we take control of the narrative and give our patient what they need to feel connected, informed, and safe with us.
Christine & Lauren
The Patient Whisperers

 HOW 
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 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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quick bites, by The Patient Whisperers.

Soft skills are people skills

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Chu Vision Institute

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) LeBlanc, V. R. (2009). “The Effects of Acute Stress on Performance.” The International Journal of Emergency Medicine.
(2) Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). “Bad Is Stronger Than Good.” Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323–370.
(3) Kensinger & Corkin, Neuropsychologia (2003).