The Dance of Dentistry

Generally speaking it is VERY difficult to coach a client unless and until you have visited the practice, met the team, seen the premises.

Dentistry is like dance.
The steps are the steps – a waltz is a waltz.
But the actual performance can depend upon:
  • the choice of music
  • the musicians in the orchestra/band
  • the venue
  • the type of audience
  • the capabilities of the dancers
A dance teacher teaches the steps but its the director who brings the performance to life.
I’m generally against putting people straight into any coaching programme – Digital, Mastermind, 1:1, The Twenty – unless I have had the chance in a Discovery Day environment to really get a feel for their individual circumstances.
Otherwise I’m always choreographing blindfold.
I’m going to confess that there are some clients I work with whose practices I have never visited – my advice to them is always theoretical, based on commonly accepted principles. The steps in the instruction manual.
One day in practice, however, can make a huge difference.
Last week I visited a new client in Douglas, Isle of Man – we had never met before I arrived at the airport.
A huge leap of faith on their part but they had checked me out via testimonial and on the web (web site and Linkedin profile as it happens – watch your Linkedin profile carefully and you’ll see lots more people there than you might imagine).
8 hours, a tour, lunch with their lead associate and nurse – and a lot of coffee later, I had taught them quite a few new dance routines – but together we had rehearsed how the dance would be presented at their theatre, with their cast and to their music.
Incidentally, a very different music to the traditional as they have a flourishing medical aesthetics business.
The Discovery Day is entry-level coaching as well as potentially the beginning of a lifetime friendship.
The dance of dentistry begins…..with the first brave step into the unknown.
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Chris Barrow

Chris Barrow has been active as a consultant, trainer and coach to the UK dental profession for over 20 years. As a writer, his blog enjoys a strong following and he is a regular contributor to the dental press. Naturally direct, assertive and determined, he has the ability to reach conclusions quickly, as well as the sharp reflexes and lightness of touch to innovate, change tack and push boundaries. In 2014 he appeared as a “castaway” in the first season of the popular reality TV show “The Island with Bear Grylls”. His main professional focus is as Coach Barrow, providing coaching and mentorship to independent dentistry.