Sandy Roth and
Terry Goss
We call this "The Paycheck Exercise," and it is designed to help you understand how important outcome is in your own life. Unlike the previous exercises we have suggested, this one needs a facilitator to read the instructions and guide the team through the discussion. Each person should have a clean piece of paper divided both horizontally and vertically with a line. The left column should be labeled "Payment" and the right column "Meaning."
The facilitator should read the following instructions to the team members: "This exercise is for your eyes only. You will not be asked to share anything unless you choose to do so. You have just received your paycheck, and it is time for you to pay your bills. In a column on the top left quadrant of the paper under `Payment,` make a list of the first three or four things you usually pay for when you receive your paycheck. Then, across from each payment you have listed, in the top right quadrant under `Meaning,` write a short statement indicating how that payment makes a difference in your life. In other words, how would your life be impacted or different if you did not have what that payment bought."
Once the team members have completed this assignment, the facilitator should review the types of things people usually indicate under "Payment." Almost everybody lists first their rent or mortgage, followed by their car payment, food, and clothing.
The facilitator should then ask, "Does your list look something like this? If so, were you easily able to come up with a statement to describe the meaning of each payment you make? Everybody understands that if you don`t pay your house payment, or if you don`t pay your rent, you`re homeless. So your house payment may mean security, safety and comfort. In a similar way, your quality of life is affected tremendously if you have no transportation. Elderly people often are highly resistant to giving up a car, because it means freedom, independence, and autonomy.
"Now, once you have paid your bills, you discover you have $100 left to use any way you wish. Because it has been a tough week, you decide to go out with your sweetie for a nice dinner and a movie. You get in the car and, because you`re a little late for your reservation, you put the pedal to the metal. Yikes! In your rear-view mirror, you see a red light at the instant you hear the siren. You have just purchased a speeding ticket. Coincidentally, the fine is $100.
"In the lower left quadrant, under `Payment,` write `speeding ticket.` Now, go to the lower right quadrant under `Meaning` and write how this speeding ticket makes your life better."
After a moment or two, the facilitator should process this question with the team. In all likelihood, everyone will agree that a speeding ticket is a penalty and doesn`t improve the quality of life. We can intellectualize and agree that this warning will somehow keep us from further putting our lives in danger, but the truth is nobody wants to pay that money because it`s a penalty. The problem for many of our patients is that dentistry is seen as a penalty in the same way that the speeding ticket is seen as a penalty.
To complete the team meeting, discuss how your understanding of outcome-means-prices can help you support dental choice-making and avoid the penalty box. Best wishes to you all and let us know how we can support you in this exercise.
