b'ARTICLEVeterinary teams are experts when it comes to explaining complex things. We explain diagnoses, treatment plans, dosing instructions and preventative advice time and time again, day in, day out. We do so carefully, professionally and always with the best of intentions. And yet, many teams will recognise the frustration of discovering that something, which was so carefully explained, didnt happen as planned.Medication isnt given as prescribed. Diets arent changed. Follow-up appointments arent booked. Advice is partially followed, misunderstood or simply abandoned. When this happens repeatedly, it can feel demoralising. Its tempting toConsultations are assume that clients werent listening, didnt care enough, or wecognitively demanding for didnt explain well enough. clients. They are often worried In reality, the issue is rarely aabout their animal, unfamiliar lack of explanation. More often, it is a gap that exists betweenwith clinical language and understanding something andprocessing a large amount acting on it. Bridging that gap requires a subtle but importantof new information in a short shift in how we communicate:space of time. moving from explaining to enabling.Veterinary professionals are also subject to the curse of knowledge. What feels Why good explanations are not alwaysstraightforward to a trained clinician enough can be complex for someone without Consultations are cognitively demandingthat background. Even when we explain for clients. They are often worried aboutsomething clearly, we may still be leaving their animal, unfamiliar with clinicalclients without the practical scaffolding language and processing a large amountthey need to act.of new information in a short space ofAddressing this means acknowledging time. Stress and emotion reduce workingwhat actually drives behaviour in memory, making it harder to retain andthe real world, and adjusting how we act on advice later. 1 communicate to reflect that.Research consistently shows thatExplaining versus enablingintention does not reliably translate intoExplaining focuses on information behaviour. 1Clients may fully intend totransfer. It prioritises clinical follow advice yet struggle to implementcompleteness and accuracy: what the it once they return to the realities ofcondition is, what the treatment involves home, work, family life and competingand why it matters. This is essential, priorities. This is known as the intention- but it is only one part of effective behaviour gap. communication.www.inspiredvet.co.uk5'