How have you worked on your communication skills?

This is an essential skill to develop because you will always be communicating with people in dentistry. You also need to demonstrate that you can communicate with a range of people, as you will have to adapt your language from speaking to an 11-year-old child to a 70-year-old adult.

Here's how you should approach this question:

• Talk about an extracurricular activity you've done to develop your communication skills- volunteering, group work, part-time role, sports team etc
• Mention specific scenarios where you had to communicate with people
• Reflect on what this experience has taught you
• Link back to why this is relevant in dentistry

Here is a sample answer:

'In the past I have volunteered at my local pharmacy where I had to speak to people of various ages. I have had to adapt my tone and volume when I am speaking to people of different ages. There was a specific time where I had to take my time communicating with an individual with learning difficulties too. This whole experience has taught me the importance of adapting my communication skills to deliver care to patients. This is particularly important in dentistry because all my patients will have different needs, so I must know how to adapt myself to deliver the best care'