Techniques that Encourage Communication

• Closed questions focus on specific problems and elicit limited responses, often just a yes or no. Example: "Have you reviewed the patient’s medications?"

• Closed questions rarely elicit a lot of additional information but they are appropriate when specific information is needed quickly.

• Open questions give people permission to say more about what they are thinking and feeling. Examples: "What else can you tell me about _____?" "Can you tell me more about _____?" "What are some of the things you want to talk about today?"
  

• Minimal leads indicate interest and encourage people to continue talking. Examples: "Uh-huh." "Umm." "Hmm." "Ah."

• Minimal nonverbal leads include head nodding, eye contact, and leaning toward the speaker.

• Accurate verbal following indicates understanding. Examples: "Oh?" "And then?" "And?"

• Repetition involves repeating one or two key words from the person’s last sentence, which indicates the team member is listening, encourages people to keep talking, and enhances their sense of being heard.

• Repetition does not mean that one agrees with another; it only means the person is listening.

• Repetition is an important skill, but it should be mixed with other techniques to avoid sounding like a parrot.

• When people paraphrase and reflect, they repeat a person’s statement in their own words to ensure that the message is understood.

• Clarifying responses help people understand the facts and the other person’s feelings and attitudes. Examples: "Is it possible that you feel _____?" "Can you give me an example of what you are talking about?"

• Clarifying responses also help people think about what they have just said, examine their choices, and look at their life patterns.

• Confrontation and honest labeling are techniques for gently exploring uncomfortable subjects such as distortions of reality or differences between words and actions; it is not an angry demand that people confront any subject. Examples: "I hear anger in your voice… or "You sound sad even though you say everything is fine…"

• Integrating and summarizing help ensure that the speaker’s main concerns are understood. They help team members clarify their thoughts and feelings and encourage them to further explore confusing or conflicting issues. Example: "Let me see if I understand what you have told me."