Silence Your silence is a form of communication.  It says that you are listening and that you are giving the other person the responsibility to direct the conversation.  It also allows the person time to speak. Rocking This technique includes saying, "I see" or "uh-hum" to let the other person know that you are listening.  It encourages the other person to keep taking.  It fosters connection without interrupting.

Door Openers
These invite the other person to tell you what is on his mind.  They allow the other person to determine what information will be shared.  Door openers are used as an invitation to talk or to continue talking.  They include: "Would you like to talk about that?"  "Tell me more."  "What has happened?"

Parroting
This technique involves repeating the last word or phrase the other person said but using a questioning tone.  It implies that you would like the other person to continue speaking about that or to clarify that phrase.

Matching Tone & Rate
Your voice will be most effective if it is similar to the tone and rate of speech of the other person.  If the person is speaking very loudly or very rapidly, your tone should be loud also (but not as loud) and the speed of your speech should be more rapid than normal.  If the person is speaking very softly or very slowly, your tone should also be soft (but not as soft) or slow.

Feeling Reflection
Just as a mirror reflects an image, a good listener, reflects the emotions heard.  This is a powerful tool for telling the speaker that you heard not only the words spoken but the emotions portrayed.  It also aids the caller in bringing vaguely expressed emotions into focus.

Paraphrasing
This tool involves restating the basic message that was just heard in similar but fewer words.  This tool serves two purposes: letting the speaker know that you heard and determining if the listener understood accurately.

Clarifying
This is another way to make sure you heard exactly what the speaker is trying to say.  It may involve simply asking what the speaker means or telling the speaker what you think you heard and asking if that is correct.

Perception
This tool is used when what the person says does not seem to match his or her tone or body language.  Again this is a way to make sure you understand what the speaker is trying to convey.  Example: "I hear you saying you don't mind, but your voice sounds shaky, like you're upset."

Questions
Asking questions can be an effective tool to show the speaker that we heard what was said and that we are interested in hearing more. Questions can be used to encourage further conversation, to gather more detail about what has been said, to clarify as already  mentioned, or to begin problem-solving.  There are two categories of questions:

>> Open-ended questions generally begin with Who, What, When, or Where and require a lengthy answer.  We use these to encourage communication.

>> Closed-ended questions can be answered with one word or a number - also known as yes or No questions.  We want to use these questions when exact detail is required or to gather specific information.

Summarizing
Summarizing is making a brief statement conveying the main points of the conversation.  This can be used as a respectful, effective way to initiate closure to a call while letting the caller know that he or she has been heard.  It can also be a tool for focusing the caller on what the problem is or what the caller is willing to do.

Risk Assessment Tool >>

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