4 ) Go with the flow – Don ’ t get stuck on what you want to say next . To do so requires you miss half of what your client has just told you , because it ’ s quite difficult to concentrate on an important point you want to make and also listen at the same time .
5 ) If you don ’ t know something , say so – Honesty instills trust . Faking it fosters doubt . It ’ s as simple as that .
6 ) Don ’ t equate the other person ’ s experience with yours – For example , as a client shares his or her story during intake , don ’ t try and relate by telling your story . Worse yet , don ’ t respond by talking about how many times you ’ ve heard this story before . Again , you are in someone else ’ s employ . These conversations are not to be about you .
7 ) Try not to repeat yourself – If you feel you haven ’ t been heard or understood , ask your client to make sure . Continuing to repeat yourself risks your coming across as condescending .
8 ) Stay out of the weeds – Most people really are not that interested in the minutiae or the nitty gritty details . Clients just want to know they ’ re in good hands .
9 ) Listen , truly listen – This does take a lot of effort and energy . According to Steven Covey , most of us don ’ t listen with the intent to understand , most of us listen with the intent to reply . The only way to maximize the relevancy of any reply is to first listen well .
10 ) Be Brief – Share your thoughts and advice in a succinct manner . Demonstrate that the client matters to you as a person by confirming he or she understands what has been discussed . Invite questions .
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Sean Smith , Tschider & Smith , Bismarck , ND
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