Four Principles for Effective Communication with Clients
1. Have a direction 2. Pay attention to the pattern of communication 3. Be flexible 4. Commit to a solution
The Three Ingredients of Communication Albert Mehrabian's 7-38-55 Rule of Personal Communication
7% - Actual words 38% - What we hear 55% - What we see, body language, tone, inflection, and meaning
We hear with our ears, but we listen with our eyes.
COUNSELLING TECHNIQUES FOR BETTER CLIENT MANAGEMENT
Massage therapists are not psychologists. However, they should be empathic listeners. Make it a point to know your community resources for referral purposes, for your client's benefit and your own.
LISTENING
EXERCISE 3: DISCUSSION
It is not uncommon for clients to talk to us while we are massaging a horse. This can be extremely distracting and make it more difficult to focus on what you are doing.
1. What ideas and suggestions do you have for dealing with this situation?
Often all a client really needs is a non-judgemental listener. If they are angry, sad, embarrassed, despairing, or frightened, the most useful skill we can develop is to allow them their feelings without judging them or encouraging them to change it (to a more "positive" outlook). When someone tells us their problem, it is useful for them and us, if we can have the attitude that they are the best person to solve their own problem and that the solution resides within themselves (where necessary, assisted by a trained professional). A useful listening skill is to reflect back onto the person what you are seeing and hearing.
EXAMPLE: "You sound very angry about that."
"You seem very sad and hopeless about this problem."
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