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# Communication Skills ## Listening Techniques for the Interview Process 1. Stop talking. You can't listen while you are talking. 2. Get rid of distractions. These break your concentration. 3. Use good eye contact (i.e., look at the other person). This helps you concentrate and shows the other pe...

# Communication Skills ## Listening Techniques for the Interview Process 1. Stop talking. You can't listen while you are talking. 2. Get rid of distractions. These break your concentration. 3. Use good eye contact (i.e., look at the other person). This helps you concentrate and shows the other person that you are indeed listening. 4. React to ideas, not to the person. Focus on what is being said, and not on whether you like the person. 5. Read nonverbal messages. These may communicate the same or a different message than the one given verbally. 6. Listen to how something is said. The tone of voice and rate of speech also transmit part of the message. 7. Provide feedback to clarify any messages. This also shows that you are listening and trying to understand. ## Probing Probing is the use of questions to elicit needed information from patients or to help clarify their problems or concerns. Asking questions seems to be a straightforward task, which it is in most situations. However, several things should be considered before asking a question. The phrasing of the question is important. Patients are often put on the defensive by questions. Closed-ended questions reduce the patient's degree of openness and cause the patient to become more passive during the interviewing process because you are doing most of the talking. Closed-ended questions also enable patients to avoid specific subjects and emotional expression. For this reason, closed-ended questions are referred to as "pharmacist-centered questions." Open-ended questions do not require the other person to respond in your frame of reference. Open-ended questions permit open expression and for this reason are sometimes referred to as "patient-centered questions." Closed-ended questions are necessary and are indeed useful: however, open-ended questions are less likely to result in misunderstanding, and they tend to promote rapport. You may find a combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions most efficient for you in your practice. Patient encounters may be initiated with an open-ended question, followed by more directed, closed-ended questions. ## Use of Silence

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