Lesson 5: Answering Questions

Model Reference Behaviors Checklist: Steps 4 - 5

The next two steps are essential to having a successful interaction with any client seeking information.

• Listen: do not interrupt; paraphrase what you heard back to the person; clarify that you understand the question.
• Inquire: ask open ended questions; verify that you understand the answers.

Being told to smile, make eye contact, and listen sounds straightforward, but what is an open-ended question? Here are some examples:

• "What health information are you looking for?"
• "Is this information for yourself, a family member, a friend, a project...?"
• "What do you already know about this...?"
• "What has your doctor told you about this..."
• "Where have you looked for information on this ....?"
• "Are you looking for something specific about..."

You can paraphrase, clarify, and verify what you hear by making some of the following kinds of statements:

• "So you are looking for general information about X condition that your mother has..."
• "So your doctor just told you that you have X condition, and you need to find basic information..."
• You just want to look around and see what we have? That's fine. Let me tell you a little bit about what you can find...

If, despite your best efforts, you cannot understand the client's question, refer the person to Julie or ask the person to fill out a referral form. Do not try to guess what the client means!

Answering Questions
Next section: Steps 6 -7