[MUSIC PLAYING] SPEAKER: A crucial part of building and maintaining rapport is active listening, or helping people feel like they're being heard. Active listening is really important, because it tells the case or the contact that you're hearing them. It deepens your rapport with them, and creates space for them to tell you more details. And again, you need those details. Those are important details that you're going to need to do your job and to reduce the risk of transmission in your community. So it's important that you get this right. Active listening will also help you develop a relationship that will be important for the future check-ins that you're going to have with them. So remember, your first call with a case or contact is just that-- it's just the first. You're going to be calling this person back, often, many times throughout the course of their illness or their quarantine period, so it's good to get off on the right foot. When you're actively listening, you're listening not only to what people are saying, but also trying to understand what they're feeling, and you also want to leave enough silence in the conversation for them to open up and say more-- if they're ready to do so. Active listening means that you are making a conscious effort to hear a person's words and their underlying message without judgment. So to actively listen, you should also be affirming what you've heard. Some ways to do that are to paraphrase. So paraphrasing means repeating what was just said to you, but using your own words. So you could say something like, "What I'm hearing is," or "It sounds like," or "You said," and then repeating what you think that they said. That way, when they hear what they've told you coming back to them, they can be reassured that you're actively listening to what they say. You can also reflect. And reflecting is putting words to the emotions being expressed to you. So not only hearing what they're saying, but trying to communicate what you think the person is also feeling. Silence is another good tool. Being totally quiet, or offering small words like, "uh-huh," "mm-hmm," so the other person can finish talking or work out a thought, is really important. That allows the space in the communication for other things to come up, and for the case or contact to process the conversation and the questions being asked, and provide accurate information. Let's look at some examples of what this might mean. So here's an example of what paraphrasing might sound like. Let's say you're on the call with a contact, and they say, "I walked on the beach, but it was empty that morning. No one in sight." You might respond with, "What I'm hearing is that you didn't come across anyone on your walk." So you're rephrasing what they said so that they feel heard. Here's an example of what reflecting might sound like. So the contact could say, "I'm tired, and this whole interview is too much. You're asking me too many questions." The contact tracer might say something like this. "I hear you. This interview feels overwhelming, and is exhausting to you." So they're communicating not just what the contact said, but they're also trying to communicate what the contact is feeling, and the underlying message and emotion in what they've said. So by reflecting this back to the contact, the contact can feel heard and understood. In this next vignette, you're going to see Drew and Larry again. And as usual, Drew is not using best practices for active listening. After you watch this, we'll come back and see some of the mistakes that Drew made. [VIDEO PLAYBACK] - All right, so we reviewed what isolation means, and we made a plan for how you're going to protect yourself, your friends, and your family. - Right. Thanks for that. Just to say that this has really been hard for. Me I usually take care of my mother, and I haven't been able to see her for our weekly dinners. - Yeah. I completely know what you mean, but, I mean, sorry. I can't help you with that. And if there isn't anything else you want to talk about related to your illness, I think that's it for me. So thank you for your time, and chat with you again soon. [END PLAYBACK] SPEAKER: So in this vignette, you heard Larry say that the isolation has been very difficult for him, and he's implying that he's feeling sad. Unfortunately, Drew ignores this. But he should have reflected back emotion to show Larry that he heard what he was saying, and he heard that he was feeling sad. That would really go a long way in improving the rapport between Drew and Larry. In this vignette, let's hear how Amy would do it differently. She's going to be using active listening. After you watch this video, we'll come back and review what Amy did well and give you some pointers on how you can be an active listener in your conversations, too. [VIDEO PLAYBACK] - All right, Larry, so during the call we've already reviewed what isolation means, and we've made a plan together for how you're going to protect yourself, your friends, and your family. Anything else? - Right. Thanks for that. And just to say that this has been really hard for me. I usually take care of my mother, and I haven't been able to see her. She's 90. I don't know if I'll ever see her again. - Yeah. Sounds like you're scared about the future, and you're missing your mom and just really having a hard time, Larry. - Yeah. Yeah. Well, listen. Thank you for talking with me. It was really nice. - Thank you, and I'm really glad to talk with you today, too. Before I go, do you have any questions that you'd like to ask me? - No. I think I'm good-- for now. - OK. OK, Larry. But listen, me or one of my colleagues are going to be back in touch real soon, just to check on that fever and see if it's improved, and I'm crossing my fingers for you. So chat soon. - I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Be well. - All right, you too, Larry. Bye, bye. - Bye. [END PLAYBACK] SPEAKER: So in this vignette, Amy did a few things that Drew didn't do. Amy reflected back to Larry using her own words to describe that Larry was feeling sad, to make sure that he knew he was being heard. Amy also used silence to let Larry communicate some of his thoughts and feelings. That improved their rapport. Amy also used Larry's name. That can be used to create familiarity and, again, build rapport and trust with the person you're talking to. Remember, you're going to be talking to these people more than once. At the end of the call, Amy summarized what they had talked about, and had a very friendly, personable demeanor. That's a nice way to close out a call.
