LINK Families

Project Plans

New Realities

Legal Foundations

Keys to Success

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• Use open questions to invite open discussion.
• Use closed questions to clarify and focus information.
• Check out specific feelings, experiences, and behaviors
• Clarify the meaning of any unclear language and/or terms.
• Get and use details that reinforce concreteness: Who? What? When' Where? How?
• Listen to and try to understand any feelings being expressed through nonverbal behaviors.
• Use paraphrasing to accurately reflect the content of what is said.

• Create a comfortable environment by removing physical barriers and minimizing outside distractions
• Use body language (appropriate eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and gestures) effectively
• Use appropriate voice quality, word spacing, phrasing, and paraverbal expressions
• Observe the child or parent's nonverbal communications and paraverbal expressions
• Be aware of the match (or lack of it) between the child or parent's verbal, nonverbal, and paraverbal behaviors Show interest

Develop Empathy

• Try to understand
• Tune into and reflect the other person's feelings
• Discuss what's Important
• Recognize nonverbal clues
• Reach out to share another person's experience

• Be yourself,
• Maintain consistency between verbal and nonverbal behavior
• Be spontaneous and natural
• Choose to save the relationship rather than being concerned about your own feelings or saving your own face
• Sharing relevant personal information about yourself

• Demonstrate interest and commitment
• Develop empathy
• Communicate warmth
• Suspend critical judgment
• Reinforce strength

10/14/02