Community Health Volunteer's Training Manual - Population Council

Module 1 The CHPS Concept
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Box 1.2.7: Practical techniques for dealing with clients
• Welcome
o Approach client with a good attitude and show respect
o Ensure clients are in a good mood to receive you
o Greet client with a smile
o Introduce yourself and your mission
o Politely ask their names
• Encourage client to talk
o Ask open ended questions
o Allow clients to answer
o Don’t interrupt
o Nod in agreement and show interest
• Look at your client
o Maintain a warm and friendly facial expression
o Maintain eye contact as you listen
o Look at client when you speak
o Observe client’s feelings and reactions as you interact
• Listen to your client
o Assist with facts where necessary
o Show client you are interested in what s/he is saying
o Calm your client
o Check understanding by repeating statements.
Topic 4 Barriers to effective communication
No matter what we know and how skillful we are in communicating a message, things can
still go wrong. Anything that can make communication ineffective is called a barrier. We will
discuss the barriers to effective communication and how to overcome them.
Barriers to communication
Communication is more than what you say or fail to say. Communication is also about
the way you say it, the way you behave, dress and treat others. These are the personal
characteristics. These can determine whether your message will be received well or not.
More importantly, it will determine whether your message will be acted upon the way you
intended it. Work through the barrier to communicate in Exercise 1.2.5, Box 1.2.8 and ways
of overcoming them with Box 1.2.9.