Page 58 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

The way the person feels about the situation, however, is as important as the facts. Anxiety, nervousness, and
other emotions may be evident. The manager should be alert to verbal and nonverbal clues as they give a
frame of reference for understanding.

CASE ANALYSIS 5

What would you discuss with Mrs. Maynard about her previous attempts to lose weight?
Usually, the practitioner has some background information about the person in advance. In the hospital
setting, the medical record is the source of information on the social, cultural, and economic circumstances,
marital status, number in the household, age, employment, religion, level of education, physical health,
medications, weight and height, medical history, and results of lab tests and X-rays. In preemployment
interviews, the application form and resume should be examined before the interview, since they contain
information on education and previous work experience.

A preemployment interview.

Note Taking

Taking too many notes hampers the flow of conversation, inhibits rapport, and prevents the interviewer’s
concentration on the verbal and nonverbal answers of the respondent. In addition, the interviewee may be
distracted or apprehensive about what is being written. An inexperienced interviewer, however, may find it
necessary to take some notes. If so, they should be brief. To avoid concern, the individual should ask the
interviewee’s permission to jot down a few notes and should explain why they are necessary and how they will
be used. The practitioner may say, for example: “Is it all right if I take a few notes so that I can review what we
said later?”

While writing, try to maintain eye contact as much as possible. One needs to develop a few key words,
phrases, or abbreviations to use. A breakfast of orange juice, cereal, toast, and coffee with cream and sugar, for
example, may be abbreviated, “OJ, cer, tst, C-C-S,” while a pineapple–cottage cheese salad may be noted as
“P/A-CC sld.”

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