It's really a disadvantage to the communications process when all communications is conducted over the telephone.  Listening is so vital at this point because we can't see the body language of the other party. We really have to pay attention to voice quality to better understand what they're saying.

After seeing all of the 6 barriers, I realize how I can easily default to one of those if I'm not being careful. It's great to be made more aware of what those are and what they look like.

So what are some of the non-verbal things we can observe on the phone?

Listening is purposeful. This requires focus and a willingness to engage with the student and to dig deeper.

Its interesting to me that as one that spends most of the time on the phone with students, you can hear different body languages in peoples voices.

We used to teach the grade 5 students how to do this to become better writers--- most people know broad information. close friends know deeper information, and best friends/family know the key aspect. Relationally speaking- the further we progress through the funnel, the more our students are letting us into their life- and understand what really makes them tick.

I'm not the best at digging deeper, but adding this simple question or maybe, "Anything else?" can add so much more to rapport building and getting to the heart of the subject.

I never really thought of starting at the bottom of the funnel and working your way back up to broader topics.  I can see how it would really help to give the prospect a big picture view if they're mired in the details.

The funnel if done right can be a lot of fun. Put the fun in the funnel by making it about them! Since I am a counselor, knowing about you is very importanct so..." :)

Just wondering everyone else's opinion: when do we work the funnel in our initial conversation with our students? Is it when we are doing our needs analysis? Is it after every question we ask them?

One of the most difficult aspects of "working the funnel" in my mind is having a purpose for the questions you're going to ask. This break down made it really clear how I can achieve purpose in my questions which I believe will help me build better rapport and dig deeper into my students' motivations for going back to school and what could keep them from finishing.

This line of questioning was helpful for me because I sometimes get stuck working my way backwards when a student gives me specific detail. It helps me determine the overall purpose and a general understanding of the student.

Reflective listening is essential to the gathering of information. It puts both parties on the same page, so there is nothing lost in translation.

I've just recently tried adding this into the end of our needs analysis by saying at the end, "So I want to make sure I'm hearing you correctly...." and summarize the main points of their answers. It shows I listened (and took notes, ha) but also makes that end question of "Is there anything else to add?" less awkward.

This was interesting. maybe a little extreem- but I think it is good insight to pay attention to the metaphors people use... I know for me personally, when I say a metaphor, I mean something completely different than when my husband uses the same metaphore- so really digging in and even using reflecting listening can help understand where a student is coming from

Using softeners is a great way to create trust and ilicit answers to important questions that you might have difficulty getting answers to otherwise.

Letting someone know where you are going with a persoanl question can help them understand why you need the answer and give them the freedome to answer it in a way that will provide you what you need and still maintain a sense of privace.

How do we use GROW in our initial conversation with students?

Have you used softeners before and how did it work out?

The repharasing of a "why" is so important to maintain a positive phone call!