OET Speaking Course - Pocketbook: Question But Limits The Scope)

Chapter 4
OET Speaking Course –Pocketbook
 Beginning the conversation

Thanks for coming in. (not to be used when the patient is admitted in the hospital or during a home
visit).
Next, state your name and clarify your role.
 Get permission to have the discussion

Set goals for the discussion – seek the patient’s permission before asking questions or introducing a
discussion.
“I’d like to go over your test reports, would that be ok?”
“Today I plan to discuss…is that okay?”
“Before, proceeding further, I’d like to ask you some questions. It will help me in getting a clearer
picture of your condition. Is that okay?”
“The doctor is worried about your weight. Is it okay if I ask you some questions about your eating
habits and lifestyle?”
“I’m concerned about your uncontrolled sugar levels. Would it be alright if I asked you some
questions first?”
“I’m wondering if you mind answering some questions about your medical history. It will help me to
understand the situation much better.”
 Questioning techniques for information gathering and Active Listening skills.

o Open-Ended Questions
“What brings you here today?”
“Can you tell me about your concerns?”
“How have you been feeling?”
“What seems to be bothering you?”
“Could you tell me something about your eating habits?” (Focused question – open
question but limits the scope)
o Closed-Ended Questions
“Do you have any ongoing medical illnesses?”
“Do you drink alcohol?”
“Have you had any similar problems in the past?”
“Does anyone in your family suffer from this condition too?”
“Did you take any medication before coming here?”
 Use an empathizing statement to show that you recognize the patient’s emotion and understand
it.
“I’m sorry this has happened, and I understand how it would make you feel that way.”
“I hear what you’re saying. That must have been very difficult.”
“I get your point. It is obviously very upsetting.”
“I can see it’s really difficult for you to talk about this.”
“I can appreciate that it isn’t easy to talk about this”
“I do understand that it’s stressful to talk about this.”
“It must be hard to talk about this”
“I can see how difficult it is for you.”
“It sounds frustrating.”
 Facilitating
• Do not interrupt the patient, but use back-channeling (Okay, uh-huh, hmmm, I see, Alright, go
on…etc.) to facilitate the conversation.
• A nod to let the patient know you are following them. Use “Tell me more” statements
“Tell me more about that.”
“I can see that you sound/seem anxious. Could you tell me more about what’s bothering you?”
 Clarifying
“So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying…”
“Tell me more about that.”
“From what I have understood………,”
“So, let me see if I understand….…”
“What I hear you saying is…”
 Explaining medical advice
Do not use medical jargon and explain the facts in a manner that the patient will understand. Present
the information in small “chunks” to facilitate the patient’s understanding. Use signposting or
discourse markers to make the conversation easier to follow. After each chunk, verify the patient’s
understanding.
“Are you with me so far?”
“Do you have any questions that I can answer at this stage?”
“Are you clear with what I have just explained?”
“Would you like to ask any questions about what I have just explained?”
 Elicit patient’s ideas, feelings, or concerns
“Can you tell me about how you feel?”
“Could you tell me how this makes you feel?”
“Can you tell me what you are thinking at the moment?”
“I can see that you seem anxious.”
“I can see that this has made you anxious. Would you like to share what’s on your mind?”
 Checking the patient’s understanding before explanation, assess the patient’s understanding of
their condition. Ask what the patient already knows and take note of the discrepancies in the
patient’s understanding and what is actually true.
“Tell me what you know about your condition so far.”
“Please tell me what you understand about your condition until now.”
“Could you tell me what you know about your condition so far?”
“To ensure we are on the same page with understanding your condition, so can you tell me…”
 Acknowledgement, Validation, and Empathizing

You may not agree with the patient’s feeling or way of thinking but respond empathetically to show
that you respect the patient’s perspective.
“That must have felt terrible when...”
“Most people would be upset about this.”
“I do understand your concern.”
“I know it’s upsetting for you”
“I can appreciate that it is difficult for you.”
“I do understand how challenging it must be for you.”
 Negotiating
3-step approach
1. Empathize to validate the patient’s feelings
(Use a normalizing statement like: “Most people would feel that way.”)
“I can understand your perspective.”
“I get your point.”
2. Outline the benefits associated with your advice
3. Explain the risks associated with non-compliance
(Use “unfortunately” or “I am afraid”)
Use persuading statements like
“It’s really important that we resolve this.”
“Given the risks associated with non-adherence, I strongly advise you to consider my advice.”
“I can understand your reluctance, but it’s important that you prioritize your health.”
“I strongly urge you to comply with this advice; otherwise, the repercussions could be harmful to
your health.”
More examples:
“I understand your resistance and many people would think the same, but I’m afraid, there’s no
other option at the moment. You need to priorities your health.”
“It’s never easy making lifestyle changes, but it’s imperative for your health currently; not doing so
would put you at risk of serious harm.”
“I can understand your perspective, but if you do not comply with my advice, it could lead to adverse
effects on your health.”
 Then, check the patient’s agreement by asking clarifying questions.
E.g.
Is that okay with you?
How does that sound?
Does that seem plausible to you?
Does that sound realistic to you?
 Wrapping up the conversation

Ask if the patient has any questions or concerns
“Do you have any other questions or concerns?”
 Reiterate/Summarize the discussion or the advice provided or clarify with the patient their
expectations of treatment and outcome.
“So, this is what we’ve decided.”
 Ask the patient to repeat back to you their understanding of the plan.
“To check your understanding, could you please repeat back to me what we have discussed today?”
“Do you mind repeating back to me what we have discussed? I want to ensure that we are both clear
about what we have discussed.”
 Useful Vocabulary practice for Speaking and Writing

o As well as –also/and- He is a drinker as well as a smoker.
o As well as this –also- As well as this, she also consumes a fat-rich diet.
o Overwhelming-emotionally difficult- I can understand this must be overwhelming for you.
o Please let me explain why this is important. If you do not stop smoking/drinking…
o Adverse-harmful-If you do not follow my advice; it will have adverse effects on your health.
o Reiterate –repeat- to reiterate what we discussed today, you will have to make changes…/ To
reiterate what you just said, you have a stressful job, and you barely get time to exercise, is that
correct?
o Cornerstone- foundation-Good diet/Regular exercise is a cornerstone for leading a healthy life.
o Perhaps- used to express uncertainty- Perhaps, you could consider cutting down on
smoking/drinking one day at a time.
o Probably- used to express uncertainty- Probably, you can join a support group like Alcoholics
anonymous to meet people who are in the same condition. Incorporate preventative/precautionary
measures- You must incorporate these changes into your lifestyle to get your health on track. You
must incorporate preventative measures into your lifestyle to…
o Aww, it’s a pity to hear that!
o I am sorry to hear that!
o Mitigate- make something less severe or painful- Painkillers will help to mitigate the pain.
 Synonyms: reduce/ease/relieve
o Alleviate – Painkillers will help to alleviate the pain. Is there anything that alleviates your
pain?
o Susceptible- likely/prone/sensitive/vulnerable- Patients with liver disease may be susceptible
to infection. If you do not lose weight, you are susceptible to…
o Compliance- please ensure compliance with the suggested medication regimen
o To begin with - used for enumeration- To begin with, I will explain... after that... then...
following that... Finally...
o Significant- Important - Adopting a low-fat diet will improve your health significantly
 Remarkable - note-worthy- Adopting a healthy lifestyle will improve your health remarkably.
o Vital Please do not underestimate how vitally important this is.
 Synonyms- crucial/essential/critical
o The importance of this treatment cannot be emphasized strongly enough.
o Detrimental- tending to be harmful, negative, adverse- If you continue to smoke/drink, it will
have detrimental effects on your health
o You seem distressed, is there anything on your mind that you would like to discuss with me?
o Adherence-compliance - Please ensure adherence to the recommended exercise program/
medication regime and so on.

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Chapter 4

OET Speaking Course –Pocketbook

 Beginning the conversation

 Get permission to have the discussion

 Questioning techniques for information gathering and Active Listening skills.

 Acknowledgement, Validation, and Empathizing

 Wrapping up the conversation

 Useful Vocabulary practice for Speaking and Writing

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