Managing Stress for Success

Motivational Speaker Carole Spiers on how this
non-visual medium can promote Active Listening by phone

The outward advantages of telephone counselling are easy to list - the convenience, the economy, the anonymous contact with no embarrassments or physical risks. Plus, of course, access to an Expert for many large numbers who might otherwise face difficult problems of expensive travelling, time constraints or, in some cases, infirmity or transport.

But doesn’t counselling by a non-visual medium deprive the counsellor of the benefits of normal face-to-face contact, from which to observe body-language, build empathy and maintain rapport?

Well, having worked for over 20 years in a major charity operating a 24 hour crisis telephone help-line, I can testify that the outcome seems to be largely the opposite. Active Listening is a key component of counselling, and it actually receives a specific boost through this speech-only intervention.

No distractions - a better chance of disciplined dialogue

As you may recall from an earlier CSG StressTip, Active Listening is the art of guiding a conversation by making certain options more attractive to take up. It can be defined as 'a blend of factual comprehension and emotional accord' and it rests on specialist techniques that divert attention away from the questioner and onto the speaker.

It is possible to see how the trained counsellor may be better-placed to keep up the vital conversational momentum by this method, without the possible distractions of face-to-face contact.

In the case of difficult or nervous interviewees, another important factor comes into play. This is the handling of awkward silences, which may cause mutual embarrassment in the face-to-face situation, sometimes leading to the breakdown of dialogue and the premature ending of the conversation. Curiously, silences can sometimes be easier to interpret when the two parties are not facing each other. (Indeed, blind people are able to interpret silences with a startling insight.)

So it seems that the telephone need not place any limitation on how a counsellor builds up that necessary picture of what is happening in the other person's mind.

Telephone counselling - Summary

• An inexpensive and convenient source of professional expertise for large numbers
• Non-visual medium does not limit counselling capability - but may focus it
• When you listen on the telephone, you need to listen to what is said and what is not said

Another key insight from Carole Spiers, International Leading Authority on Corporate Stress,
Motivational Speaker and BBC Broadcaster.