This may be a silly question, but I need advice

[asian pharm]

I consider myself a good at giving interviews. However, I recently had two questions asked to me that made me dumb for a while before I even start answering. So, here it goes

1) How do you know that you are an avid active listener and what techniques do you practice for active listening? Give a specific example from the past where you implemented active listening skills and how did it impact the patient/customer?

2) How do you effectively communicate and what practice model do you implement for effective communication with patients? How do you evaluate yourself for effective communication? Give a specific example from the past where you practiced good communication and how did you know that it helped the situation?

Guys,I am not looking for ready made answers, but please give me clues about where do i begin in such type of questions, especially the active listening question because I simply answered that I let the patient finish all that he/she wants to say without interrupting him/her. I could not come up with anything else.

I feel a bit bad about myself not answering them properly, and I want to make sure that doesn't happen in future.

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[zelman]

For the first one, the jackass response from me might be, "It sounds to me like you're really interested in hiring active listeners."

For the second one, I'd just point out aspects of clear communication, like simplifying medical jargon, using metaphors to convey foreign ideas in familiar terms, and asking patients to repeat what I've told them. For a situation helped by communication, I'd cite any instance where I got some angry to stop yelling.

 

[HouTX]

I think for the first question, I would answer that I would listen in on all techs: patients conversation if it is pertinent to pharmacy. you jump in as soon as you hear something incorrect to nip it in the bud. you are supervising your technicians and are responsible for what they do/say

 

[molyhelp]

1) How do you know that you are an avid active listener and what techniques do you practice for active listening? Give a specific example from the past where you implemented active listening skills and how did it impact the patient/customer?

In college, you can learn communication skill in a class called INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION. You will learn skills to talk in business environment with 7 lab sessions. In lab, you partner with someone, practice saying the steps of that session. Then, when you are both ready, you have to do that conversation in front of a lab administrator. Then, they will give you a score and evaluation of that practice.

For Active listening, we want to also PARAPHRASE what that person said so he or she knows we DID HEAR it.

For example,

Patient: I am frustrated because your pharmacy did not have medication on time.
Pharmacy: I am sorry to hear that we did not having medication on time for you.

See? I paraphrased what the patient said.

That class of INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION has even more skills for us to deal with common tough situations that are very helpful for pharmacy at community level.

I wish pharmacy schools require that class called INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION over the class called PUBLIC SPEAKING.

Why? Even though each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. The class about INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION trains pharmacy members to: Communicate to another person effectively: to co-worker, patients, spouses, kids...
After the class, I found myself equipped with good skills to effectively communicate with another human being.
I worked with co-worker in harmony.

Also, we learn the skill to discipline co-worker effectively and tactfully. Nowadays, we replace the term discipline with Manage, Mentor, Coach, Guide....
We also learn to clarify misunderstanding.

Public speaking to me means presenting in front of a group or person as a 1-way-talk. Public speaking is helpful in some aspects of pharmacy life but not helpful in issue that happens between humans. That's why, as community pharmacy member, I found the class INTER-PERSONAL COMMUNICATION way more helpful for pharmacy workers to fly through the day full of interaction and conversations from human to human, often involving 2-way-talk, back and forth, full of frictions and hiccups that we need to smoothly slide through with good inter-personal communication skills.

1 of that skills is "Active Listening". Wish you had that class. You still can...All of us can...Please find that class at the college near you and you will be the superstar communicator.

 

[Kelp103]

For the first one I probably would've asked them to clarify what they think an active listener is since some people define that differently. Normally, I try to find out what the interviewer is 'really' asking since sometimes interview questions have a bunch stuff that isn't the question.
They're both questions that are essentially about your communication skills. I would just talk about how I try to make things clear to the patient and again try to really understand what the patient is asking. It is amazing how much extra information patients can give when they just want to know a simple question. I've heard my pharmacist talk to someone for 5 minutes and nobody in the pharmacy knew what the patient actually wanted to know.
I am terrible at "tell me about a time" questions. Normally, I have thought about a specific answer already or I default to my work (I work as a tech at CVS). I always have a time when I calmed an angry patient down in mind because that's a good example for a lot of interview questions.
Those questions kind of sound similar to job interview questions for me. You can always ask someone to practice with you or your school may have mock interviews set up at the career center.
Always feel free to pause at an interview question and think of an answer. Don't feel the need to fill up the silence.
We've all had a question or two that we had a hard time thinking of the answer to. Don't stress about it and focus on your next interview (if you have one). Don't let it hurt your confidence.