Why is it important?
Effective preparation should ensure:
The conversation:
- has continuity with previous, and future, conversations
- is appropriate to the persons needs in format and style
- is proportionate to the persons needs in detail and length
- takes account of the person’s preferences, communication needs and capacity.
The person feels:
- supported to be as involved as they wish to be
- others are involved, or not, as per their wishes
- their views, wishes and feelings are being listened to and properly considered (including cultural or religious aspects)
- confident that the practitioner is as informed as possible about their situation and will be able to understand their hopes, concerns and aspirations
- that they have choice and control over their outcomes and how these are achieved
- they understand how any decisions have been made and that these are informed by the best available evidence and information.
The practitioner feels:
- well informed about the person and able to build / maintain a relationship with them
- they have the appropriate skills and support to communicate effectively
- able to deal with any potential difficult situations or risks that might arise
- confident in their professional judgement, decision making skills and rationale for decisions.
Tools
The tools below may be useful when considering or preparing an outcomes-focused conversation.
Core Skills – Outcomes Triangle. This page contains a selection of downloadable factsheets on core skills useful for outcomes-focused conversations
Preparing for the Conversation Checklist (PDF file 118KB). This is a self assessment tool, helpful when planning an outcomes focused conversation
Ecogram (PDF file 443KB). A useful visual assessment of an individuals family, social and community relationships
Powerful Questioning (PDF file 365KB). This tool considers what makes a powerful question, the value of powerful questions and provides opportunities to design and ask powerful questions
Next: Having conversations about outcomes
