Module 2 – Unit 3: Language Focus
Using Active Listening Strategies
Think About It What can a health professional say to indicate that he or she is listening carefully and understands what the patient is saying?
Read part of a conversation between a nurse practitioner and patient below. What does the nurse practitioner say to show that she is actively listening? Fill in the blanks. Use the Useful Language below. Then practice the conversation.
Conversation
Mr. Salazar: I landed on my left heel, and I felt a jolt in my hip. My hip and my back hurt, but it wasn’t too bad. I took about a fifteen-minute break, and I felt better so I went back to work.
Ms. Takao: ____________________________________________________________
Mr. Salazar: After the break, I painted another two hours. My back ached a little, but I still felt okay.
Ms. Takao: ____________________________________________________________
You landed on your left foot and felt a jolt in your hip, but you kept on working after a short break.
Mr. Salazar: That’s right.That night I was feeling achy, so I went to bed early. But when I woke up in the morning, my back was killing me.
Ms. Takao:____________________________________________________________
Mr. Salazar: I felt a cramping pain going down from my back down my butt and into my thigh. I called in sick and stayed home. I took some Ibuprofen and went back to bed.
Ms. Takao: Ouch! _____________________________________ you were really hurting. _________________________ the cramping pain went from your back down into your buttocks and into your thigh the next morning.
Mr. Salazar: Yeah, sometimes it really cramps up. And there’s no way I can work like this.
Ms. Takao: ____________________________________________________________
Useful Language
- Showing interest and understanding
I see.
Uh-huh.
Um-hmm.
I understand.
- Restating to check comprehension
What I hear you saying is . . .
Let me see if I understand . . .
So, you’re saying that . . .
It sounds like . . .
Do you mean . . . ?
In other words, . . .