O.A.R.S.

O.A.R.S.- Open-ended questions, affirmation, reflection, summary.

Meetings.  Love them or hate them, they're a part of the business world, and  WIC is no exception.  Several times per year, the entire region shuts down and we head to training sessions that cover various topics, all in the hopes that we'll continually improve as workers and make the world a better place.

We had another meeting today, and among the topics was O.A.R.S.  In a WIC certification (getting a person on the WIC program), we are supposed to converse with the client, find out what they want to talk about, what their concerns are, and then help them come up with their own goals and solutions to their problems.  In all seriousness, it is actually a helpful tool and can make the entire process much more pleasant for everyone involved.  But when I get distracted in a meeting and am no longer paying attention to the next topic on the list (which we've covered quite a few times), I use O.A.R.S. as a source of amusement.

The correct way to use O.A.R.S:
Me:  What concerns do you have for your child today? (open-ended question)
Client: He eats all of his foods except meat, and I don't want him to lose out on any nutrients.
Me: That's great that you're concerned about his nutrition. (affirmation)
Client: Yes, I want him to be healthy.
Me: So you want your child to be healthy, and you want to make sure he's getting enough protein in his diet.
(reflection)
Client: Yes.
<we talk for a few minutes about sources of protein...>
Me: So you were concerned about your child not eating meat, but you think he would like some of these other sources of protein, and that will make you feel better about his nutrition? (summary)
Client: Yes.  Thank you.  You're the best WIC nutritionist ever! (All example dialogue for these meetings is ridiculously cheesy.  Why not write some cheesy dialogue that benefits my ego?)

The incorrect way to use O.A.R.S., or "if I had used O.A.R.S. with other people I encountered today":
Me: Why did you think it was important to pull out right in front of me this morning? (question!)
Me: That's great that you wanted to save time and get to that McDonald's down the road faster than if you had waited ten seconds for me to pass.  (affirmation)
Me: So, you had to pull out in front of me just then so you could both get coffee and make it to work on time. (reflection)
Me: You were running late but still wanted your coffee and you had faith that I was paying attention to you and would stop in time, which I did. (summary)

Over the next half hour, I thought a lot about O.A.R.S. and how fun it can be if used in the right way, with the right sense of humor.  I may have to break this out at family reunions.  Well, I'm falling asleep at my keyboard, so I should probably move on to some other activity.  TTFN!