• Communication is a process of exchange of information

• Active listening involves paying attention, facilitatory cues (Verbal & nonverbal), reflecting, clarifying, deferring judgment, summarizing and giving feedback.

• Proxemics and kinesics need attention

• Nonverbal communication plays important role hence learn to decode clients & manage one’s own facial expressions, gestures, postures and vocal tone modulations.

• Non-judgmental, Acceptance, Nonthreatening, Normalization, Gentle assumption etc are few skills often helpful.

• Learning to be flexible in terms of time, language, understanding levels and context allows one to deal with varied clients with different linguistic competence and psychological sophistication.

• Establishing therapeutic relationship, establishing diagnosis, negotiating management strategies and future plan are most important goals.

• Bringing conscious awareness to above aspects improve one’s skills and competence in clinical interviewing

• Othmer & Othmer’s scale may be effective in helping one to find area needed to look for improvement in one’s skills

*Adarsh Tripathi, KGMU, Lucknow*