Imagine you are talking to a friend in a coffee shop. The conversation is punctuated with long stretches of silence, during which you are each watching those around you. Are you comfortable with that silence, or are you anxious to fill it? Social workers seek to avoid thinking of silence as awkward. Instead, they need to cultivate silence as a tool for gathering information about their client. How a client reacts to silence can be very telling; is the client squirming uncomfortably, disengaging, or reflecting on the conversation?
In this Discussion, you explore silence as an interviewing skill that assists you in learning more about your client.
RESOURCES
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To prepare:
- Watch the Southside Community Services video.
