I’m often invited into OT student tutorials to help them learn how to build trust and rapport with participants. After hundreds of these conversations, I’ve decided to share some of the communication tips that make a real difference, not just for people with disabilities, but for anyone you support.
I feel that these small shifts in your conversation and manner can completely change how safe, respected, and understood someone feels in your company.
Introduce yourself
It’s so important to introduce yourself at the beginning of your session. So often we go straight into asking questions but by introducing yourself, it eliminates the power dynamic of the relationship and brings everyone into even ground. You’re about to ask them quite intimate questions so it’s always so important to introduce yourself first.
Tone and lingo
It’s okay to be nervous, and it’s okay to say so. Naming it builds respect and trust. If you let them know that you’re new to the role, it’ll create more connection that you’re both helping each other. Remember to use a gentle tone of voice and go slowly, as well as avoid using OT lingo terms that your participant might not be familiar with. Using words or acronyms they don’t know or understand creates discomfort and stops rapport from being built. Try reframing everything in everyday language , that’s where rapport grows.
Ask one question
Sometimes I hear students ask about 10 questions, then make a comment, then ask another few questions after that. It shows curiosity but for the participant, it’s overwhelming.
Get concise on what exactly you’re asking, and just ask that and wait for the reply. Asking too many questions can stop the flow of the conversation so be mindful to what you’re asking that can help a participant to their lightbulb moment.
This is especially important if a participant has memory issues. It’s hard to remember the first question if more than one has been asked.
Encourage participants to ask you to repeat the question if needed. It empowers them.
Repeat and confirm
When posing a question, it’s powerful to reference something that the participant has just said. This makes them feel validated and heard and more likely to develop trust. It builds connection.
Ask for examples
General questions like “What’s hard for you every day?” can feel impossible to answer. There’s too much to choose from! There might be a million things that your participant can mention. It’s sometimes so hard for participants to talk about things without true examples of it happening. Instead, perhaps ask for an example:
“Can you think of one situation this week that was challenging?”
By asking participants for an example, it can help them visualise their challenges in their everyday life. By pinpointing an exact challenge they’re facing, it can help narrow it down and get clarity.
Remember, examples bring clarity and help the participant reflect on what’s actually happening in their daily life.
Get specific
Posing a broad question like, “What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced?” can feel so overwhelming and likely to just cause the participant to just feel overwhelmed and retreat.
Being specific on timeframes and tasks when posing a question may really help. For example, “Tell me about your challenges whilst cooking in the last week” is a great, clear and specific questions to ask participants that doesn’t overwhelm them.
Instead of talking broadly about challenges across years, narrow it down: Maybe a task (e.g. cooking) or specifying a timeframe (e.g. this past week) or asking theme to describe a certain situation (e.g. showering, travelling, communication) I feel that this specificity or detail is extremely helpful for participants to articulate their experience. I think about the challenges I’ve faced over the last 19 years and there are so many things I can talk about.
A clear and specific question leads to a clear and meaningful response.
Transitions
If you’re using a list of questions, allow the conversation to flow naturally. If your participant begins talking about a questions further down the list, allow the conversation to go that way rather than jumping around different context.
When context does need to shift, let the participant know this. Explain this shift to the participant – “we’ve been discussing home routines, now we’re going to talk about relationships.”
It acknowledges what’s been dealt with and flows onto the next topic.
Acknowledge commonality
One interviewer once mentioned she loved bike riding. She also loves to be outdoors and has a common hobby as me. Knowing and sharing this made me feel so connected and comfortable. It’s something that bridges me to another person. It then steers the conversations away from the dynamic of patient and support, and instead creates mutual agreements and links you in a more common way.
These moments humanise the interaction and build trust.
Paraphrase and reference
Repeating back to the participant what they’ve just said validates them and ensures that they feel heard and understood. This is so important in building rapport. Also, referencing something that they’ve said earlier in the conversation is a great way to remind them that they are being listened to. It also ensures that you’ve heard them correctly and if not, gives them an opportunity to refine what you heard in case you did misunderstand something.
Goals Asking someone, “What is your goal?” can feel impossible, especially when they’re vulnerable.
I feel the best way to reframe this question is to say “What do you love doing?” or “What would you like to be able to do?” or “What do you want to achieve?”. It breaks it down and empowers them to get specific on exactly what their goals could be. These questions open the door for honest, realistic responses.
If you’d asked me 10 years ago “Em, what’s your goal?” I’d probably make something up, like climb a mountain. But really, I was too embarrassed to say that all I wanted was to tie up my own shoelaces. It seemed too small to want.
It’s so important to validate a person’s goals, even if they’re small. Try to use your communication skills to ensure someone is setting realistic goals that they can achieve and not making up something that they might just be saying because their real goals are considered “too small”.
I hope that by using these simple communication tools, you help participants feel safe, respected, and truly heard. And that’s when the real therapeutic work begins.
How could you incorporate some of these tips into your conversations?