**LA Action: "The Words We Use Activity, August 2007"**

**Part I.** We all lead busy, sometimes stressful, lives. Each of us
occasionally has to deal with difficult situations beyond our control
and our interactions with others can sometimes make a bad situation
worse. As a group, consider the following scenario and answer the
questions that follow:

Rosaria woke up with a start and realized that her alarm clock had not
gone off and it was already half past seven. She could hear her toddler
talking to his baby sister in the bedroom they shared. The TV was on, so
she knew that Robert, her ten-year-old son, was already up. "Okay Robert
you need to get ready for school!" Rosaria called from her bedroom.
Robert insisted that he was ill and he wasn't going to school that day,
so Rosaria gave him a good look and checked his forehead for a fever.
"You look fine to me," she said. An argument ensued with Rosaria finally
victorious, and Robert headed out the door to catch the bus at eight
o'clock. By now, Lily, five months old, was crying and hungry, and both
she and 2-year-old Alex needed a diaper change. Rosaria changed both
diapers, made a bowl of cereal for Alex, and finally sat down to nurse
Lily. Lily was in the mood for a nice, slow bonding time with her mom,
but Rosaria kept checking the time because they had a WIC appointment at
9:00 across town. Lily eventually filled her need for milk and
affection, and was ready to start the day. Rosaria dressed both
children. She was in her bedroom dressing when Alex came in and she
realized that he had another dirty diaper. It was 8:30. She changed his
diaper, dressed him again, and the three of them finally made it out the
door. They had barely left the driveway when suddenly traffic backed up
and she had to take a detour. When she finally made it to the WIC
clinic, she was 15 minutes late, starving, and on edge from the
morning's frustrations. As she signed-in, the staff member greeted her
with, "You know you're late for your appointment. I hope you have your
paperwork done. Have a seat and I'll call you in a minute."

How do you think that greeting made Rosaria feel?

Considering her stressful morning and her initial interaction with a WIC
staff person, how open would Rosaria be to actively participate in a
nutrition education session?

If you were Rosaria, how would you like to have been greeted?

If Rosaria was greeted this way, how do think she would feel?

*Now*, how open would Rosaria be to actively participate in a nutrition
education session?

What else would you do differently to put Rosaria at ease when she
entered the clinic?

**Part II.** How we talk to and interact with our WIC families
contributes to the overall effectiveness of our services and the image
of our program. Consistently providing pleasant interactions will lead
to less stress, happier families, and pleasant working environments.

√ As a group, decide what wording all staff will use for these routine
interactions.

> How you will answer the phone
>
> How you will greet someone/welcome someone to clinic
>
> What to say when requesting paperwork/documents
>
> What to say when rescheduling a late/missed appointment
>
> Other

√ In each agency, there are staff members who are able to effectively
interact with participants that are stressed (sometimes referred to as
"difficult people"). Try to observe this staff member in action or ask
her to describe a difficult interaction.

> Are there words/phrases or techniques that this staff person uses to
> help diffuse a difficult situation?
>
> Which of these phrases or techniques do you think you can try?

Remember: People react positively to positive people and positive
expectations. Most would agree that eye contact, a genuine smile,
warmth, ability to listen, calming demeanor, caring attitude, kindness
and focused attention are important characteristics of positive people.
Wouldn't you prefer to talk with a person who exhibits some or all of
these characteristics?