Usually, the financial counselor s responses follow or track a client s questions or statements. Sometimes, however, the counselor can use a leading response, which is a response designed to direct the conversation into areas where the client may be reluctant to move. If the leading response is interposed carefully and tentatively, it should not threaten the client. There are four common types of leading responses that counselors use. The first is explanation .
Explanation is a neutral description of the way things are.
It deals in logical, practical, factual information, offered frequently at the client s request. Explanation should be simple, concise, and comprehensible. The financial counselor s explanations should be phrased in ways that constitute a response to an equal partner, rather than one from a superior or a subordinate. A second type of leading response that counselors use is interpretation . Interpretation of what the client is saying is crucial to a correct understanding of messages.