Suggested programme day two: Overview for trainers Time Activity PowerPoint 08:45 Registration and coffee 09:00 Welcome and reconnection Slides 103-105 09:20 Preparation and organisation for an appraisal Slide 97-120 10:10 The appraisal summary Exercise – QA of a summary The appraiser statements Slides 121-126 10:15 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal (cycle 1) Slide 127-128 11:00 Tea/coffee take to seats 129 11:15 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal (cycle 2) Slide 130 12:00 Lunch Slide 131 12:45 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal (cycle 3) Slide 132 13:30 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal: plenary Slide 133 13:45 Professional judgement: the personal development plan (PDP) Exercise – write a PDP item Slides 134-141 14:15 Tea/coffee Slide 142 14:30 Communication skills: dealing with difficult appraisals What makes a difficult appraisal? What are the pitfalls for you as an individual? When the going really gets tough…suspending the appraisal. Exercise – role play (if time) Slides 143-154 Slide 155 15:30 Knowledge and understanding: processes and specialty specific issues Slide 156 16:30 Conclusions: moving on as a newly trained appraiser Feedback Q & A session Evaluation Slides 157-159 17:00 Close (Websites and resources for new appraisers) Slide 159 1. Introduction for participants This two-day course provides a practical approach to new appraiser training and skills
11:15 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal 2) 12:00 Lunch 12:45 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal (cycle 3) 13:30 Communication skills: conducting an appraisal: plenary 13:45 Professional judgement: the personal development plan (PDP) Exercise – a PDP item 14:15 Tea/coffee 14:30 Communication skills: dealing with difficult appraisals What makes a difficult appraisal? What are the pitfalls for you as an individual? When the really gets tough…suspending the appraisal. Exercise – role play (if time) 15:30 Knowledge and understanding: local processes and specialty specific issues 16:30 Conclusions: moving on as a trained appraiser Feedback Q & A session Evaluation 17:00 Close (Websites and resources for new appraisers)
Communication skills for appraisers Active listening Active listening involves paying attention to the verbal cues (the words people use) non-verbal cues (such as body language) and para-verbal cues (such as intonation, volume and pace of speech) that lead to a fuller picture of what the doctor is trying to convey and perhaps what they are revealing unintentionally. No rigid script for appraisal will work. Communication skills depend on being used flexibly in response to the individual and the level of rapport that has been established. It helps to prepare some useful questions to ask. These may be used during the preparation phase and in the appraisal itself. Using them rigidly would sound stilted and prevent the free flow of the appraisal, but thinking them through beforehand can prevent difficulties with how to approach a topic with a doctor. You will rapidly develop your own style, but sometimes having a stem question or idea “up your sleeve” can help keep things moving. Open questions: Six honest serving men Kipling’s ‘Six honest serving men’ are the starting for many open questions. They cannot be answered with a simple “Yes” or “No” that closes down the discussion, and are useful in getting the doctor to talk freely. Extract from Rudyard Kipling (1902) The Elephant’s Child: “I keep six honest serving men, (They taught me all I knew); Their names are ‘What?’ and ‘Why?’ and ‘When?’ And ‘How?’ and ‘Where?’ and ‘Who?’” “Please describe…” is another useful opener. Closed questions Closed questions are useful for refining understanding or eliciting detail and are generally that can be answered “Yes” or “No” or with one word answers. Clarification questions More direct questions can be very useful in clarifying specifics in an area of discussion. They are sometimes called “funnel” questions because they lead the conversation in a particular direction. Beware of clarifying too soon. “Can you give me an example of that?” is a useful way to start to clarify an issue.