So this sounds practical, and in the main it is. Essential in itself whilst also feeding into the other important elements of setting expectations and building the foundations of any relationship.
In effect these practical beginning bits can help with presenting ourselves with confidence and as the professional in the relationship.
They are also things that you will find yourself explaining every time, so it will evolve into your own personal flow and will allow you to start the consultation on a positive footing. So we are talking about things like:
- Time - literally, how much time you have today to spend with them.
- Your professional scope - what you can and can't do. This could be confirming your specialist area but also that you are there to provide advice and recommendations to ensure that they can make informed choices and provide instructions. Doing this helps to maintain a high professional standard overall for yourself, your organisation, as well as the profession as a whole.
- Purpose of the meeting - what you understand is the desired outcome - whether it was requested by the client (maybe to understand the current postition or to be updated as to the progress) or yourself (maybe to update them on recent communication from the other side/court or because you need to know what they want you to do now).
Obviously this would be after you have said hello, your name, their name (to ensure you have the right person!), and offered them a beverage or a seat. So, whilst it is an informative and nice continuaton of that introduction, it also allows you to create yourself as the authority, showing yourself as the capable professional, which allows the client to be reassured and settle into their client role.
Other things that may come up are things like confidentiality, costs and payment, and how you are supervised or work within a team. This may be particularly relevant if they wanted the senior partner and it was delegated to you.
It is also worth mentioning, just in case... throughout this, no matter how well practised you are, be mindful of their responses (verbal and non-verbal) as you talk. If they indicate in any way they are confused or unsure then you need to stop and check in with them, before continuing further. Maybe they misheard you when you explained the time the meeting is due to end. If you don't give them chance to ask you and check, then they will be distracted throughout the rest of what you are saying, making it a pointless waste of breath.
And if in doubt, or just as standard, ask - 'did that all make sense?' 'do you have any questions before we start?'
What's the worst that can happen? They need you to repeat something? Well this time just use slightly different words. This is actually how your own version of your 'flow' will develop and how you will start to become a great communicator. It is NOT a reflection necessarily on your ability to explain, as we all interpret words differently and have different communication and learning styles. So not everyone will be the same as you (or me).
Imagine how boring the world would be if we were all the same :0)
