Study 4: Communication skills for Loss Adjusters Flashcards
Objectives in communication - What are some key principles in the claims communication process? (3)
- First principal is that professionals should always approach people with respect. People appreciate being treated pleasantly.
- Another principal is building rapport. Identifying the needs of others can help build rapport, as well as improving how and when they explain the policy contract and claims process to the insured.
- Failure to communicate effectively can affect level of customer service
What are 4 things that can influence human behaviour? (4)
- Cultural influences
- Home and work environment
- Education
- Genetics
Describe how cultural influences (5) and the home and work environment (2) affect human behaviour.
Cultural influences:
- -Are derived from religious and ethnic values of society.
- -Affect how people behave, feel, react
- -people in the same cultures tend to have same beliefs which in turn influences individual behaviour
- -Individual cultures differ on what is considered polite, adjusters must acknowledge these differences by adapting their approach
- -Various regions of Canada have different customs, holidays, languages, and ways of doing business which the adjuster must understand.
Home and Work Environment:
- -Affect how people behave
- -Examples include people who were raised in violent environment tend to be more violent, or someone who lacks respect was most likely raised in less than ideal conditions
Describe how Education (1) and Genetics affect human behaviour (3)
Education - Different types of education and schooling tend to affect how a person acts or thinks. (Ex: Learning from CIP program will improve professionals ability to function in insurance environment)
Genetics:
- -Through their genes, people inherit certain characteristics that influence personality development
- -peoples personalities in turn, contribute to their automatic and habituated responses and behaviours - the actions and reactions they engage in without thinking about them.
- -Person’s behaviour follows from emotion they felt. The adjuster needs to remain impartial, neutral and objective to deal with situation
What are the 4 main personality types? (4)
1) Passive emotions - people oriented individuals who need time to make decisions. Prefer 1 on 1 relations
2) More aggressive emotions- people oriented individuals that make decisions quickly. Prefer groups.
3) Aggressive control - task oriented individuals who make decisions quickly. They tend to respond in a very controlled manner and they can be intimidating. They like to get things done quickly.
4) Analytical passive - Fact oriented individuals that need time to make decisions. They move more slowly, examining each situation carefully
What are the three main thought styles that people tend to have? (3)
1) Visual - visual thinkers tend to think in pictures and absorb info best when presented in visual form. They like to work with visual aid such as images, charts, etc.
2) Auditory - focus on sound and listening. Absorb info best when they can hear it and talk about it. They prefer techniques like discussion and interviews.
3) Kinesthetic - combine thinking with physical action. Learn and think best when they can move around or manipulate objects at the same time.
Observing physical behaviour - Describe body language. (3)
- Posture, facial expression, vocal expression, and gestures are forms of body language.
- Non verbal cues that play a critical role in helping understand the attitudes and motives behind words.
- Being aware of how people express themselves allows adjuster to focus on best way to present info to them. They can match their pace of conversation and pattern of speech to increase chances of building rapport
- Refer to exhibit on page 4-9 for body language*
Body language - Describe posture (3) and gestures. (2)
Posture:
- Refers to how people hold their body
- Position of body both influences and expresses how a person feels
- Ex: Leaning back is more relaxed and at ease, and a person who is slouched, with their shoulders typically sagged, suggest that they are unhappy or depressed
Gestures:
- Clusters of gestures can be interpreted more accurately than individual gestures
- Someone who crosses his arms, turns his face from a speaker, and yawns will probably have no interest in what the speaker is saying
Body language - Describe vocal expression (2)
- Generally includes voice tone, volume, pitch, and other associated vocal factors
- How quickly people speak and the tone of their voice can affect how others relate to them. If someone speaks to fast, adjuster can calm them down by speaking at a slower pace
What is mirroring? (2)
- People in tune with one another naturally tend to assume at least some of the same body positions or gestures as the other person
- mirroring others can help gain acceptance and build rapport, but adjusters should be aware of not trying to mimick the other person, as that can be disrespectful.
Self Analysis and Observation - How can adjusters use self analysis to improve their communication skills? (2)
- To improve communication skills. adjusters must become more aware of themselves
- Once people are aware of their own emotions, they are better able to see through biases and respond more effectively and in a non judgemental way.
Self Analysis and Observation - Define self esteem (1) and how it can affect relations with other people. (3)
- Self esteem is defined as a persons opinion of their own character and abilities
- How people see themselves affects how others relate to them.
- When people accept, trust, respect and believe in themselves, it is a sign of healthy self esteem and can also lead to them respecting others
- Low self esteem can have various consequences, it can lead to controlling behaviour, unclear communication, manipulating and bullying others, etc.
How can people build their own self esteem? (1)
To build self esteem, people might set aside part of each day to develop professional skills or to pursue personal enjoyment and acknowledge their individual importance
Self analysis and observation - describe how projection can affect relations with others. (3)
- People tend to project how they feel onto others which can affect their relationship with that person
- People are critical of others because they tend to be critical of those characteristics that they refuse to acknowledge or accept in themselves
- When people do not really trust themselves, its hard for them to trust others
Define active listening (1) and what it requires from the adjuster (3)
Active listening includes listening to what people are saying, what they are not saying, and how they are saying it.
It requires that the adjuster to:
- listen to what is being said and to show that they are listening
- interpret how the message is being conveyed (non verbal cues)
- ask for clarification and confirm that the adjuster has understood correctly
