Week 7 Flashcards
What are the 3 components of listening? (list)
- Paying attention to the client
- Paying attention to what is heard
- Interpreting what is heard
Expand on
“Paying attention to the client”
what is pacing and mirroring?
Eye Contact
- making eye contact - single most important one
- Maintain eye contact for less than 70% of the time is good, more than this can make client feel uncomfortable
Important to focus on client’s mouth, forehead, etc.
- Maintain eye contact for less than 70% of the time is good, more than this can make client feel uncomfortable
Body language
- Physical movements
◊ Have a relaxed position
◊ Uncrossed arms & legs
◊ Leaning inward towards the client
◊ Appropriate distance from client
◊ Remove barriers (décor) fom you and client
◊ Match facial expressions
Voice mannerisms
- Pacing
◊ Follow client’s preferred or natural tempo
◊ Builds the client-planner working alliance
◊ Maintaining an open mind and delaying judgments
◊ Being tolerant of client ambiguity - Mirroring: [type of pacing]
- is the behaviour in which one person reflects the gesture, speech pattern, or attitude of another
- As the client’s volume or tone increases, the planner should do the same.
- There is some skill however in understanding when the planner needs to change the tone or pace of a meeting
Expand on Paying attention to what is heard
what is attending and situational awareness and verbal tracking
- Attending = Actively hearing and confirming what a client says
Situational awareness:
- Important distinction: Perceiving ≠ Comprehending
- Example: A client selling their house may be stressed—could stem from emotional, financial, or deeper personal reasons
- Planners must dig deeper to understand the full context
- Key: Helps tailor advice based on real underlying issues
Verbal tracking:
- Show you’re listening by repeating or paraphrasing what the client says
- Reinforces engagement and ensures clarity
Planner best practices:
- Minimize personal opinions and emotional reactions
- Listen quietly—do not confront or contradict the client
What NOT to do (counterproductive behaviors):
- Overusing attending behaviors (e.g., constant head nodding)
- Saying “uh huh,” “right” too often
- Avoiding eye contact or turning away
- Folding arms, leaning away, or showing distraction while the client talks
Expand on Interpreting what is heard
- sometimes referred to as “listening with a third ear.”
Words, mannerisms, and language also tell a story using deeper meanings. This is where comprehension comes into play.
“It sounds like the idea of planning for what happens after you’re gone is bringing up something uncomfortable — maybe fear, or not wanting to think about death. Is that part of what’s going on?”
Define Transference
Transference refers to the ways in which a client’s feelings and communication patterns are affected by unfinished business or emotional baggage, typically related to significant people in the client’s past, such as parents or a previous financial adviser.
- Example: a financial planner may say something to the client that sounds similar to what a disloyal former partner or adviser once said. Because of that experience, the client may experience feelings of distrust rush back in, even though on a cognitive level the client knows their current financial planner is a different person.
- Strategy: is to ask a client about his or her past positive and negative experiences with family members, relationships, and other professionals regarding money issues and financial planning
Define Countertransference
Countertransference refers to the ways in which a planner’s feelings and communication patterns are affected by unfinished business or emotional baggage, typically related to significant people in the planner’s past, such as parents or a previous client
- Example: when a planner becomes unusually frustrated by repeated action or inaction on the part of a client that contradicts with the plan or the planner’s recommendation
- Strategy: planners need to explore their past and identifying their own triggers
what is Silence (and the impact)
Silence can:
* * It gives people a chance to gather their thoughts and check in on how they are feeling about the conversation.
* * Silence may also indicate that the client is tired and needs a moment to focus.
* * A silent response can sometimes indicate a negative reaction.
* * It is possible that silence might represent anger or confusion about a question or comment
Silence is okay and expected
* * Allow client 10-15 secs to respond
* * Make sure client understands question and give them space
* Sometimes “I don’t know” is a legitimate answer to a question. Such as how much will your pension plan pay out at retirement? Your client may not legitimately know the answer to that question
What are the two ways clients can respond to stress? How can you manage this/what is the startegy?
Clients respond to stress in two primary ways.
* They may confront the stressor directly.
* In this case, it might be the planner.
- Or they look for ways to deflect
- Generally, if the client is not confronting the stressor directly, they are deflecting or using “I don’t know.”— is a stalling tactic or worried about impressing the planner or embarrassing themselves
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Strategy: As client what their five goals are?
- § client what their top five goals are (but don’t give any recommendations or advice, let them think)
- § sitting quietly for 10, 15, or 20 seconds
- § Reassure the client and give them time. Maybe you say something like “Most clients find this to be a difficult question. Take your time.”
To summarize - Reframe the question, allow silence, or encourage thought
What is the difference between Passive and Active listening and responding?
Passive Listening: Hearing the words but not fully engaging with or processing them
Behavioral signs:
- Nodding without much feedback
- Saying “uh huh,” “okay,” or “I see” without reflection
- Letting the client talk without asking clarifying questions
- Not showing you’ve truly understood the meaning or emotions behind the words
Active Listening: Fully concentrating, understanding, and responding with intent and empathy
Behavioral signs:
- Using verbal tracking (e.g., “So what I’m hearing is…” or “It sounds like you’re feeling…”)
- Asking open-ended or clarifying questions
- Maintaining eye contact and using body language that shows interest
- Reflecting both the content and the emotion behind what’s said
What is the difference between Nondirective Listening and Directive Listening
Nondirective Listening: Letting the client lead the conversation
Purpose:
- Create a safe space for the client to express thoughts and feelings freely
Planner’s role:
- Stay neutral and nonjudgmental
- Use open-ended prompts like “Tell me more about that” or “How did that make you feel?”
- Avoid interrupting or steering the conversation
When to use:
* Early in meetings, during sensitive topics, or when building rapport and trust
Directive Listening: Gently guiding the conversation to gather specific information or clarify points
Purpose:
- Help the client focus, stay on track, or explore important issues in more depth
Planner’s role:
- Ask focused or clarifying questions
- Summarize and redirect (“You mentioned X — can we explore that further?”)
- Offer structure when the conversation becomes unclear or unfocused
When to use:
- When time is limited, or when specific decisions or facts need to be addressed
Please list the Questioning approaches
4 Questioning approaches
1. open-ended questions,
2. closed-ended questions,
3. leading questions,
4. deeper dives
What are Open-ended questions and an example?
Open-ended questions encourage clients to share more information beyond a simple “yes” or “no” answer.
Structure:
- These questions often begin with when, why, who, how, tell me, where, or what.
- Nuance:
- ○ A specific question like “When did you buy your house?” may get a short factual answer
- ○ A broader question like “Tell me about your current house” can reveal deeper insights, such as financial decisions, emotional attachments, and future plans.
What are Closed-ended questions and an example?
Closed-ended questions are used to gather specific information from clients.
Structure:
- These questions often start with “Are you…,” “Do you…,” or “Is this…”.
- ○ Open-ended: “Tell me about your feelings on investment risk.” → Can lead to lengthy, broad responses.
- ○ Closed-ended: “If you had $100,000, would you invest in (a) stocks, (b) bonds, (c) mutual funds, or (d) the bank?”→ Provides a clear, direct answer.
What are Leading questions and an example?
Leading question subtly guides the client toward a particular answer.
- Example:
- Neutral: “How did you feel when you lost money in the stock market for the first time?”
- Leading: “How did you feel when you lost money in the stock market for the first time—did you lose sleep at night?” → This suggests the client should have felt stress.
What are deeper dive questions and an example?
Deeper-dive questions help financial planners uncover more meaningful insights from clients.
Techniques:
- ○ Curiosity-Based Approach: Using phrases like “Tell me more about that…” encourages clients to elaborate.
- ○ Projective Inquiry: Uses phrases like “What if…,” “If you…,” or “What would…” to explore hypothetical scenarios.
- ○ Implied Questions: Uses phrases like “I wonder…” or “You must…” to prompt deeper reflectio
what are swing, implied, projective, and scaling questions?
Swing Questions
Examples: “Will you…?”, “Can you…?”, “Could you…?”, “Would you be willing to…?”
- Purpose: Encourage client participation without sounding too forceful
- Why it matters: These questions give clients a sense of control and choice
🟩 Implied Questions
Examples: “I wonder how that made you feel.” / “You must have had a hard time with that.”
- Purpose: Gently invite clients to share without directly asking
- Why it matters: Feels less intrusive and more conversational
🟨 Projective Questions
Examples: “What if you didn’t have that responsibility?” / “If you could do anything, what would it be?”
- Purpose: Help clients explore unspoken desires, fears, or internal conflicts
- Why it matters: Can surface important values or motivations they haven’t verbalized
🟧 Scaling Questions
Examples:** “On a scale from 1 to 10, how confident are you about your retirement plan?”**
- Purpose: Help clients evaluate their feelings, track progress, or identify changes in mindset
- Why it matters: Makes abstract feelings measurable, and progress visible
What’s the main difference between Open-ended and Closed-ended questions?
Open-ended questioning generates the least complete, but the most accurate, information.
Closed-ended questioning results in the least accurate but most complete information.
