Page 74 - Part B

Information, Advice or Guidance

Stages of an advice interview

When providing advice, information or guidance to a client, you are likely to require
further information from your client to begin the process. This is likely to come in an
advice interview, where you develop your understanding of the client’s needs and
begin to assist them with advice, information or guidance.

The stages are as follows:

1. Further
questioning

4. Agreed 2. Options

plan shared

3. Discussions

with client

Further questioning

By the time you have an advice meeting with your client, you or one of your colleagues
is likely to have had an initial conversation with them. The initial conversation is
normally immediately after they approach your organisation. The advice meeting
steps shown on the previous page are used to find out their rough requirements, and
to decide if you are the most appropriate advisor or service for them, or if you should
signpost or refer them elsewhere.

At this stage, it is important to clarify any questions you might have about the
client’s requirements, and check with the client to see if they still have the same
requirements. This is the stage where all your communication skills, discussed in Unit
2, come into play. With the correct questioning styles and well-developed listening
skills, the client’s requirements should be identified.

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