The Coaching Habit

beginning a conversation with a patient. Some doctors used a
more general inquiry, such as, “How can I help?” Others used
more confirmatory questions, such as “I understand you’re having
some sinus problems today?” With the more general inquiries,
patients gave longer explanations of their concerns and mentioned
more discrete and specific symptoms—so they were more likely to
be homing in on the real problem. As an added bonus, the doctors
who asked the more general questions also received higher
evaluation scores from patients.
When you ask the Lazy Question or another, more general
opening question, the science tells us, you’re not only more
effective, but you’re also more respected.