Counselling
is a very common term that we come across at different stages of our lives. It is not uncommon that we have been on either sides of the table on numerous occasions;
providing it or receiving one. Counselling is generally required when one’s
ability to see through a situation or “way forward” is unclear or confusing. The
process may also include instilling confidence in many occasions. Hence it can
be better understood as lending or borrowing ‘a clear state of mind’ for a
specific purpose. Then again lending or borrowing of a commodity can be done
only when one possesses it; ‘a clear state of mind’ to offer in this case. An
advice with a clear state of mind stands a better chance of arriving at a
desired outcome.
We approach
a person for a good counsel only when we trust that person to possess a better
understanding of the current situation than us, we believe that person is our
well wisher and the person is a subject matter expert in that topic. These
factors remain the same when we set out to provide counsel too. Counselling
should never be offered unsolicited, unless it is one of our job
responsibilities or to our near and dear ones, kids (as they are yet to
understand that they need an expert advice in certain situations). Unsolicited
counselling will not be effective and in some cases might create even more
complications than the present situation.
Counselling
at work or in our personal life have the same methodologies, but for some minor
differences. At work, most of the times there are set procedures learnt by
experience in place, when followed meticulously always return to the desired
outcome. However, counselling in our personal life is slightly different. It is
usually an ideal blend of our experience and wisdom.
The process
of counselling could get complicated involving many factors such as financial, emotional,
attitude etc. The list is endless, but here we will focus only on the framework
involved. A few pointers below will help us understand the process in detail
and serve as a guide to counsel effectively:
·
Listening
and understanding the problem - identifying the route cause is an essential exercise
that needs to be done.
·
Assessing the gravity of the situation,
explaining the impact that it will have on the person who is being counselled
is another important component – Remember the suggestion may not be the perfect
solution for the problem in question. However, it needs to be a good fit for
the person in question. (therefore the solution offered should be derived by
assessing the capabilities of the person in question; in other words a
practical one)
·
Suggest
a way forward explaining the benefits of implementing the suggestion – ‘In my
opinion the best solution for you in the current situation’ is a good way to
offer the solution.
Preparing
the person before offering the solution, emphasizing the capabilities and
limitations would send the message clearly and effectively. A good solution
provided with a clear understanding of the situation, will benefit the person
in many ways which otherwise would be difficult with their current state of
mind. The benefits of the outcome will be remembered for a real long time.
My earlier post will provide an in depth analysis of our reactions to different situations. It will help us distinguish as to how we would react to a particular situation and how best we could possibly accomplish otherwise.
Thanks a lot! I really appreciate your time reading this post. I hope you enjoy reading the posts and find it helpful. I request you to share the learning as much as possible so that many more benefit from it. I would be glad to know your inputs both For or Against. Please feel free to post, share or like if you find it useful.
Happy Learning! and Happy Sharing!
