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I. |
Opening |
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Greet students by name, be relaxed, warm.
Start with an open-ended question using
"how" or "what".
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How can I help you?
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What do we need to
discuss today?
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What will we be working
on in our 30 minutes together?
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II. |
Phrasing Questions |
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Use closed questions which require a "yes" or "no" response to
gather specific information.
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Did you receive your
early registration materials?
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Are you planning to
enroll in classes this term?
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Use open-ended questions to elicit broader
responses for purposes of clarification and
problem-solving.
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What subjects did you enjoy in high
school? In what subjects were your best
grades?
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In what kind of work environment do you
picture yourself in five years out of
college?
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If you have a spare hour to use, what do
you do?
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What academic areas are you currently
considering? What do you like about
these areas?
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What occupations are you considering?
What about these occupations attracts
you?
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How do your abilities and skills fit the
tasks necessary to succeed in these
areas?
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What have you thought
about taking next term?
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III. |
Effective Listening |
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Listen for shades of meaning in what the
student is saying.
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What do you think the
student is trying to say?
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What do you think the
student is feeling when he/she says
that?
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What was running
through your mind when he/she said that?
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Maintain an open posture and use non-verbal
cues to let students know they have your
full attention. |
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Use such prompters as "I see", "okay", "umhum",
"go on". |
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Eliminate physical barriers between you and
the student (e.g., move your chair from
behind your desk and sit next to the student
or across one corner of the desk).
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IV. |
Accepting the Student's Attitudes and
Feelings |
| |
Positive regard for advisees is key to
successful advising. Separate negative
behavior from the person; focus on behaviors
not the character of the person.
|
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Convey acceptance of a student's feelings in
a non-judgmental way. |
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If the student thinks there is a problem,
the advisor does too.
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V. |
Admitting Your Ignorance
|
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If a student asks a question for which you
don't know the answer, admit it. Check your
resources for the information immediately or
call the student back, or make a referral if
appropriate.
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VI. |
Setting Limits on the Interview |
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The advisor should let the student know from
the beginning that the interview will last
for a fixed length of time.
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You have my undivided
attention for the next 30 minutes; will
that be enough time to discuss your
concern?
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What is the most
important concern to cover in the next
30 minutes?
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VII. |
Ending the Interview |
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End the advising interview at the agreed
upon time. If the stated concerns have not
been addressed to the student's satisfaction
plan to make another appointment to complete
the process.
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Can you summarize for
me your understanding of what we covered
today?
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What do you need to do
next or before our next meeting?
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Adapted from Advising Skills, Techniques,
and Resources, ACT. |
