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5. Without attention to your own non-verbal communication skills
and the messages that you are transmitting through the non-verbal
channel, many of your efforts to communicate may be done.
6. If you are in an English-speaking environment, doctors may
watch out for the use of non-verbal cues either in professional or
non-professional situations, or in the visual media, and how peo-
ple respond to them.
7. The subtle hints doctors give about personal values and views
about lifestyles will influence patients in deciding whether to
keep information secret and go elsewhere for their care.
8. Doctors have traditionally controlled the interview via closed
questions which limit patients’ contributions and render them
more passive.
9. To ensure accurate interpretation of non-verbal behaviour, it is
important not only to observe carefully but also to verify your
perceptions verbally.
10. The doctor had encouraged the patient to talk further about his
thoughts and feelings and thus he avoided possible misinterpreta-
tion and discover more information.