Therapeutic Comm Q 37
When interviewing a client, which nonverbal behavior should a nurse employ?
A. Maintaining indirect eye contact with the client
B. Providing space by leaning back away from the client
C. Sitting squarely, facing the client
D. Maintaining open posture with arms and legs crossed
Correct Answer: C. Sitting squarely, facing the client.
When interviewing a client, the nurse should employ the nonverbal behavior of sitting squarely, facing the client. Facilitative skills for active listening can be identified by the acronym SOLER. SOLER includes sitting squarely facing the client (S), open posture when interacting with a client (O), leaning forward toward the client (L), establishing eye contact (E), and relaxing (R).
Option A: Maintaining eye contact shows that the nurse is interested and listening to what the client has to say. It does not mean that the nurse has to stare at the client because this can make them feel uncomfortable, but maintain good, positive eye contact.
Option B: The nurse should lean forward to show that she is interested in what the client is talking about. It also means that the client can lower their voice if they wish to if they are talking about personal issues, for example.
Option D: Open posture when interacting with the client (O). Crossing the arms would make the nurse anxious or defensive. The nurse should identify that maintaining an uncrossed arm and leg posture is nonverbal behavior that reflects the “O” in the active-listening acronym SOLER.