9.5 How to say it out loud

Aside from knowing your library users (see section 5), the key to really good verbal communication is to think about what you are saying:

• Keep your language simple: use plain words where possible (see section 6).
   
• Library jargon, such as OPAC and ILL, may be familiar to you but not to the public. If it is essential to use it, explain it.
   
• Sometimes it will help if you write down a few key points from what you are saying. Explain carefully and be specific. If you are vague, your words can be interpreted in more than one way. See section 7 for advice about how to write things down in an inclusive way.
   
• If someone seems to be confused, distracted or embarrassed by holding the conversation at the counter or issue desk, move to a quieter spot.
   
• Listen carefully to what library users say and have patience with them. Getting flustered increases everyone’s anxiety and makes it harder for people to understand what’s going on. If someone suddenly gets cranky or aggressive during a transaction it may well be because they didn’t understand something. This can also happen at the point when people are asked for personal details, or when they have to write something down. Be alert to the triggers, and amend your actions accordingly.
   
• Re-phrase rather than repeat if someone is having difficulty understanding.
   
• Some people may find it difficult to put what they want to say into words. You may need to offer suggestions that they can react to. Try not to offer too many at once, as binary choices are easier to handle.
   
• Try not to judge people. Pre-empting what people might want or need may lead you way off the mark, and may also cause offence.
   
• Observe carefully. Some people will give you what they hope is the right answer, as opposed to the truth.
   
• If you feel that the person didn’t understand fully or is confused, ask them to repeat in their own words the bit that they did understand, and then go through the rest with them.
   
• Ask about people’s preferences and concerns. Direct questions are easier to understand and respond to than discursive enquiries.
   
• Check to ensure that people understand what you have said to them by asking them to summarise what you have said or to tell you in their own words. Research shows that the more that people understand, the more likely they are to stick to the rules. Encourage people to ask questions.
   
• If people seem to understand at the time you talk to them, but get confused or forget afterwards, try giving them simple notes to take home. See section 7 for advice about how to write things down in an inclusive way.