The wrong question
“May I help you?” is the wrong question asked by the reception desk at Med Express.
Anyone walking in there has their medical problem on their mind. The instinctive answer is to blurt out their problem to the receptionist. And in front of a room full of strangers. If not this, then the anxiety of “What am I supposed to say?”
But all of this could be avoided with the receptionist asking the right question.
“Do you need to see a doctor today?”
The easy answers are “Yes”, “No”, or “He/She Does.”
Generosity is putting ourselves in the place of the people we serve, and then adjusting our dialogue to help them feel safe and heard.