This training document provides guidance on developing soft skills for hospital volunteers. It covers five key areas: greeting customers, getting to know the customer, determining customer needs, building rapport, and maintaining rapport. Specific techniques are presented, such as using a standard greeting, avoiding negative trigger words, active listening skills, asking open-ended questions, and adhering to standards of behavior focused on customer excellence. Learning activities and quizzes reinforce applying the soft skills strategies.

1. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 1
Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer
By Tawana Washington

2. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 2
Table of Contents
Who is This Training for?......................................................................3
Think About This..............................................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................3
Overview..............................................................................................................................................................3
One: Greeting customers ....................................................................4
Greet customers in manner specified by hospital administration .............................................4
The Moment of Truth.....................................................................................................................................4
Learning Activity..............................................................................................................................................5
Putting it in Action...........................................................................................................................................5
Two: Getting to know the customer.....................................................6
1. Avoid using negatively charged trigger words ..............................................................................6
Learning Activity..............................................................................................................................................7
Quiz.........................................................................................................................................................................7
Learning Activity..............................................................................................................................................9
Quiz......................................................................................................................................................................11
Three: Determining Customer’s Needs ..............................................12
Asking the right question ..........................................................................................................................12
Learning Activity...........................................................................................................................................13
Quiz......................................................................................................................................................................14
Four: Building Rapport........................................................................15
Standards of behavior for volunteers..................................................................................................15
5 Standards of Behavior.............................................................................................................................15
Learning Activity...........................................................................................................................................15
Soft Skills in Hospital Setting ...................................................................................................................16
Learning Activity...........................................................................................................................................17
Quiz......................................................................................................................................................................18
Five: Maintaining Rapport ..................................................................19
Objective: Applying steps to positive customer relationship....................................................19
Maintain Positive Customer Relationships........................................................................................19
Learning Activity...........................................................................................................................................19
Quiz......................................................................................................................................................................20

3. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 3
Who is This Training for?
Think About This
The hospital is a service-oriented industry where soft skills’ training is imperative. As
frontline staff, volunteers need to be customer oriented. Patients, their relatives, third
party assurance, and vendors constitute customers. From admission to discharge
patients need to be skillfully handled.
Many guests will surmise if a person is willing to donate their time, it must be a good
hospital. Such soft skills for hospital training give the hospital an edge in helping people
with a wide variety of problems. These individuals will be looking to you, the face of the
hospital, for help.
INTRODUCTION
People skills, interpersonal interaction, soft skills are all fancy ways to describe the
strategies humans use to communicate. In the cartoon above a lack of these skills is
humorous, in the real world it can be disastrous.
This training is intended for new volunteers. It was developed in response to an
expressed need from many seasoned volunteers who wished to have an established set
of skills, practices and protocols to use as resources to deliver the best possible
experience to the customer.
Overview
 First, you will learn how give a proper greeting.
 You will explore many ways to get to know the customer through a variety of
activities and discussions.
 You will take the information you gather about the customer and use it to
determine their needs.
 The training continues as you pull the various strategies together to develop
customer rapport
 Finally, you will develop a strategy to maintain customer rapport.
Talk with
customer to
identify
problem
Identify
trigger words
in the
situation
Determine
specific need
of customer
Build positive
customer
relationship
Maintain
positive
customer
relationship

4. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 4
One: Greeting customers
Greet customers in manner specified by hospital administration
The Moment of Truth
When a customer comes into contact with you, whether the customer
walks into an office, asks for directions, or talks to you during lunch, is
called, “The moment of truth.” During this critical moment the greeting…
 need to be done correctly, every single time
 is the impression a guest will have of you the volunteer
 will make you the volunteer appear proactive, and personable.
 Is the impression a guest will have of the hospital
 should encourage the guest to interact with you
So with all of this in mind the hospital administration has developed a standard greeting
to be used by all volunteers.
“Welcome to the hospital. How may I help you?”
REMEMBER: Greetings are not just the words we use, but also the
acknowledgement we give patients and guests upon seeing them.
What Not to Do
 A stare – Expecting the customer to come up to you.
 The daze - Pretend you are too busy to see the customer.
 “Can I help you?” – It is a closed question, no opportunity for interaction.
 “Yes.” – The customer is put in a defensive mood.

5. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 5
Learning Activity
What types of greeting is not applicable in the hospital setting?
Putting it in Action
A customer enters the hospital. Correctly write down the administration approved
greeting all volunteers will use in the hospital.

6. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 6
Two: Getting to know the customer
1. Avoidusing negatively chargedtrigger words
In the comic strip to the right one person is simple saying “Hi”, when he is met
with an angry reply. This can also happen when
getting to know customers.
Some times as a volunteer you may use negative
trigger words without realizing it. These may not
appear negative on the face of it, but can elicit a
negative response from the other person.
The Importance of Words
Avoid avoiding no/can’t language in interactions.
 A no/can’t resolution carries an abrupt and
impersonal tone
 Can be taken the wrong way by customers
Example of a no/can’t: "I can't get you a parking pass now. We don’t have any at
this desk.
The example isn't negative by any means, but the tone that it conveys feels
abrupt and impersonal (“I can’t” and “we don’t have any”), and can be taken the
wrong way by customers. It also does not offer a solution to the customer’s
problem.
When speaking with customersutilize language thatfocuson when/how
 A when/how resolution employs positive language
 Gives the customer a timetable to resolve the problem
Example of a when/how resolution: "Unfortunately we don’t have any parking
pass at this desk. If you are able to wait for just a few minutes I will go to another
area and get one for you."
This example is stating the same thing (the item is unavailable), but instead
focuses on when/how the customer will get to their resolution (just a few
minutes) rather than focusing on the negative.

7. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 7
Learning Activity
Write an example of a no/can’t resolution.
Write an example of a when/how resolution.
Quiz
Multiple Choice: Place letter of correct resolution answer in the blank.
1.___I can’t help you find the main entrance until I am finished with this
customer.
(a) no/can’t resolution (b) when/how resolution
2. Unfortunately I am not able to help you, but let me direct you to someone
who can momentarily.
(a) no/can’t resolution (b) when/how resolution
3. The hospital is remodeling and the dialysis has moved to a new floor and I
will walk up there.
(a) no/can’t resolution (b) when/how resolution

8. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 8
2. Using AttentiveListening whileAttending toCustomers
Along with monitoring your word choice, improving your listening skills
through practicing "active listening will also help you avoid the use of
negative words.
Five steps to attentive listening S.O.L.E.R
Attentive listening will require you to look the customer in the face, have an
open pasture with your has at your at your side, lean slightly toward the
customer, maintain eye contact while the customer is speaking and relax.
These subtle but effective cues will show the customer you are paying
attention and concerned about their problem.
These fivesteps can bebroken downinto andeasy to rememberacronym S.O.L.E.R
 Squarely face the person….signals you are interesting and giving
full attention
 Open your posture…shoulder and head up
 Lean towards the sender…your attention focused
 Eye contact maintained…looking away only occasionally
 Relax while attending…shows you are in a position to help
S.O.L.E.R in action
A pregnant woman comes into the hospital; her body language and facial
expressions show stress, frustration, and even some fear. Your shift is ending in
five minutes and need to secure confidential patient information. You have dealt
with a number of interruptions already. You lower your head and hope the
customer goes elsewhere. The customer abruptly interrupts and says, “I know
you are just a volunteer, so can you get someone who can help me?” Without
looking up, you hold up a hand and say, “Welcome to the hospital. I will be with
you in a moment.”
What Not to Do
In the scenario above none of the S.O.L.E.R steps were followed

9. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 9
 Squarely face the person….Thevolunteer never faces the customer.
 Open your posture…Thevolunteer hunched over so customer would
go pass.
 Lean towards the sender…Thevolunteer’s body was leaning toward
the task not the customer.
 Eye contact maintained… The volunteer did not make eye contact.
 Relax while attending…the volunteer’s appeared defensiveand
indifferent.
What you should do
A pregnant woman comes into the hospital; her body language and facial
expressions show stress, frustration, and even some fear. Your shift is ending in
five minutes and need to secure confidential patient information. You quickly and
carefully put away the patient information. You make eye contact with the
customer while walking up to her. Before she has a chance to say anything you
smile and say, “Welcome to the hospital. How may I help you?”
The scenario above illustrates how to follow the S.O.L.E.R steps.
 Squarely face the person….Thevolunteer never faces the customer.
 Open your posture…Thevolunteer is walking toward the customer.
 Lean towards the sender…Thevolunteer’s body is leaning toward the
customer.
 Eye contact maintained…The volunteer makes eye contact while
interacting with the customer.
 Relax while attending…The volunteer smiles and greets the customer.
Learning Activity

10. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 10
By remembering S.O.L.E.R, you can adopt an active listening approach with all
customers.
Write down an example of actively listening?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________

11. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 11
Quiz
Multiple Choice: Place letter of correct active listening answer in the blank.
1._____A man comes into the hospital walking very fast and looking flustered
and begins to speak very fast. How do you respond to show that you are
listening?
a. Ask him to slow down.
b. Face him and allow him to finish
c. Mentally prepare a rebuttal.
3.______A customer asks for directions while you are looking up patience’s room
number.
a. Looking your cell phone while giving the customer directions.
b. Stop what you are doing and focus on the customer
c. Ask the customer to wait while you finish.

12. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 12
Three: Determining Customer’s Needs
Asking the right question
Although there are numerous reasons for asking questions the information
we receive back (the answer) will depend very much on the type of question
we ask.
Questions, in their simplest
form, can either be open or
closed - this page covers both
types but also details many
other question types.
Below are some different
types of questioning a
volunteer might use when
trying to understand the
needs and concerns of a
client.
 Leading Questions:Used to guide the customer in a persuasive
manner.
Examples: “Would you like to talk aboutit?” “Whathappened then?”
Could you tell me more?”
 Open-endedQuestionsto expand the discussion: Lead with: How?
What? Where? Who? Which?
Examples: “How may I help you?” “Which departmentdo you need?”
“Where do you wantto go?”
 Closed-endedQuestions promptsone-word reply usually yes/no:
Lead with: “Is? Will? Are? Do? Did? Can? Could? Would? Where?
Who?”

13. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 13
Examples: “Do you need help? Can I get you anything? Who do you
need to see?”
 ReflectiveQuestions help people understand moreabout whatis
said.
Examples: “It seems like you need help finding a department? You
are saying you have an appointmentwith MRI? You mean the car is in
the blue garage?”
 “Why” Questions: Avoid leading with these questions they tend to
make people defensive.
Examples: “Why do you wantthat department? Why do you need to
see the patient? Why are you here?”
Learning Activity
Write down your own example of a leading question.
_____________________________________________________________
Write down your own example of an open-ended question.
Write down your own example of a reflective question.
Write down your own example of a closed-ended question.
_____________________________________________________________

14. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 14
Quiz
Multiple Choice: Placeletter of correctopen or closed question in the
blank.
1. How may I help you?
a. open question b. closed question
2. Do you need assistancefinding to MRI?
a. open question b. closedquestion
3. What brings you to the hospital today?
a. open question b. closed question
Multiple Choice: Questions beginning with is, do, and, how will give one
word responses.
Write the letter of four other words thatencourage one-word responses in
this space_________.
a. yes, I, am, who b. today, who, no, why
c. who, so, for, more d. would, where, who, will
Multiple choice: On thespace below choosethe correct reason starting a
question with “why” should beavoided. _________.
a. “why” questions aretoo broad b. “why” questions may be
misinterpreted
c. “why” questions maybeclosed d. “why” questions aretoo positive

15. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 15
Four: Building Rapport
Standards of behavior for volunteers
At the hospital, customerexcellence is a key strategic focus.
Everyone has worked togetherto
develop the five behavior standards
after which to modeldaily actions.
The standards uphold the Pillars of
Excellence.Each month, the entire
workforce focuses on improving one
standard. Standards are tied to
annual performance reviews.
5 Standardsof Behavior
Honor the dignity and worthof each
person
 Recognize and respectyour customer’s individualneeds
Show care and consideration
 Accept customer’s needs as your own responsibility
Buildtrusting relationships
 Guarantee privacy and confidentiality
Exceedcustomer’s expectations
 Ensuresafe, high quality service
Add value to customer interaction
 Ask your customer if all their needs have been met
Learning Activity

16. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 16
Pick one of the Five Standards of Behavior. Write a example of how it may affect
customer interaction.
Standard of Behavior______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Pick one of the Five Standards of Behavior. Write a example of how it may affect
customer interaction.
Standard of Behavior______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Soft Skills in Hospital Setting

17. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 17
Interpersonalskills arethe life skills we use every day to communicate and
interact with other people, both individually and in groups. People who
have worked on developing strong
interpersonalskills are usually more
successfulin both their professional
and personallives.
By observing others - making a
conscious effort to understand how
communication occurs - you will think
about how you communicate and be
more aware of the messages you send
1. Verbal Communication…. What and how something’s said
2. Assertiveness…Communicating your needs and wants
3. ProblemSolving…Identify, define and solve issues
4. Listening Skills …interpret verbal and non-verbal messages from others
5. Negotiation…Working to find mutually agreeable outcome
6. Non-verbal Communications…Bodylanguage
Learning Activity
Write a brief scenario where you use at least three interpersonal skills

18. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 18
Quiz
Multiple Choice: Place letter of correct interpersonal skill answer in the blank. Write one
sentence explaining your choice.
1. _____After noticing a man standing in the middle of the breezeway looking around.
you ask to help him. He says yes.
a. Verbal Communication
b. Non-Verbal Communication
c. Decision Making
d. Listening Skills
2. ______ A volunteer is assign
to the front desk until new hospital staff comes on duty. A customer has an
appointment on the third floor, but needs wheelchair assistance.
a. Verbal Communication
b. Non-Verbal Communication
c. Decision Making
d. Listening Skills
Multiple Choice: Place letter of correct interpersonal skill answer in the blank. Write one
sentence explaining your choice.
1. _____Make sure all customer needs have been met by asking, “Is there anything
else I can do for you/”
a. Honor the dignity and worth of
each person
b. Show care and consideration
c. Add value to customer interaction
d. Exceed customer’s expectations
2. _____Ensure safe and high quality service
a. Honor the dignity and worth of each
person
b. Show care and consideration
c. Add value to customer interaction
d. Exceed customer’s expectation
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

19. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 19
Five: Maintaining Rapport
Objective: Applying steps to positive customer relationship
Maintain Positive Customer Relationships
So once you have established rapportwith a guest, how do you maintain it?
As long as the guest finds you the volunteer to be trustworthy, genuinely
concerned about his or her needs, desires and goals, and is able to continue
having open and honest communication, the rapportbetween you and the
customer should be maintained.
Learning Activity
The steps to maintaining rapportwith customer
1. Establishing rapport
2. Identify customer’s needs
3. Make customer feel valued
4. Interacting positively with customer

20. Washington, Soft Skills for the Hospital Volunteer 20
Quiz
Read the scenario.
A woman is entering the hospital with a cane. Upon seeing the customer,
the volunteer provide the standard greeting, “Welcome to the hospital.
How may I help you?” The woman asks for the physicaltherapy
department. The volunteer has offered to take her. They chat pleasantly
while walking to the department. Before leaving, the volunteer tells the
woman “Call the front desk if you need any help getting to your car.” The
woman smiles and thanks the volunteer.
Circle the four steps to positive customer relationship illustrated in the
scenario.
a. Maintain ongoing relationship
b. Establishing rapport
c. Identify customer’s needs
d. Make customer feel valued
e. Handle different types of customers
f. Interacting positively withcustomer