Menu Technique

OET Speaking: The ‘Menu Technique’

 

Clinical communication skills are essential for healthcare professionals to effectively communicate with patients, colleagues, and other stakeholders in a healthcare setting.

Providing Structure is one of the criteria that is judged when you do your speaking test. It involves presenting your ideas in a clear and logical manner to ensure that your communication is easy to follow and understand.

Additionally, providing structure reassures patients that you know what you are doing and where the conversation is likely to lead.

One of the key aspects of providing structure is C1: Sequencing the Interview Purposefully & Logically. With this in mind, and also noting that this affects C3: Using Organising Techniques in Explanations (Categorising), the ‘Menu Technique’ is a very valuable technique, which can be used in most speaking tasks.

Check out the following dialogue. Is there something missing?

Nurse: Hi my name is Sarah and I am a nurse here at the community health centre. Can I just confirm your name? Patient: Mrs Sheila Edwards. Nurse: Hi. Is it ok if I call you Sheila? Patient: Yes, that’s fine. Nurse: Ok, Sheila. I can see from the notes that your GP has requested that I provide you with some advice on changes to your diabetes treatment. Is that correct? Patient: Yes. That’s correct. Nurse: We need to change the way we administer your medication because currently, the medication you are taking is not controlling your blood sugar levels. Is that clear so far?  Patient: Err … Yes.

 

What’s missing is the clear signposting of what is to come in the discussion. The menu technique enables you to do this, by combining two different aspects of the conversation in one signpost, using language from the below table:

 

Firstly,	We can	discuss	topic	and	then	discuss	topic
To begin,	I’d like to	go through				go through
	Why don’t we	cover				cover
		explain				I can explain
		give you				I can give you

 

 

By using this table, we can make phrases such as:

• Firstly, we can discuss…………. and then go through…………….. How does that sound?
• To begin, I’d like to go through …………… and then cover……………… How does that sound?
• Firstly, why don’t we cover ………….. and then I can explain …………….. How does that sound?

 

Look at the dialogue now, with a ‘menu technique’ phrase in. The flow of the conversation is better and the patient understands what the situation is much more clearly:

Nurse: Hi my name is Sarah and I am a nurse here at the community health centre. Can I just confirm your name? Patient: Mrs Sheila Edwards. Nurse: Hi. Is it ok if I call you Sheila? Patient: Yes, that’s fine. Nurse: Ok, Sheila. I can see from the notes that your GP has requested that I provide you with some advice on changes to your diabetes treatment. Is that correct? Patient: Yes. That’s correct. Nurse: OK. Firstly I’d like to go through why we’re making changes, and then I give you some instructions relating to the changes we’re going to make. Is that ok? Patient: That’s sounds fine. Nurse: We need to change the way we administer your medication because currently, the medication you are taking is not controlling your blood sugar levels. Is that clear so far?  Patient: Yes.

You can check out this class in this video: The Menu Technique

You too can make your consultations more structured and have a more natural flow!

Want to watch my video about this? Check here: https://www.facebook.com/SETEnglishTraining/videos/1399588204057782

 

Best of luck!

Paul