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From: Lynne Shields
Date: 21 Oct 2011
Time: 10:16:21 -0500
Remote Name: 68.188.68.2
Alan, Thank you for your kind words. And, to answer your question, YES, I think it is very important to guide clients to focus on their achievements. It is an important vehicle for people to begin to change the way they think about their communicative abilities. In fact, when a client walks in and starts off by telling me a negative communicative experience over the previous week (I forgot to do "x", or I stuttered really badly at school....), once that has been reflected on, I then ask them to tell me about a communicative success. Focusing on the positives has an empowering effect; it helps to promote a cognitive shift in the way a person thinks about his or her speaking abilities, as you pointed out so clearly. Thanks, Alan! Lynne