The Encounter Process Explained

Since I will be faced with the Obstacle Course wherever I go, it is extremely helpful to have a process for dealing with it.

In the diagram to the right, I illustrate the work done in the three steps of the Encounter Process where client contact is involved (the person with the M-shaped body is me!)

In the Engage step, the initial barriers to communication are broken down and an agreement is reached for how to run the encounter. The Do step is the core of the meeting, where I explore the clients’ concerns and try to work out a solution with them. Finally, in the Check step, I tackle the Hurry Monster so that we can take the time to consolidate our work and agree to the next steps.

To these steps, I add Prepare and Follow Up, where I look after pre- and post-meeting work. The result is a five-step process, as shown in the diagram below.

As mentioned, all five steps are needed, and the order of the process must be followed. Experience shows that when an encounter goes wrong and a post-mortem is performed (metaphorically speaking), problems can often be traced back to process steps that have been skipped.

Here are some details on each of the steps:

• Prepare
• Engage
• Do
• Check
• Follow Up

NEXT

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More about The Encounter Process:

• The Encounter Process top
• The Encounter is a Theory We Use
• Challenge example: it isn’t just about relationships – process matters too
• Challenge example: jumping ahead too quickly
• The Obstacle Course
• The Encounter Process explained
• Prepare step of the Encounter Process
• Engage step of the Encounter Process
• Do step of the Encounter Process
• Check step of the Encounter Process
• Follow Up step of the Encounter Process
• The Encounter Process in brief

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