BETTER Health &
Wellbeing
Professionals
Ask BETTER
Questions
Lindsay Tighe & Heather-Jane Gray
2013
BETTER HEALTH & WELLBEING PROFESSIONALS ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
© Lindsay Tighe & Heather-Jane Gray, 2013
First published 2013
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-1827-8
All materials contained in this book are the copyrighted property of Lindsay Tighe. To reproduce, republish, post, modify, distribute or display material from this publication, you must first obtain written permission from the author at: [email protected]
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Tighe, Lindsay, 1963–author.
Title: Better health & wellbeing professionals ask better questions / Lindsay Tighe, Heather-Jane Gray.
Subjects: Medical personnel and patient.
Patient satisfaction.
Communication – Psychological aspects.
Questioning.
Other Authors/Contributors: Gray, Heather-Jane, author.
Dewey Number: 610.696
Dedication
Thank you to the humble question mark for inspiring us – to inspire others – about the topic of asking Better Questions. We are eternally grateful.
To Health & Wellbeing Professionals everywhere – you do an amazing job!
Acknowledgements
There are too many people to thank personally, but I particularly want to mention my wonderful husband Michael who always supports and encourages me; you are my rock. Thanks also to my caring and supportive family who have always loved and believed in me, lovely Tina for her beautiful and inspiring presence in my life and tireless effort to help me spread the word about Better Questions, and also to Heather-Jane for her positivity, warmth, encouragement and belief in the message. To all the other wonderful people I know, thank you for being such a special part of my life.
Lindsay Tighe
A big THANKS to everyone in my life, especially my family, friends and colleagues. I really appreciate your unconditional love and encouragement on life’s fascinating journey.
Your great questions help my lifelong learning and inspire me to become the best person I can be.
Special thanks to the ‘collective genius’ of the Synergy Global Leadership Team (SGLT). Also to the lovely Lindsay, our Strategic Partner, without whom the Better Questions series wouldn’t exist.
To quote Marcel Proust (French Author and Critic, 1871–1922):
“Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
Heather-Jane Gray
About the Authors
Lindsay Tighe is a successful coach, trainer, mentor, public speaker and a published author. Growing up in the UK, she was inspired to travel by her uncle who lived and worked overseas, resulting in her settling in Australia in 1996. Lindsay’s first career in financial services spanned 22 years, during which time she developed a real passion for working with, motivating and developing people. In 2002, Lindsay was awarded an MBA (Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Sydney) and she considers herself a life-long learner, maintaining a philosophy that the results you get in life start with you. It was around this time that Lindsay decided that she wanted to spread her wings and make a bigger contribution in the world, so she gave up the corporate life to start her own business – which, she says, was one of the best decisions she ever made. Work for Lindsay is a real joy and a pleasure. She feels extremely fortunate and privileged to work with so many amazing people.
Lindsay attributes her success to listening to her intuition and following her inner guidance, something she has done from a very young age. When she met her husband to be, Michael, at age 17, she had no hesitation in marrying him at age 18, trusting that he was absolutely the man of her dreams; 31 years later she is still extremely happily married and describes Michael as the ‘love of her life’. They love to spend as much time together as they can and adore their two Cocker Spaniel dogs, Wilson and Becky.
Heather-Jane Gray is an Effectiveness Consultant, Change Facilitator and Executive Coach, who is passionate about making the world a better place. She understands that ‘Socratic Questioning’ is a great approach to empower people and improve communication – individually and across teams/organisations. She holds several post-grad qualifications in health and business management, including her RN, an International MBA (Henley Business School, Reading University, UK) and a Harkness Fellowship, researching ‘Values-based Leadership & Cultural Change’ (Haas Business School, UC Berkeley, USA). She’s also an author, speaker and the Chief Executive of Synergy Global (www.synergy-global.com).
For over 30 years, Heather-Jane’s had the privilege of helping leaders in health, social care and business to lead change more effectively. She shares a passion for questioning and empowerment – ensuring that everyone’s time, skill and energy (three key resources) are used to best effect in fulfilling their potential.
Heather-Jane loved her ‘Bedpans to Boardrooms’ health career – nursing in all clinical areas, through to being a Chief Executive and Policy Analyst in the UK National Health Service (NHS). She then travelled extensively as an International Health Strategist and Consultant, before settling in Melbourne, Australia seven years ago, with her husband Nick. She’s blessed with good health, an amazing extended family of friends, and has four lovely daughters who are very good at questioning (Clare, Emma, Rachel and Hannah) – plus two special grandsons (Louis and Sam).
What people say about this book
“A practical, easy to read book, exploring the benefits of developing personal effectiveness through asking better questions. An essential read for any healthcare professional who wishes to enhance their practice – empowering both patients and colleagues.”
Alasdair G Miller, Dental Postgraduate Dean, NHS South West & President elect 2014, British Dental Association (BDA)
“Thanks for bringing more consciousness to communication! I’ve learned a great deal and have been implementing many of the strategies already. This is an excellent book for those wanting to empower through insight and understanding – themselves, their clients, plus the Health & Wellbeing Profession.”
Scott Billings, Japanese Acupuncturist, Senior Lecturer at the Australian Shiatsu College, VIC, AUS
“I’ve lost count of the times clients return for a review of their injury and report their symptoms are no better. When in fact things are improved, however the client has failed to recognise this. Using the skills outlined in this book it is imperative we illicit the most accurate information from our clients so we can tailor our management plans to that individual at that point in time.”
Rob Brandham, APA Sports Physiotherapist, MPhysio (Sports), Director, St Kilda Road Sports & Physiotherapy Centre, VIC, AUS
“What an inspiring read! This wonderful book enables one to realise that by stepping back you enable and empower your clients to take more control of