Provide appropriate information to others

Clarify and confirm the information

If a client or other team member asks you for information and you don’t have access to reputable information or understand what they are after, be honest in your response to avoid the risk of giving misinformation or steering them in the wrong direction. If this happens, you could respond with, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure about that. Can I find out and get back to you?” If you think the person is asking for advice that you are not qualified to give, you could say, “I’m sorry, that is not within my area of expertise. Would you mind if I asked someone better qualified to help you so that you [get] the best advice?” (Advice Services Alliance n.d.).

If you can locate the relevant information, aim to select the best source – that is, the information that is most accurate and suitable to meet the needs of the team member or client you are working with. Reconsider the original information need. What exactly did the other person want to know? Does the information you found directly answer their questions?

If you are unsure, you may need to seek assistance from an appropriate team member to clarify and confirm the accuracy and suitability of the information. An ‘appropriate’ team member is one with the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to help you make judgements about the accuracy and the suitability of the information.

Remember to use interpersonal skills, such as active listening and suitable questioning techniques to confirm that your interpretation of the information is accurate and that it is suitable to meet the information needs of the client or your team member.

Scenario: Clarify and confirm the accuracy and suitability of the information

Fred recently started his first job as a retail assistant at Wonderful World of Pets. He is still learning about the full range of products they sell and is not yet confident in providing information to customers.

Thankfully, during his induction, he has been assigned a couple of other more experienced staff members who he can call upon for advice if needed.

A customer comes into the store wanting information about helping a bird.

Fred uses questioning to accurately identify the customer’s information needs and confirms that the bird is an adult Eclectus parrot who is over-preening and has lost a lot of its feathers.

Fred decides to do a search online for information about how to help a medium to large bird that is over-preening. The pet store has several websites bookmarked for the staff to draw information from. Fred opens the ‘South Australian Aviaries’ website and finds information about Eclectus parrots. It mentions that enrichment toys are a great help for a bird suffering from over-preening. Fred then turns to his workplace database for stock and filters for enrichment toys by size of bird and species. He picks a certain toy. Fred asks his supervisor to check the item he has chosen on screen.

Fred’s supervisor says “No – that’s for a small bird, such as a budgerigar. These three items are more suitable.” The filtering on the database was not completely accurate. Fred is glad that he clarified and confirmed the accuracy of the information he found before passing it on to the customer.

Fred takes the customer to the enrichment products and picks out the items. The customer thanks Fred for his help and is happy for his bird to try out the couple of toys.

You will need to use your communication skills to provide information to the client or your team member in an appropriate and effective manner.

Providing information appropriately means to share the information in the preferred format, using a professional tone. Providing information effectively means to give the information in a way that allows the other person to fully understand it.

It is important that you provide relevant information on specific animal products and services to others, as requested, in an appropriate format and in a timely manner.

Before providing information, double check to ensure the information you provide is:

• relevant, or suitable, and meets the information needs of the individual receiving it
• concise – does not provide unnecessary and potentially confusing detail
• consistent with the information you have accessed, it is current best practice and adheres to legislation, regulations, standards and codes
• clear – must be provided using language and terminology that the other person can understand.

How to provide information effectively

To share the information effectively, it can be helpful for you to:

• reinforce or repeat information the person has already received, where relevant
• discuss one topic or aspect of the information at a time, to avoid confusion
• provide unbiased information about risks and benefits to allow informed decision-making
• modify your language to ensure the other person understands your meaning clearly
• allow time and opportunity for the client or team member to ask questions to clarify and ensure they have all the necessary information.

Clarity of communication

For clarity, it may be necessary to simplify complicated industry terminology when speaking to clients. You should also consider other barriers to understanding, such as speaking to someone with a hearing impairment or who does not have English as their first language. Try to use terms that you would expect any adult to understand.

Do not bog down the key points of your information in excess detail. Provide succinct information. If the other person wants more detail, they will ask for it.

You can use your interpersonal skills to correctly interpret the other person’s non-verbal cues and gauge the level of someone’s understanding and interest. Based on your perception of their level of understanding and engagement, you can repeat or rephrase the information, provide more detail or move on to your next point.

Review the following video (4:56 min) of Alan Alda, who shares his Three Rules of Three for communicating information clearly.

Appropriate format

Give the information to the client or team member using an appropriate format. There are two broad categories of formats for sharing information – oral and written. Selecting the most appropriate format means choosing the most suitable method for that person and situation.

Ways in which you could give information to others include:

• Orally via:
  • telephone or mobile phone
  • a face-to-face conversation.
• Written via:
  • email
  • hard copy letter, mailed pamphlet or fact sheet, etc
  • SMS.

There are pros and cons to each format, so choose the most suitable for the situation. For example, if a client wants to know all the possible registered emergency veterinary clinics in the area, an email with links to the clinics may be the most suitable format. If a client would like information on a food product, a link to an online brochure from the manufacturer may be the most appropriate.

In most cases, you should use the same format to provide the information as the client or team member used to ask for it. However, there may be times when you would use a different format to provide the information. This may occur when you do not have the information immediately on hand and need to provide it later, after you have sourced it. In these situations, ask the person wanting the information to specify how they would like you to provide it.

Confirm understanding

Once you have provided a person with information – in particular, directions for use – it is important to confirm that they understand these. You could question them directly – for example:

• “Does that information make sense?”
• “Is there anything that is unclear?”
• “Is there any additional information you would like to know?”

Sometimes, people may be embarrassed to admit that they do not understand. When you ask them if they do understand, they may simply reply, “Yes”.

Instead of directly asking if they understand, you could use a ‘teach-back’ strategy. This involves asking the person to explain, accurately and in their own words, their understanding of the information you have provided. For example, you might politely ask them to repeat back to you when and how they will apply a flea and tick product to their dog.

You can also evaluate the client’s knowledge by listening to them discuss how they will use the product. If you identify inaccuracies in anything they say, provide the client with the correct information. This may involve repeating information you have already provided.

To recap, when providing information:

• Ensure the information is consistent with the person’s preferences, requirements and expectations
• Justify your recommendation by providing them with relevant information
• Always ensure the recommendations you make are based on information that is correct.

Timely

When a request has been made to provide information, aim to provide it “at the moment when it is useful, effective or relevant” (Collins n.d.).

In other words, where possible, provide the information when the client or team member asks for it. If you are unable to provide the information in the moment, negotiate an appropriate time frame in which to provide them with the information. Depending on the situation and the nature of the information, the time frame may be 5 minutes or a week.

Regardless of the length of time negotiated, stick to it. If you say you will call a client back in an hour with the information they require, make sure you do. So, when negotiating a time frame, ensure it is achievable for you to source the relevant information within that period!

Document the source of information

When you use the information or provide it to another person, it is important to document the source, or origin, of the information. The information may be handy if you are away and another staff member needs to answer follow-up questions about a product or service details.

Make sure your documentation of the source is:

• accurate
• appropriate
• stored in the correct file or location.

Documenting the source of information:

• creates a record of what information was provided and when
• acknowledges that the information is someone else’s or another organisation’s work, respecting their intellectual property rights
• provides evidence of the information’s reliability
• helps you or others find the resource again, should it need to be accessed in the future.

In most instances, when documenting the source of information, note down the:

1. Title of the article, pamphlet, webpage, etc.
2. URL (online resources), or include a copy or image of the physical resource
3. A brief description of the purpose of the information or the original information need
4. Date the information was provided.

The best method to ensure the accuracy of your documentation is to record the sources as you find and use them. If you remember to document the source at the time of use, you will save yourself time and the hassle of having to go back to look for it later (UNSW Sydney NSW 2022).

Only enter information that is appropriate, such as what food the owner has requested information about and the information you provided. Keep it clear and concise. You do not need to take extensive notes about your interaction with the client or team member.

Every animal care facility will have different methods and technology for recording information. You will need to learn the procedures and systems that relate to your organisation in terms of what information should be recorded, as well as how and where. Clarify and confirm with your supervisor what exactly is required.

Most organisations use computer-based, online software or a mobile application for their record-keeping. A few workplaces may still use a paper-based record keeping system. Always document your notes on the correct file. If you are at all unsure of the requirements relating to recording procedures, systems and technology, discuss these with your supervisor.

Well done! You have now completed the theory for this module. You should now have the skills and knowledge required to source and provide information for animal care needs. You have learned how to:

• identify information requirements
• source information about animal care products
• source information about animal care services
• locate and update individual animal information
• provide animal care information to others
• document the source of information.