3. Use the terms they are using. “Not everyone is ready to hear the words ‘death’ and ‘dying,’” Balasek said. If your client is saying her husband’s daughter “passed away,” then you use that phrase too.
4. Listen to learn and understand. It’s important to stop talking sometimes and hear what the client is saying. “Listen with the intent of where they are, understanding what they are going through and then work on connecting the dots of where we can open a further conversation.”
5. Embrace silence. Silence is golden. Breaks in a conversation help clients process, think, respond and hold a memory. "Trust me, this has taken over their whole world, and so, we want to pace it slow.”
Balasek cautioned against the temptation of communicating with a grieving client on Facebook or LinkedIn. “The No. 1 thing to do is to call them and, second, nothing replaces the handwritten note,” she said. “Honor your clients, friends and family with 15 minutes of your time and write a personal note. You can conclude it with a next step, such as ‘I will reach out to you in two weeks’ or ‘I am dropping by dinner next week.’”