Paying Attention to the Unspoken: How to Read Between the Lines

When managing a claim, it’s important to approach policy holders with empathy, understand that they are under duress, and make them feel as comfortable as possible when we ask them for details.

Sometimes it can be challenging for a policy holder to “open up” right away, when they are under an extreme amount of stress – which is why it’s important to pay attention to the unspoken, or “read between the lines."

When I’m seeking information, I find that it’s often best to ask a simple, open-ended question that invites a plethora of information. For example, asking a policy holder to “tell me about the incident” can invite a lot of conversation; and while the policy holder speaks, it’s important for me to remain silent, read the policy holder’s body

language, and let them talk it out. When the policy holder stops talking, I just prompt them to “continue,” while I carry on with my observations.

Oftentimes, the most accurate rendition of events is more easily remembered than the misconceptions that can crop up when someone is experiencing a high level of stress. This is because we are chemically programmed to remember the “bare bones” of what happened better than the details our minds may come up with to “fill in the blanks” while we’re under pressure.

Important Indicators:

When people are recalling “real” events, they glance to the left (where memories are stored in the brain). Conversely, when they glance to the right, they’re being creative, which usually happens when someone is nervous and feeling like they have to “fill in the blanks” (even when it’s not necessary).

If policy holders can’t look at me directly while they are speaking, it’s usually a sign that they are uncomfortable; and this triggers my instinct to be as gentle as possible by simply asking a few more questions in a different way, to get a better handle on what happened.

When people stand with their arms folded, this is a sign that they feel like they have to guard something. They may be feeling nervous, which makes them less “open.” If this is the case, I just wait for the policy holder to drop his or her arms. I would never mention anything to policy holders about their body language; however I will change my line of questioning, to encourage the most accurate version of the story to emerge from our conversation.

We never want policy holders to feel like the truth of their story is being questioned, because that is not our purpose. We are here to make them feel at ease, and comfortable throughout the claims process.

We are not here to judge policy holders. We are here to listen to everything they have to say, and believe them. We walk into a claim situation with an open mind, and we trust the insureds. We trust that they are telling us the details of the incident in the best way they can, and we want them to trust us to help them recover their loss.

If policy holders hesitate to tell us everything that happened because they are nervous or intimidated, our ability to assist them becomes limited – and this is why we must pay attention to the unspoken. After an incident many people are scared, and they tend to feel like they have to protect themselves; but we are not the enemy. We are here to help, and we want policy holders to feel supported.

When my instincts tell me to pay attention to the unspoken (and ask a few more questions), I am not doing this to corner the policy holder; my intention is to simply uncover the accuracies that will put us on the best path to recovering what has been lost after an incident.

In order to truly help the policy holder (and work in the best interests of our brokerage partners + insurance carriers), it’s important to unearth all the details – and this can only be done by interviewing everyone in a gentle manner. Oftentimes, paying attention to the unspoken while comforting the policy holder is a vital component to delivering the best claim experience possible for all parties involved.

Article by
Antonella I. Di Salvo
Executive Adjudicator for DSB Claims
A Commissioner for the Province of Ontario