The MentorWell · First Conversation Coaching
The Open Door Check
Every manager says their door is open. This is about what happens when someone walks through it.
Someone closes your door. Their son hasn't been to school in two weeks. Or they haven't slept properly in a month. Or they don't think they're coping. What you say first decides whether they're glad they came in.
Most of us have one move we reach for without thinking. We solve it. We point to the EAP. We tell them it'll be fine. We tell them our own story. Every one of those comes from a good place, and every one of them can end the conversation.
Ten situations. Four answers each, none of them the one we'd recommend, so pick the closest to what you'd actually say. If none fit, write your own. The response that keeps them talking comes straight after, and you can judge yours against it.
There's no score. Nobody is grading you.
About four minutes.
Nothing you enter leaves this page. This isn't a performance assessment or a clinical tool. It names a habit, so you can trade it for a better one.
Question 1 of 10
What keeps them talking
How close was yours? Nobody's marking it. You'll know.
Your result
What it looks like
What it costs you
Two swaps
Say this, this week
What you reached for
In your own words
Two things to carry with you
Thank them first. Every response that kept people talking started there. It tells them that bringing this to you was the right call, now and next time.
Be honest about what happens next. You can't promise to keep it secret, so don't try. Promise to be careful with it, and to tell them before you bring anyone else in.
You just read ten responses that keep a conversation going. Nobody remembers ten. Take the one above and use it once this week.
Bring your result to the session. We'll practise it out loud, which is the part that changes anything.
If someone tells you they're not safe, or you're worried about their safety, call or text 9-8-8 any time, in Canada or the US. If someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.