Although it's risky and hard, seek first to understand, or diagnose before you prescribe, is a correct principle manifest in many areas of life. It's the mark of all true professionals. It's critical for the optometrist, it's critical for the physician. You wouldn't have any confidence in a doctor's prescription unless you had confidence in the diagnosis.

When our daughter Jenny was only two months old, she was sick one Saturday, the day of a football game in our community that dominated the consciousness of almost everyone. It was an important game-some 60,000 people were there. Sandra and I would like to have gone, but we didn't want to leave little Jenny. Her vomiting and diarrhea had us concerned.

The doctor was at that game. He wasn't our personal physician, but he was the one on call. When Jenny's situation got worse, we decided we needed some medical advice.

Sandra dialed the stadium and had him paged. It was right at a critical time in the game, and she could sense an officious tone in his voice. "Yes?" he said briskly. "What is it?"

"This is Mrs. Covey, Doctor, and we're concerned about our daughter, Jenny."

"What's the situation?" he asked.

Sandra described the symptoms, and he said, "Okay. I'll call in a prescription. Which is your pharmacy?"

When she hung up, Sandra felt that in her rush she hadn't really given him full data, but that what she had told him was adequate.

"Do you think he realizes that Jenny is just a newborn?" I asked her.

"I'm sure he does," Sandra replied.

"But he's not our doctor. He's never even treated her."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he knows."

"Are you willing to give her the medicine unless you're absolutely sure he knows?"

Sandra was silent. "What are we going to do?" she finally said.

"Call him back," I said.

"You call him back," Sandra replied.

So I did. He was paged out of the game once again. "Doctor," I said, "when you called in that prescription, did you realize that Jenny is just two months old?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "I didn't realize that. It's good you called me back. I'll change the prescription immediately."

If you don't have (A)confidence in the diagnosis, you won't have confidence in the prescription. This principle is also true in sales. An effective sales person first seeks to understand the needs, the concerns, the situation of the customer. The amateur salesman sells (    ア    ); the professional sells (    イ    ). It's a totally different approach. The professional learns how to diagnose, how to understand. He also learns how to relate (    ウ    ). And, he has to have the integrity to say, "My product or service will not meet that need" if it will not.

注
• optometrist: 検眼士
• prescription: 処方
• diagnosis: 診断
• vomiting: 嘔吐
• diarrhea: 下痢
• page: 呼び出す
• officious: 横柄な
• briskly: ぶっきらぼうに

• 問1. 本文の内容と一致するものを2つ選び、その記号を答えなさい。
  • (a) 電話で医師と話したとき伝え忘れたことがあったかと思ったが、医師は分かっていた。
  • (b) フットボール場の医師に電話で連絡をして、娘の状態を話して薬を処方してもらった。
  • (c) 娘の具合が悪かったので、かかりつけの医師に電話をして薬を処方してもらった。
  • (d) 娘の具合が悪かったので、フットボールの試合に行くことをあきらめた。
  • (e) 娘の具合は良くなかったが、医師に連絡してからフットボール場に出かけた。
• 問2. 本文の内容と一致するものを2つ選び、その記号を答えなさい。
  • (a) 調査して考えているばかりではことが進まないので、恐れずに果敢に実践することが必要だ。
  • (b) プロの営業マンは、自分の扱う商品が客の求めに合致していない場合には、そのことを客に告げて、無理に売ろうとはしない。
  • (c) まず最初に「理解」し、次に「診断」して、最後に「処方」するという3段階で進めることが重要だ。
  • (d) まず第一に理解することが必要だ、という原則はさまざまな分野に共通して適用可能である。
  • (e) 問題点の理解は試行錯誤によって進むので、「診断」と「処方」の繰り返しによって一歩一歩進むことが大切だ。
• 問3. 下線部Aのconfidence in the diagnosisのためにCovey夫妻がしたことは何か。20字～30字の日本語で答えなさい。
• 問4. 筆者は、本文中のCovey夫妻と医師とのやりとりにどのような役割をもたせているか。適切なものを1つ選び、その記号を答えなさい。
  • (a) 十分な情報がなければ正しい診断を下すことができず、適切な治療ができないことを例に、十分な情報に基づく診断の大切さを述べようとしている。
  • (b) 電話での会話であったために医師と患者との間のコミュニケーションがうまくいかなかった例として挙げて、コミュニケーションに必要な要件を説明する導入にしている。
  • (c) 夫婦の間での意思疎通がうまくいかなかった例として挙げ、意思疎通をうまくやって人間関係を円滑にする技術を述べよう としている。
  • (d) 娘の急病であわててしまい十分な情報を提供することができずに混乱した体験を紹介して、冷静な情報伝達の秘けつを述べようとしている。
• 問5. 空所( ア )～( ウ )にはそれぞれ次の3つのいずれかが入る。各空所に入るものの記号を答えなさい。
  • (a) people's needs to his products and services
  • (b) products
  • (c) solutions to needs and problems
• 問6. 次の(a)、(b)2つの会話の中から、'diagnose before you prescribe'という原理に則しているものを選び、その記号をすべて書きなさい。ひとつもない場合は「なし」と書きなさい。

  • (a) "Put these on," he says. "I've worn this pair of glasses for ten years now and they've really helped me. I have an extra pair at home; you can wear these."

    So you put them on, but it only makes the problem worse.

    "This is terrible!" you exclaim. "I can't see a thing!"

    "Well, what's wrong?" he asks. "They work great for me. Try harder."

    "I am trying," you insist. "Everything is a blur"

    "Well, what's the matter with you? Think positively."

    "Okay. I positively can't see a thing."

    "Boy, are you ungrateful!" he chides. "And after all I've done to help you!"

    （注
    • blur: ぼやけた状態
    • chide: たしなめる）
    (Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

  • (b) "Come on, honey, tell me how you feel. I know it's hard, but I'll try to understand."

    "Oh, I don't know, Mom. You'd think it was stupid."

    "Of course I wouldn't! You can tell me. Honey, no one cares for you as much as I do. I'm only interested in your welfare. What's making you so unhappy?"

    "Oh, I don't know."

    "Come on, honey. What is it?"

    "Well, to tell you the truth, I just don't like school anymore."

    "What?" you respond incredulously. "What do you mean you don't like school? And after all the sacrifices we've made for your education! Education is the foundation of your future. If you'd apply yourself like your older sister does, you'd do better and then you'd like school. Time and time again, we've told you to settle down. You've got the ability, but you just don't apply yourself. Try harder. Get a positive attitude about it."

    （注
    • incredulously: 疑うように）
    (Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)