R stands for reason: why the patient has come for treatment.
I stands for idea: what the patient thinks is wrong.
C stands for concern: what the patient is worried about.
E stands for expectation: what kind of help the patient hopes the doctor will provide.
This consultation model covers many fields. Each question yields a key piece of information about the other person.
Asking about the reasons can reveal the background they are facing.
Asking about their thoughts can reveal their subjective thinking and judgment,
Asking about their concerns can reveal what matters to them based on their values.
Asking about their expectations can reveal the goals they want to achieve.
Background, thinking, values, and goals make up the four elements for diagnosing the other person's problems. As long as your work involves treating enterprise teams, businesses, products, or other such subjects, you can think of yourself as a doctor and the other party as a patient seeking consultation.
Before the RICE general consultation model, there is another easily overlooked qualifier: people-centeredness. Being people-centered means caring about people and everything they care about. Sometimes, simply showing that you care is enough to solve most of the problem. To them, the doctor in front of them is their last hope. They long for the doctor's treatment plan, but the prerequisite is receiving the doctor's attention, concern, and care. Treatment is not only about curing the illness; it also includes healing the person's heart.
Regardless of who it is, if there is an illness, it must be treated: treat the person first, then the illness. How should it be treated? Start by asking questions. How should you ask? Be people-centered.