TIPS
- Limit the number of home visit team members to six, including the guide and interpreter. If at all possible avoid forming groups that are composed of only one sex.
- In between visits help the secretary recall and record important information. Afterwards, give her time to share information about the next person to visit.
- While walking to homes avoid being excessively loud, joking around, horseplay, or anything that would draw unnecessary attention or give the impression that the team is not involved in something to be taken seriously.
- Show common courtesy in the way you are dressed. Shorts are not usually a good idea for home visits. Take off your sunglasses while speaking to people.
- Most homes you visit will have limited space. It’s alright to leave “non-speaking” members of the visit team outside if necessary.
- There will be few places to sit. Although you might think it nobler to refuse a seat and choose to stand, it is important that as many of your team members as possible take a seat if one is offered, even if this means the person you are visiting must stand. This is especially true of the one(s) that will be speaking directly with the person being visited. There are two main reasons for this:
- your host will be embarrassed about not having adequate seating if you refuse to sit down
- if you are standing and the host is seated, it puts you in a threatening position as you tower over them.
- As you are being seated, make sure that the interpreter is NOT positioned BETWEEN the speaker and the one spoken to, but rather is standing behind or sitting directly beside the speaker. The reason for this is to avoid causing the listener to “ping-pong” their head as they first listen to the witness and then have to turn their head the opposite direction to face the interpreter for the translation. You want them to be able to easily look in the same direction at all times.
- Usually the visit is set with one specific individual, but when you arrive there may be several people present. Don’t ignore the other’s presence, but focus the message solely on the one person you came to visit. There are a lot of reasons for this, but the main ones are:
- this preserves important eye contact with the person you came to visit
- this person is the one that requested the visit and is interested in what you have to say. If this person has a specific need, it may be ignored if others are included
- During the presentation others may choose to leave or have no choice but to leave for an appointment
- When others don’t feel compelled to stay they are more likely to let down their guard and find themselves listening to you
- Respect the interpreter’s evaluation of a situation and any suggestions she may give you. Even if she says, “I think we need to leave, NOW!” you must be ready to trust her judgment, regardless of how you think the visit is going.
- If the visit gets railroaded away from you in the other language, just pray and ask your interpreter to fill you in on what’s happening. If a national in the group persists in sidetracking your visits, you need to talk to the interpreter, pastor, or missionary to resolve the problem.
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