TABLE 3.

Themes and subthemes identified from advice to students and dietetic educators to improve communication skills when consulting via telehealth.

Theme	Subtheme
1. Non-verbal communication is more difficult using telehealth	1.1 Non-verbal communication is important
	1.2 Focus on upper body gestures, in particular eye contact
2. Adapt verbal communication for telehealth	2.1 Use strategies to facilitate engagement
	2.2 Rapport building is more difficult online
	2.3 Ensure speech is clear with pauses to not speak over clients
	2.4 Continue to focus on elements that are not unique to telehealth
3.Establish an optimal telehealth environment	3.1 Ensure technology is working
	3.2 Create an ideal environment with minimal distractions
	3.3 Use online tools to maximize communication
4. Telehealth specific preparation	4.1 Provide sufficient training for students in telehealth
	4.2 Practice using telehealth
	4.3 Consider ways to provide real-time feedback and opportunities for students to reflect on performance to improve practice
5. Assessing via telehealth	5.1 Beneficial setting to assess and complements in person assessment
	5.2 Logistics to ensure assessable telehealth environment
	5.3 Standardized and clear assessment tools are required