PARAPHRASING
Paraphrasing is one of the most valuable and least used communication tools. Even people who naturally and skillfully paraphrase in one-on-one settings often neglect this vital behavior during group interactions. It is a basic tool for illuminating thought and challenging misconceptions.
Try this experiment. Paraphrase, and then ask a question. Do this several times. Now ask questions without preceding them with paraphrases. Since a well-crafted paraphrase communicates, “I am trying to understand you—and therefore, I value what you have to say” and establishes a relationship between people and ideas, questions preceded by paraphrases will be perceived similarly. Questions by themselves, no matter how artfully constructed, put a degree of psychological distance between the asker and the asked. Paraphrasing aligns the parties and creates a safe environment for thinking.
Mediational paraphrases reflect the speaker’s content and the speaker’s emotions about the content and frame a logical level for holding the content. The paraphrase reflects content back to the speaker for further consideration and connects that response to the flow of discourse emerging within the group. Such paraphrasing creates permission to probe for details and elaboration. Without the paraphrase, probing may be perceived as interrogation.
The Structure and Flow of Effective Paraphrasing
Listen and observe carefully to calibrate the content and emotions of the speaker.
Signal your intention to paraphrase. This is done by modulating intonation with the use of an approachable voice and by opening with a reflective stem. Such stems put the focus and emphasis on the speaker’s ideas, not on the paraphraser’s interpretation of those ideas.
For example, reflective paraphrases should not use the pronoun “I.” The phrase “What I think I hear you saying...” signals to many speakers that their thoughts no longer matter and that the paraphraser is now going to insert his or her own ideas into the conversation.
The following paraphrase stems signal that a paraphrase is coming: You’re suggesting...
You’re proposing... So, what you’re wondering... So, you are thinking... Um, you’re pondering on the effects of... So, your hunch is.
Acknowledge & Clarify: A brief statement in the listener's own words
Metaphorically: a mirror
• You’re concerned about...
• You would like to see...
• You’re feeling bad about..
Summarize & Organize: A statement that offers themes or containers
Metaphorically: baskets or boxes
• You seem to have two goals here: one is about ____ and the other is about ____.
• We seem to be struggling with three themes: where to ____, how to ____, and who should ____.
• On the one hand, we ____, and on the other, we ____.
Shift Level of Abstraction
A statement that shifts the conversation to a higher or lower level of abstraction
Metaphorically: an elevator or escalator
Shifting up:
• value
• belief
• goal
• assumption
• concept
• category
• intention
Shifting down:
• example
• non-example
• strategy
• choice
• action
• option
Paraphrasing is one of the most valuable and least used communication tools. Even people who naturally and skillfully paraphrase in one-on-one settings often neglect this vital behavior during group interactions. It is a basic tool for illuminating thought and challenging misconceptions.
Try this experiment. Paraphrase, and then ask a question. Do this several times. Now ask questions without preceding them with paraphrases. Since a well-crafted paraphrase communicates, “I am trying to understand you—and therefore, I value what you have to say” and establishes a relationship between people and ideas, questions preceded by paraphrases will be perceived similarly. Questions by themselves, no matter how artfully constructed, put a degree of psychological distance between the asker and the asked. Paraphrasing aligns the parties and creates a safe environment for thinking.
Mediational paraphrases reflect the speaker’s content and the speaker’s emotions about the content and frame a logical level for holding the content. The paraphrase reflects content back to the speaker for further consideration and connects that response to the flow of discourse emerging within the group. Such paraphrasing creates permission to probe for details and elaboration. Without the paraphrase, probing may be perceived as interrogation.
The Structure and Flow of Effective Paraphrasing
Listen and observe carefully to calibrate the content and emotions of the speaker.
Signal your intention to paraphrase. This is done by modulating intonation with the use of an approachable voice and by opening with a reflective stem. Such stems put the focus and emphasis on the speaker’s ideas, not on the paraphraser’s interpretation of those ideas.
For example, reflective paraphrases should not use the pronoun “I.” The phrase “What I think I hear you saying...” signals to many speakers that their thoughts no longer matter and that the paraphraser is now going to insert his or her own ideas into the conversation.
The following paraphrase stems signal that a paraphrase is coming: You’re suggesting...
You’re proposing... So, what you’re wondering... So, you are thinking... Um, you’re pondering on the effects of... So, your hunch is.
Acknowledge & Clarify: A brief statement in the listener's own words
Metaphorically: a mirror
• You’re concerned about...
• You would like to see...
• You’re feeling bad about..
Summarize & Organize: A statement that offers themes or containers
Metaphorically: baskets or boxes
• You seem to have two goals here: one is about ____ and the other is about ____.
• We seem to be struggling with three themes: where to ____, how to ____, and who should ____.
• On the one hand, we ____, and on the other, we ____.
Shift Level of Abstraction
A statement that shifts the conversation to a higher or lower level of abstraction
Metaphorically: an elevator or escalator
Shifting up:
• value
• belief
• goal
• assumption
• concept
• category
• intention
Shifting down:
• example
• non-example
• strategy
• choice
• action
• option