Restatements:

One type of comment that can be said after a person makes a statement is a restatement:

• Paraphrase at the end of a statement and "restate" the comment back to them

• Summarize the last sentence

• Repeat the person's words exactly

Using nonverbal and verbal attending signals:

• Make eye contact and nod your head slightly

• Lean in slightly with sincere interest

• Repeat one word of the last sentence and pause; this will invite the speaker to elaborate on the information

(Swan 1991)

Positive reinforcement

• Acknowledge the merits of a person's achievements

• Make positive comments about the achievements; to help the speaker know you heard what was said

Reflecting feelings

There are many reasons why a person may not be comfortable in certain situations. Folks with more experience may forget this. If someone acknowledges they did not do something well, reflect their feelings by using restatement and ask for them to explain further to provide more details.

• Use restatements to downplay the statement and then ask for details

• Draw attention to where the person acted effectively and move on to another issue

• To ease tension, summarize what has been said to help the conversation flow

• To ease nervousness or shyness, make a few more comments with pauses to provide more time for a relaxed response from the other person

(Bebb, Aldon M. & Others 1969)

Being constructive in active listening

• If discussing a mistake, talk about what can be done to correct it

• Explore ideas that might keep it from happening again

In the Next Section...

The final accomplishment of active listening is to use questions to gather information about common goals and needs to help find a workable solution and reach a consensus about an issue. In the next section some useful questioning techniques are described.