Table 7.2 Understanding the Four Listening Styles
Hopefully, this section has helped you further understand the complexity of listening. We should mention that many people are not just one listening style or another. It’s possible to be a combination of different listening styles. However, some of the listening style combinations are more common. For example, someone who is action-oriented and time-oriented will want the bare-bones information so they can make a decision. On the other hand, it’s hard to be a people-oriented listener and time-oriented listener because being empathic and attending to someone’s feelings takes time and effort.
For this mindfulness activity, we want you to engage in mindful listening. Start by having a conversation with a friend, romantic partner, or family member. Before beginning the conversation, find a location that has minimal distractions, so try not to engage in this activity in a public space. Also, turn off the television and radio. The goal is to focus your attention on the other person. Start by employing the HEAR method for listening during your conversation. After you have finished this conversation, try to answer the following questions:
Who do you think is a great listener? Why did you name that particular person? How can you tell that person is a good listener? You probably recognize a good listener based on the nonverbal and verbal cues that they display. In this section, we will discuss different types of listening responses. We all don’t listen in the same way. Also, each situation is different and requires a distinct style that is appropriate for that situation.
Ronald Adler, Lawrence Rosenfeld, and Russell Proctor are three interpersonal scholars who have done quite a bit with listening. 52 Based on their research, they have found different types of listening responses: silent listening, questioning, paraphrasing, empathizing, supporting, analyzing, evaluating, and advising (Figure 7.6). 53
Silent listening occurs when you say nothing. It is ideal in certain situations and awful in other situations. However, when used correctly, it can be very powerful. If misused, you could give the wrong impression to someone. It is appropriate to use when you don’t want to encourage more talking. It also shows that you are open to the speaker’s ideas.
Sometimes people get angry when someone doesn’t respond. They might think that this person is not listening or trying to avoid the situation. But it might be due to the fact that the person is just trying to gather their thoughts, or perhaps it would be inappropriate to respond. There are certain situations such as in counseling, where silent listening can be beneficial because it can help that person figure out their feelings and emotions.
In situations where you want to get answers, it might be beneficial to use questioning. You can do this in a variety of ways. There are several ways to question in a sincere, nondirective way (see Table 7.3):
To clarify meanings | A young child might mumble something and you want to make sure you understand what they said. |
To learn about others’ thoughts, feelings, and wants ( ) | When you ask your partner where they see your relationship going in the next few years. |
To encourage elaboration | Nathan says “That’s interesting!” Jonna has to ask him further if he means interesting in a positive or negative way. |
To encourage discovery | Ask your parents how they met because you never knew. |
To gather more facts and details | Police officers at the scene of the crime will question any witnesses to get a better understanding of what happened. |
Table 7.3 Types of Nondirective Questioning
You might have different types of questions. Sincere questions are ones that are created to find a genuine answer. Counterfeit questions are disguised attempts to send a message, not to receive one. Sometimes, counterfeit questions can cause the listener to be defensive. For instance, if someone asks you, “Tell me how often you used crystal meth.” The speaker implies that you have used meth, even though that has not been established. A speaker can use questions that make statements by emphasizing specific words or phrases, stating an opinion or feeling on the subject. They can ask questions that carry hidden agendas, like “Do you have $5?” because the person would like to borrow that money. Some questions seek “correct” answers. For instance, when a friend says, “Do I look fat?” You probably have a correct or ideal answer. There are questions that are based on unchecked assumptions. An example would be, “Why aren’t you listening?” This example implies that the person wasn’t listening, when in fact they are listening.
Paraphrasing is defined as restating in your own words, the message you think the speaker just sent. There are three types of paraphrasing. First, you can change the speaker’s wording to indicate what you think they meant. Second, you can offer an example of what you think the speaker is talking about. Third, you can reflect on the underlying theme of a speaker’s remarks. Paraphrasing represents mindful listening in the way that you are trying to analyze and understand the speaker’s information. Paraphrasing can be used to summarize facts and to gain consensus in essential discussions. This could be used in a business meeting to make sure that all details were discussed and agreed upon. Paraphrasing can also be used to understand personal information more accurately. Think about being in a counselor’s office. Counselors often paraphrase information to understand better exactly how you are feeling and to be able to analyze the information better.
Empathizing is used to show that you identify with a speaker’s information. You are not empathizing when you deny others the rights to their feelings. Examples of this are statements such as, “It’s really not a big deal” or “Who cares?” This indicates that the listener is trying to make the speaker feel a different way. In minimizing the significance of the situation, you are interpreting the situation in your perspective and passing judgment.
Sometimes, in a discussion, people want to know how you feel about them instead of a reflection on the content. Several types of supportive responses are: agreement, offers to help, praise, reassurance, and diversion. The value of receiving support when faced with personal problems is very important. This has been shown to enhance psychological, physical, and relational health. To effectively support others, you must meet certain criteria. You have to make sure that your expression of support is sincere, be sure that other person can accept your support, and focus on “here and now” rather than “then and there.”
Analyzing is helpful in gaining different alternatives and perspectives by offering an interpretation of the speaker’s message. However, this can be problematic at times. Sometimes the speaker might not be able to understand your perspective or may become more confused by accepting it. To avoid this, steps must be taken in advance. These include tentatively offering your interpretation instead of as an absolute fact. By being more sensitive about it, it might be more comfortable for the speaker to accept. You can also make sure that your analysis has a reasonable chance of being correct. If it were inaccurate, it would leave the person more confused than before. Also, you must make sure the person will be receptive to your analysis and that your motive for offering is to truly help the other person. An analysis offered under any other circumstances is useless.
Evaluating appraises the speaker’s thoughts or behaviors. The evaluation can be favorable (“That makes sense”) or negative (passing judgment). Negative evaluations can be critical or non-critical (constructive criticism). Two conditions offer the best chance for evaluations to be received: if the person with the problem requested an evaluation, and if it is genuinely constructive and not designed as a putdown.
Advising differs from evaluations. It is not always the best solution and can sometimes be harmful. In order to avoid this, you must make sure four conditions are present: be sure the person is receptive to your suggestions, make sure they are truly ready to accept it, be confident in the correctness of your advice, and be sure the receiver won’t blame you if it doesn’t work out.
Perceptions change in a relationship. Initially, people can view others positively (for example, confident, thrifty, funny), then later in the relationship that person changes (arrogant, cheap, childish). The person hasn’t changed. Only our perceptions of them have changed. That is why we focus on perception in a communication book because often, our perception affects how we communicate. It also has an impact on what we listen to and how we listen. For instance, when people get married, one person might say, “I love you! I would die for you,” then a couple of years later, that same person might say, “I hate you! I am going to kill you!” Their perceptions about the other person will change. 54
Even when people break up, men typically will think about the physical aspects of the relationship (I gave her a watch, she wasn’t that hot) and women will think about the emotional aspects of the relationship (I gave him my heart, I really cared about him.). Perception is an interesting thing because sometimes we think other people have a similar perspective, but as we will see, that is not always the case.
What we pay attention to varies from one person to another. The first step in the perception process is selection. It determines what things we focus on compared to what things we ignore. What we select to focus on depends on:
The second phase in the perception process is organization, or how we arrange information in our minds. So, once we have selected what information we pay attention to, our minds try to process it. Sometimes when this occurs, we engage in stereotyping or attribute certain characteristics to a certain set of individuals. In other words, we classify or labels others based on certain qualities.
Also, when people organize information in their mind, they can also engage in punctuation, or establishing the effects and causes in communication behavior. It is more useful to realize that a conflict situation can be perceived differently by each person, and it is important to focus on “What we can do to make this situation better?”
The third phase of the perception process is interpretation. In this phase, we try to understand the information or make sense of it. This depends on a few factors:
The last phase of the perception process is called negotiation. In this phase, people are trying to understand what is happening. People often use narratives or stories to explain and depict their life. For instance, a disagreement between a teacher and student might look very different depending on which perspective you take. The student might perceive that they are hard-working and very studious. The student thinks they deserve a high grade. However, the teacher might feel that their job is to challenge all students to their highest levels and be fair to all students. By listening to both sides, we can better understand what is going on and what needs to be done in certain situations. Think about car accidents and how police officers have to listen to both sides. Police officers have to determine what happened and who is at fault. Sometimes it is not an easy task.
All of us don’t perceive the same things. One person might find something beautiful, but another person might think it is horrible. When it comes to our perception, there are four primary influences we should understand: physiological, psychological, social, and cultural.
Some of the reasons why we don’t interpret things, in the same way are due to physiology. Hence, biology has an impact on what we do and do not perceive. In this section, we will discuss the various physiological influences.
Sometimes the influences on perception are not physiological but psychological. These influences include mood and self-concept. These influences are based in our mind, and we can’t detect them in others.
Social influences include sex and gender roles, as well as occupational roles. These roles can impact our perceptions. Because we are in these roles, we might be likely to think differently than others in different roles.
The researchers found that talkers who perceived the listener to be listening intently to be very important for effective communication. First, perceived listening led to a greater sense of social attraction towards the listener, which in turn, led to a greater sense of trust for the listener. Second, talkers who perceived the listener as listening intently felt their messages were clearer, which in turn, led to a greater sense of the talker’s overall wellbeing (positive affect).
As you can see, simply perceiving that the other person is listening intently to you is very important on a number of fronts. For this reason, it’s very important to remember to focus your attention when you’re listening to someone.
Lloyd, K. J., Boer, D., Kluger, A. N., & Voelpel, S. C. (2015). Building trust and feeling well: Examining intraindividual and interpersonal outcomes and underlying mechanisms of listening. International Journal of Listening, 29 (1), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2014.928211
In a recent meeting, the boss said, “Remember the Golden Rule,” and a coworker from India asked the staff about the meaning of that phrase. He wondered if there was a silver rule or a bronze rule. The reason he didn’t understand this concept is due to cultural influences. We know that everyone doesn’t perceive things in the same fashion.
In some countries, the elderly are highly respected individuals, where the youth go to for advice and wisdom. Yet, in other countries, the elderly are seen as lazy and worthless. Hence, our culture has an impact on how we perceive the world and others. Communication is different across cultures. Western cultures, like the United States, value talk and view it as very important to function and conduct business. Thus, they do not like silence because it can be perceived as shyness, frustration, and intimidating. 56 Western culture dislikes silence because it is uncomfortable and problematic. Asian cultures have different perceptions of communication. Silence is seen as valuable to reflect on one’s thinking. Asians might view someone who is talkative very negatively. Based on this example, we can see that cultural perceptions can lead to problems, because, to an American, silence is considered rude and to an Asian, silence is good. To effectively communicate, we need to understand cultural perceptions.
To judge others more accurately, we need to engage in perception checking.
Perception checking involves three steps:
That’s it! I know this sounds easy, but it’s definitely much harder than it looks.
This is helpful in gaining different alternatives and perspectives by offering an interpretation of the speaker’s message.
appreciative listening
The type of listening you engage in for pleasure or enjoyment.
communication motives
Reasons why we communicate with others.
communication needs
Shows us how communication fulfills our needs.
comprehension listening
Listening for facts, information, or ideas that may be of use to you.
conversations
Interpersonal interactions through which you share facts and information as well as your ideas, thoughts, and feelings with other people.
emotional blackmail
Trying to influence someone’s behavior or persuade them to do something by making them feel guilty or exploiting their emotions.
empathic listening
Attempting to put yourself in another person’s shoes or to provide a supportive listening environment.
This is used to show that you identify with the speaker’s information.
evaluative listening
Listening for a speaker’s main points and determining the strengths and weaknesses to formulate a rebuttal or present important points that may not have been covered.
A passive activity where an individual perceives sound by detecting vibrations through an ear.
Johari window
A model that illustrates self-disclosure and the process by which you interact with other people.
A complex psychological process that can be defined as the process of physically hearing, interpreting that sound, and understanding the significance of it.
To restate what another person said using different words.
self-disclosure
The act of verbally or nonverbally revealing information about yourself to other people.
This occurs when you say nothing and is appropriate for certain situations.
social penetration theory
Theory originally created by Altman and Taylor to explain how individuals gradually become more intimate as individuals self-disclose more and those self-disclosures become more intimate (deep).
We spend most of our lives engaged in talking and listening behavior. As such, understanding the functions of talking and listening in interpersonal communication is very important. In this chapter, we started by discussing the importance of everyday conversations. We next discussed a specific type of talk: disclosing information about ourselves (self-disclosure). We then switched gears and focused on the listening component. Overall, talking and listening are extremely important to interpersonal communication, so understanding how they function can help improve our communication skills.
Real-world case study.
Mictrotela is the new leader in telecommunications. However, many customers are having problems with their new cell phones. They have tried calling customer service to solve their problems. However, many of the customers get frustrated and wind up terminating their cell phone contracts. Mictrotela does some research and discovers that many of their customer service representatives do not know how to listen effectively. Many of the customers who call the company have complained that no one is listening to their problems.
The process of sharing information with another person.
"The attempt to generate as favorable an impression of ourselves as possible, particularly through both verbal and nonverbal techniques of self-presentation."
To analyze what the person is saying based on known facts and evidence.
Interpersonal Communication Copyright © by Jason S. Wrench; Narissra M. Punyanunt-Carter; and Katherine S. Thweatt is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
Want to improve interpersonal communication but not sure what to do? Learn from our true-to-life scenarios to become more confident in connecting with others.
If you want to improve your interpersonal communication skills, you’ve come to the right place! We have real-life examples to enhance your skills and help you become a more engaging communicator.
Interpersonal communication is important because it’s how you connect with others to exchange ideas, develop relationships, influence, and give meaning to an experience. Interpersonal communication gives you the skills to offer conflict resolution, solve problems, listen actively, and make yourself understood.
Here’s a great news: if interpersonal communication is not your strength, it is a skill you can learn!
There are 4 main types of interpersonal communication:
Let’s look at some examples of these 4 different types of interpersonal communication.
How you communicate matters as much as the words you say. If your voice comes out high, squeaky, or soft and reticent, your verbal skills may not express confidence and strength.
Vanessa Van Edwards recommends speaking on the out-breath.
Vocal strength and resonance are vital when communicating with others. Imagine these scenarios:
Your boss asks you whether the current strategy is reaching predicted sales goals. Which is the better response?
Answer B communicates competence, and confidence, with a clear response. What went wrong in answer A? When your voice goes up at the end of a sentence, it can sound like a question. This is a fast way to appear incompetent and unsure of yourself. Another culprit that can sabotage your communication is letting sentences trail off.
If you’re in a situation where you aren’t sure, you could always try a response that looks like this:
Instead of hedging around something you’re unsure of, confidently delay your answer.
Have a question about the presentation or People School? Email Science of People support .
Negotiation isn’t just for high-profile businesses and politicians; negotiating is something people do daily. Negotiating involves using communication to come to a reasonable compromise with another person, all while avoiding conflict. Clearly, negotiation is a vital life skill and one that you use daily.
Examples of everyday life negotiations:
Pro-Tip: Practice your negotiation skills in low-stakes situations and request feedback from friends and family. Assessing your negotiation skills will help you know what to improve and where your strengths lie.
As you practice your negotiation skills, don’t be afraid to speak up but keep your tone calm and stable. Tone, volume, and speed are all critical to effective verbal communication.
What are your nonverbal habits? Princess Diana used the chin tuck , a nonverbal cue that became a part of her brand and contributed to how we perceived her and even our emotional response to her.
Like Princess Diana, you may do things that people identify as synonymous with you. These nonverbals shape your interpersonal communication if you always slouch in meetings, regularly touch your nose when you’re nervous, cover your mouth when you laugh, or smirk when you disagree.
Nonverbals can damage how others see you; clearly, you don’t want to be perceived as apathetic and lazy (slouching in meetings) or arrogant and condescending (smirking when you disagree).
Pro Tip: Develop self-awareness (intrapersonal communication) by exploring what emotions you feel when you communicate a negative nonverbal. Look for the cause of those emotions, and then strengthen your interpersonal communication by shifting your responses to your environment.
For example, think about why you’re slouching in meetings. It could be because:
There are solutions to each of these situations, but your nonverbal communication of slouching is not one of them. Instead, it’s counterproductive.
Action Steps: Ask yourself these questions.
Whether gazing into your child’s eyes to build healthy attachment or mutual gazing with someone you’re attracted to, eye contact can strengthen your charisma and connection with others. It’s also a great indicator of whether someone is interested in you.
Use this skill carefully—you wouldn’t want your coworker or potential client to think you’re sustaining eye contact because you’re interested!
Pro Tip: Make eye contact at least 30% of the time, but avoid going over 60-70% .
Examples of good eye contact:
Disclaimer: Remember to take into account cultural differences in eye contact. Studies on eye contact show that Westerners look at the face in a triangle format (eyes to mouth), and East Asians look at the center of the face. While Westerners value eye contact, other cultures may find it disrespectful or even suggestive.
We’ve all gotten an email that feels terse, rude, or even passive-aggressive. Do you know what your emails sound like? Are they long and drawn out? Short and terse? Warm and competent?
Vanessa suggests doing an email audit to check what you are communicating digitally.
Action Steps:
Let’s look at the good, bad, and the ugly of written interpersonal communication.
Scenario 1:
Hey. I need info on cathy. Expected it from you yesterday. Check the atachmint.
Why this doesn’t work:
Try this instead:
Hey [name], have you received the information on Cathy from the hiring manager? I was hoping to move forward with the hiring process, but I just heard Larry requested we change the job description. I’m not sure Cathy still meets the qualifications with this adjustment. See attached for the updated job description. I’d appreciate it if you could communicate with the hiring manager and then update me on what is happening.
Why it works:
Pro Tip: Don’t attempt to suddenly ooze warmth in your communication if your typical communication style is abrupt. Instead, work on making minor adjustments to your interpersonal communication. Over time, slowly add warmth, and it will feel more natural.
Scenario 2:
Hey Don! How have you been?? I heard you had a great vacation. So jellies!! 💔💔 Did you get my last email? I know you’ve been busy, but I REALLY need your help! I’ll swing by your office later if I don’t hear from you.
Try this instead:
Hey Don! Glad to have you back from vacation. I know you have a lot on your plate, but I hope you can help me with information on our new client. Jessica mentioned you were their first point of contact. I want to ensure I have the complete picture before I start, and I value your perspective.
I look forward to hearing from you. I’ll be at my desk until 5 if it’s easier to talk in person. Thanks so much!
Why it works:
One of the most powerful interpersonal skills is listening and listening well. We all crave feeling seen and heard, and you can help satisfy that need in the people you interact with. Use verbal mirroring to be even more engaging and charismatic.
Not sure how to do this? Here are some examples:
Mirroring is all about observing the person in front of you. Listen to what they say and how they move and simply mirror that. Mirroring often happens naturally when we attune to others, so we focus more on the person than on mimicking behaviors.
Pro Tip: Avoid mirroring negative body language, such as physically withdrawing or looking away.
Action Steps:
“I feel hurt that you didn’t buy the coffee I asked for. It feels like you don’t listen to me.”
Then, they can respond by saying, “You feel hurt because it feels like I don’t listen to you?”
When one person feels heard, you switch roles, and they share their feelings as well,
“When you ask me to pick up groceries last minute, I feel frustrated and angry. Then I don’t think about what I’m buying. I need time to plan for things, and I don’t feel you understand that about me.”
Then you mirror back what they have said. “So you feel frustrated and angry because I don’t give you time to plan for things, and you feel like I should know this is one of your needs?”
The goal isn’t getting your point across. Instead, it’s listening to the other person and hearing them.
When listening to someone, be deeply engaged! The simple act of flexing your eyelids signals that you are actively engaged in the conversation.
But don’t stop with just one nonverbal cue; your face can communicate much when you’re listening.
Pro Tip: Have you noticed how flat facial expressions can be on video calls (especially in groups!)? Set yourself apart by showing facial expressions that demonstrate active listening.
Use these tips to increase your listening skills:
Suffer from resting bitch face (RBF)? Here’s the science behind it and how to fix RBF forever .
Interpersonal communication is how you interact with others, while intrapersonal communication is how you interact with yourself.
Interpersonal communication includes oral, written, and nonverbal communication and listening.
Categories of Interpersonal Communication:
For example, you receive a phone call from your mom who wants to know if you’ve been taking care of yourself and why she hasn’t heard from you.
You use your interpersonal communication skills to reassure her with a soothing voice that you’re just fine and your work project has kept you too busy to think about anything else.
You cheerfully set a date to have lunch together after you’ve completed your work project.
Intrapersonal communication includes three main components.
Categories of Intrapersonal Communication
Using the example above, intrapersonal communication would include how you respond internally to the phone call from your mom.
Do you feel confident in yourself and your abilities, or does her phone call annoy you because you doubt yourself and feel like others doubt your competence too?
These feelings have to do with your self-awareness, how you perceive others, and the expectations you have for yourself.
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Control and leverage the tiny signals you’re sending – from your stance and facial expressions to your word choice and vocal tone – to improve your personal and professional relationships.
A classic book on interpersonal communication, Deborah Tannen explores how to overcome miscommunication and understand what people are trying to communicate.
Keep building your interpersonal communication skills with our 10 Interpersonal Intelligence Skills to Master guide.
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Mastering the two skills will result in fruitful conversations at workplaces.
Bhavna Dalal [[www.bhavnadalal.com](http://www.bhavnadalal.com/)] is the Founder and CEO of Talent Power Partners a Leadership Development company based in Bangalore, India. She is an Executive Master Coach [ICF MCC Certified] with an MBA from IIM Calcutta and has a B.E. in Electronics. She has authored the books Checkmate Office Politics and Team Decision Making endorsed by the likes of Marshal Goldsmith and Dr. Jadgish Seth among many other business leaders. Bhavna has been serving on several compliance commitees and is the Vice President on the Board of Directors of Bodhi Education Society (A not-for-profit that supports schools in rural Andhra Pradesh).
Paraphrasing and summarising are powerful yet simple means to enable effective purposeful conversations in the workplace.
The dictionary definition of paraphrase is: par•a•phrase verb Express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity. noun A rewording of something written or spoken by someone else.
Paraphrasing is a solid means of truly and completely attempting to understand what the person communicating with you is really trying to say.
This may be the single-most critical factor that will facilitate fruitful conversations especially in flatter organisation structures. If roles are going to be defined more and more by responsibility and not by position, it is important that all parties involved have a common understanding of what they are dealing with. If the responsibility and ownership lies with you to get a job done, learning and practising this skill will make your job and communications a lot easier.
Paraphrasing greatly enhances the impact of the conversation.
Organisations need to encourage more and more people to close important conversations in meetings and one on ones by paraphrasing and summarisation. Paraphrasing and summarising are tied together. In order to summarise, we need to paraphrase in our own words.
There are several benefits to paraphrasing at the close of a conversation. It forces you to reflect on what just happened. This leads to deeper introspection and retrospection, hence getting a better understanding of the issue or situation at hand.
This skill very often does not come naturally to us. However, like any other skill, it can be learnt and practised.
Tips on how to paraphrase when communicating ❖ The focus of the paraphrase should be on what the speaker implied, not on what you wanted them to imply. For example, a better way to say, “I think what you mean to say is ...” is replacing it with, “If I am hearing you right, you mean that…?” ❖ In the paraphrase, try to use some of the words that the other person has used. Very often, the meaning of commonly used words has different interpretation for different people. By choosing the words used by the person speaking and coming to a clear common understanding is one of the primary goals of paraphrasing. ❖ You will need to listen to the person speaking actively if you will be paraphrasing what they are saying. This means paying attention to their body language, their expressions and their emotions in addition to their words. ❖ Put the ownership of the paraphrase on yourself, for example, “If I am hearing you right…?” or “If I understand you correctly…?” This makes the other person not as defensive, and hence more open to the conversation. ❖ Phrasing the paraphrase as a question is also a helpful technique, “You are saying that…?”, so that the speaker has the responsibility and opportunity to clarify their original comments in response to your question. ❖ Put the focus of the paraphrase on the other person, for example, if the person said, “I don’t have enough time to do what I want,” then don’t paraphrase, “We all don't have enough time, right?” ❖ Try not to evaluate or judge the other person’s comments. For example, not a good idea to say, “Do you really think that is true?” or “I think it is unfair to make that comment.” ❖ You could use a paraphrase to validate your impression of the other person's comments. For example, it would be okay to name their feelings by saying, “You seemed frustrated on hearing…?” ❖ As much as possible, attempt to keep the paraphrase shorter than the original comments made. ❖ If the other person responds to your paraphrase that you still don’t understand them, give them a few more chances to restate their position.
Summarising is a very important skill for effective communication and is usually followed by paraphrasing. A summary is a concise overview of the most important points from a communication. It could be from a conversation, document or presentation. A well-spoken summary can verify that people understand each other. It can make communications more efficient and ensure that the gist of the communication is captured by all involved. This skill too can be acquired.
Tips on how to summarise effectively ❖ When listening to someone, look for what exactly they are trying to say underneath the words. ❖ Look for any one major point that comes from the communication. ❖ This about what the person is trying to accomplish in the communication? ❖ Try to organise the main and supporting ideas in your head. ❖ Do not introduce any new main points into the summary. If you do, make it clear that you’re adding them. ❖ The summary must always be shorter than the original communication.
Combining the skills of paraphrasing and summarising will allow you to save time and make great impressions in a workplace, where effective communication is greatly valued.
The thoughts and opinions shared here are of the author.
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In the age of the internet and technology, everyone is familiar with paraphrasing. Paraphrasing means rewriting or rewording text whilst keeping its original meaning intact. In online business, no website can rank highly without quality content. “Content is king”, as they say, and this determines the ranking of a website in Google search results.
Website owners might hire expert professional writers to produce high-quality content that is inspiring and appealing to their site visitors. The end goal of this uploaded content is to attract more and more visitors to a site since high traffic generates revenue and boosts a business.
In simple terms, without impressive and compelling content, an online business may not prosper. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to create unique and error-free content that will raise the profile and ranking of your business. As a result, the value of and demand for good writers has increased: content truly is king. As long as online business owners keep uploading unique, engaging, and original material, they will enjoy the benefits of their efforts and reap the fruits of progress.
But an issue arises when some business owners try to take a shortcut and steal relevant content to upload to their website. Perhaps, they don’t realize that artificial intelligence can identify this plagiarized content within seconds. Google will not accept plagiarized content, and content thieves may be blacklisted and excluded from Google search engines. Even occasional or unintentional plagiarism content is not allowed.
So, what’s the solution to such a serious problem?
The remedy is easy: paraphrasing.
People within any field, and especially writers, bloggers, researchers, students, and website owners, need to learn to paraphrase. Paraphrasing is simply rewriting the given content in your own words. You will need to change synonyms, forms of verbs, phrases, and sentence structure to rephrase a whole article or blog. However, by doing this you will gain entirely different, new and unique content free of plagiarism. Paraphrasing is a relatively easy task but it is time consuming. If we were to call this age the age of writing or writers, we would not be wrong.
Almost all the writers work with tough timelines, and they have to submit huge amounts of content by the end of each day. So, they seek effective solutions and modern technology has been of great help to them. Though manual rewriting is not difficult, it is time-consuming. Therefore, writers use the help of AI paraphrasing tools. But what are these tools? How do they paraphrase the given content? And how can they improve a writers’ paraphrasing skills?
Let’s consider an overview.
Almost everyone today needs to learn this art. Writers and essayists in particular need to use paraphrasing tools to save time and remove plagiarism. Other potential users may include:
Paraphrasing tools work exactly like human beings and rephrase content by replacing sentences, phrases, or words to make the text look appealing and, most significantly, unique, all while keeping the meaning of the text unchanged. Such article rewriting software does not need any manual intervention to generate articles automatically. Paraphrasing software uses artificial intelligence to create rephrased content from the original article. You don’t have to be an expert operator to run the rephrasing tools on your computer and you can paraphrase dozens of articles daily by following just a few steps.
Some marketers have expressed suspicion regarding the use of paraphrasing tools in terms of SEO. However, this is not the case and article spinning software will prove beneficial when used correctly. You should make sure you choose the best paraphrasing tools available for a quality paraphrasing service.
Some people have expressed concern as to whether the use of rewriting tools is legal. However, there is no harm in using paraphrasing tools as they are legal and legitimate. The use of an article rewriter can save you precious time as otherwise it may take many hours or days to compose human-readable content manually. A tool takes only a few minutes to reword your chosen material.
These tools are considered effective and favorable for writers who must submit thousands of words of content each day within a specified time. They only need to search for the required articles from Google and put them into a paraphrasing tool to receive high-quality, error-free, and brand-new content. Timely delivery and efficient service will enhance their worth and credibility this way.
A paraphrasing tool is available 24/7 to rephrase your articles any time of day or night. They can also help you in your SEO campaigns by producing powerful content that may qualify your content in search engines. They can also help you to improve your writing skills if you don’t have full command of the English language.
Here, we present five of the best paraphrasing tools that may be helpful in all types of writing endeavors.
AI Paraphrasing Tool
This online paraphraser works efficiently to paraphrase your chosen content by altering words, synonyms, phrases, and sentences, preserving the original sense of the article.
This result-driven tool is perfect to produce human-readable, and uniquely rephrased content. This paraphrasing tool is an easy-to-use tool that can generate a huge amount of impressive content within the shortest possible time.
Millions of writers and bloggers rely on this tool to get their articles written faster for timely delivery. It is equally excellent for SEO specialists who need easily readable and quality content for a high-ranking in-search engines.
Use this tool with great trust to achieve accurate content and avoid duplication and penalties. It has not been developed for a limited group of people. Users can sign up anytime and anywhere around the globe to get the best rewriting services.
Salient Features
All the modes follow natural language processing and create different results.
Spin Rewriter
This is one of the great spinning tools that provides you with meaningful and easily understandable articles and content without losing the original sense. The content generated by this paraphrasing tool is purely human-like and free from grammatical mistakes.
Around 150,000 users are working on this significant tool including teachers, students, SEO experts, translators, bloggers, and research writers. It works on the principle of Emulated Natural Language, spinning your content in a way that does not spoil the original sense. It can paraphrase diverse content at the same time.
The user can compare the original and rephrased content to confirm the reliability and quality of the tool.
Kontent Machine
Kontent machine is another reliable article rewriter. It is famous for working with reliable, result-generating tools in the market, so the user can benefit from its backlinking strategies. It creates unique, 100% original, and plagiarism-free content. Another outstanding feature of the software is that it makes your content match with the search engine conditions by incorporating images, videos, and links.
SEO Content Machine
As the name indicates, this paraphrasing tool is equipped with SEO tools that can empower your SEO campaigns along with spinning thousands of articles within a short time. You can receive compelling content snippets as per your keyword choice.
These valuable and relevant content fragments can be injected into your article for SEO purposes, link building, and to fill in your website and blog with inspiring content.
Paraphrasing Tool
This efficient paraphrasing tool contains millions of synonyms in its database to create accurate rephrased content. It rephrases the content with the most appropriate words, synonyms, and phrases and presents the replaced words highlighted in different colors. Furthermore, it also lets you click on the rephrased word or synonyms to get the original sentence or use another synonym.
The user can also add their own words to get an entirely different version of the original article, thus removing the risk of plagiarism.
About the Author
Roger Mulley is an SEO content writer at Topbestreview.co and writes for different blogs. He tries to provide newbies with easy access to SEO with the help of blogs.
Continue to: Using Plain English Top 5 Paraphrasing Tools to Improve Your Writing Skills
See also: Essential Copywriting Skills You Need Key Digital Marketing Skills How Paraphrasing and Summarizing Tools Can Improve Writing Skills?
Home » Modules » Effective Communication » Effective Communication Intermediate » Active Listening and Paraphrasing
Students sit in a circle; the teacher whispers a message (be sure to include lots of descriptive detail) to the first student and then the same message is whispered from one student to the next; the final student says the message out loud; it is often dramatically different from the original message. This game can also further demonstrate the pitfalls of “ Trouble Talk “, specifically rumours and gossip. Relay that this is what happens each day when people believe things others supposedly said without hearing it first hand.
Active listening:, active listening is the skill of fully concentrating on what is being said rather than passively hearing the message. it involves not only concentrating on what is being said, but also understanding, responding, and remembering what has been said. it is a skill that can be learned and developed with practice., to demonstrate the importance of active listening try this simple activity with students..
Have students draw a simple design on a piece of paper. Pair students up and without showing their drawing, have them take turns giving instructions on how to replicate the design.
Do this once where the receiver can only listen and not ask questions and then a second time where the the receiver can ask questions after each instruction. Compare the designs. Switch roles.
Brainstorm with students what active listening means., what does it look like, what does it sound like, what does it feel like.
Paraphrasing is when a person reads or actively listens to a message and is able to clearly express it back in their own words (written or spoken). In a paraphrase, the original ideas or meaning are maintained, but the wording has to be your own. Like active listening, paraphrasing is a skill that needs to be taught explicitly, practiced, and developed.
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Paraphrasing creates that nurturing space. When you paraphrase, you're saying, "I'm here to support you and your thoughts." It invites the speaker to open up and share more. 41. Pay attention to context and tone. Context and tone are like spices in a recipe—they add flavor to your communication.
Paraphrasing can help in adapting the message to suit the cultural context and language of the audience, ensuring effective communication across different backgrounds. Read and understand the original content thoroughly. Maintain the overall meaning and context of the original source. Use synonyms and alternative phrasing where appropriate.
Organize the main ideas, either just in your mind or written down. Write a summary that lists and organizes the main ideas, along with the major point of the communicator. The summary should always be shorter than the original communication. Does not introduce any new main points into the summary - if you do, make it clear that you're ...
Reflecting is the process of paraphrasing and restating both the feelings and words of the speaker. The purposes of reflecting are: To allow the speaker to 'hear' their own thoughts and to focus on what they say and feel. To show the speaker that you are trying to perceive the world as they see it and that you are doing your best to understand ...
Ronald Adler, Lawrence Rosenfeld, and Russell Proctor are three interpersonal scholars who have done quite a bit with listening. 52 Based on their research, they have found different types of listening responses: silent listening, questioning, paraphrasing, empathizing, supporting, analyzing, evaluating, and advising (Figure 7.4.1). 53. Figure ...
Read this blog on Interpersonal Communication Skills to learn about communication processes and master verbal, nonverbal, listening, and other essential skills. 01344203999 - Available 24/7. ... asking questions and clarifying doubts, summarising and paraphrasing key points, and acknowledging and empathising with the speaker.
Paraphrase and Summarize. To ensure you have accurately understood the speaker's message, practice paraphrasing and summarizing their key points. ... Active listening can improve interpersonal communication by building trust and rapport, enhancing empathy, improving problem-solving, and increasing self-awareness. By practicing active ...
Paraphrasing is a listening skill that helps you demonstrate understanding of a message. Utilizing paraphrasing in everyday conversation can greatly help prevent miscommunications with others. We already do this on a day to day basis. For this lesson, we are going to go a bit deeper, and discuss 3 types of paraphrases - Content, Intent, and Tone.
Here are a variety of active listening exercises you can use to help improve your interpersonal communication skills: ... Paraphrase Summarize the main point(s) of the message the speaker shared to show you fully understand their meaning. This will also give the speaker an opportunity to clarify vague information or expand their message.
Paraphrasing and reflecting back what has been said; ... In communication, active listening is important because it keeps you engaged with your conversation partner in a positive way. ... Other options include engaging in social skills training or reading self-help books on interpersonal skills. Keep in Mind . Active listening is an important ...
Effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. It's about understanding the emotion and intentions behind the information. As well as being able to clearly convey a message, you need to also listen in a way that gains the full meaning of what's being said and makes the other person feel heard and understood.
Good interpersonal interaction between client and provider is, by definition, a two-way street where both speak and are listened to without interruption, both ask questions, express opinions and exchange information -- and both are able to fully understand what the other is trying to say.
Active listening is a key component of effective communication and interpersonal skills. By mastering these active listening techniques, you can become a better listener, improve your relationships, and foster open communication in a variety of scenarios and contexts. ... Paraphrasing circle: Have team members sit in a circle. One person starts ...
Advanced Paraphrasing Tool. Elevate your writing with our free and AI-powered paraphraser. Instantly correct or rephrase your sentences in different tones. Enter or paste your sentences here to rephrase them …. Please Rewrite My Sentence!
Paraphrasing represents mindful listening in the way that you are trying to analyze and understand the speaker's information. Paraphrasing can be used to summarize facts and to gain consensus in essential discussions. ... Overall, talking and listening are extremely important to interpersonal communication, so understanding how they function ...
Tip #6 Use Verbal and Nonverbal Mirroring (Listening Communication) One of the most powerful interpersonal skills is listening and listening well. We all crave feeling seen and heard, and you can help satisfy that need in the people you interact with. Use verbal mirroring to be even more engaging and charismatic.
The most important secret of effective communication. If you do nothing bu this, you will instantly become a better communicator. 844-655-1545 | Click here to book a 100% FREE Consultation. Menu Close. ... Today we're going to talk about paraphrasing. Unfortunately, paraphrasing is a word that gets used and misused a lot.
The dictionary definition of paraphrase is: par•a•phrase. verb. Express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve ...
AI Paraphrasing Tool. Your words matter, and our paraphrasing tool is designed to ensure you use the right ones. With unlimited Custom modes and 9 predefined modes, Paraphraser lets you rephrase text countless ways. Our product will improve your fluency while also ensuring you have the appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style for any occasion.
AI Paraphrasing Tool. This online paraphraser works efficiently to paraphrase your chosen content by altering words, synonyms, phrases, and sentences, preserving the original sense of the article. This result-driven tool is perfect to produce human-readable, and uniquely rephrased content. This paraphrasing tool is an easy-to-use tool that can ...
Paraphrasing: Paraphrasing is when a person reads or actively listens to a message and is able to clearly express it back in their own words (written or spoken). In a paraphrase, the original ideas or meaning are maintained, but the wording has to be your own. Like active listening, paraphrasing is a skill that needs to be taught explicitly ...