paraphrasing in communication skills

Jul 23, 2023
10 min read

50 Top Paraphrasing In Communication Skills (2023)

Paraphrasing is a must-have communication skill—it's like the secret sauce to understanding and connecting with others. Picture this: you're having a conversation with someone, and they're pouring their heart out, sharing their thoughts and feelings. Now, paraphrasing comes into play—you listen intently, make eye contact, and avoid any distractions.

Understanding the main ideas is key, so you reflect on the information, pinpoint the core concepts, and really soak it all in. This active and reflective listening sets the stage for perfect paraphrasing.

Active Listening and Understanding

Paraphrasing techniques, building rapport and empathy, avoiding misinterpretation and assumptions, enhancing communication and clarity, cultural sensitivity, practice and improvement, supporting problem-solving and dialogue, acknowledging sources, 1. be attentive while listening.

Let's face it—we've all been guilty of zoning out during a conversation, thinking about what we're going to have for dinner or that upcoming vacation. But paraphrasing requires full attention. So, put away your phone, focus on the speaker, and be present in the moment. This not only shows respect but also sets the stage for a successful paraphrasing session.

2. Understand the main ideas

You know how when you watch a movie or read a book, you latch onto the main plot points? Well, it's the same in conversations. Grab those key ideas, reflect on them, and understand the essence of what the speaker is saying. It's like solving a puzzle—piece by piece, you'll get the whole picture.

3. Listen actively and reflectively

Active listening is like an art form—it involves not just hearing the words but also understanding the emotions and intentions behind them. Reflective listening takes it a step further. Before jumping into paraphrasing, take a moment to digest what you've heard. This reflection will guide you towards a more empathetic and accurate paraphrase.

4. Pay attention to nonverbal cues

You know how they say actions speak louder than words? Well, it's true. Nonverbal cues—facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice—reveal a lot about what's going on beneath the surface. So, keep your eyes peeled for those cues. They'll give you the extra insight you need to paraphrase with empathy and precision.

5. Verify understanding with the speaker

Imagine you're baking a cake, and you're not sure if you've got all the right ingredients. So, you double-check with the recipe. Similarly, after paraphrasing, double-check with the speaker. Ask questions like, "Did I get that right?" or "Is this what you meant?" This verification step ensures you're on the same page and keeps the conversation flowing smoothly.

6. Avoid interrupting while paraphrasing

Interrupting someone mid-sentence is like hitting pause on their thoughts and feelings. It disrupts the flow of communication and can leave them feeling unheard. So, don't do it. Let the speaker finish their thoughts before you dive into paraphrasing. This patience and attentiveness create a more positive and respectful conversation.

7. Use "I" statements when paraphrasing

Picture this: you're at a party, and someone starts gossiping about someone else. Suddenly, you jump in and say, "Well, I heard that..." It's not cool, right? Same goes for paraphrasing. When you start with "I" statements, like "If I understand correctly" or "From my perspective," you take ownership of your understanding. It shows you're not just regurgitating info but actively engaging in the conversation.

8. Restate information using synonyms

Paraphrasing is like giving a story a fresh coat of paint. Instead of using the exact words, swap some of them out for synonyms. It adds variety and flair to your paraphrase, demonstrating your mastery of the subject. So, grab a thesaurus and get creative!

9. Break down ideas into digestible chunks

Ever tried eating a whole pizza in one bite? Doesn't sound like fun, right? Paraphrasing complex ideas is like cutting that pizza into slices. Break it down into manageable chunks and focus on each part separately. You'll understand it better, and your paraphrase will be spot on.

10. Highlight main takeaways

You know how some sentences are like treasure chests with golden nuggets buried inside? When paraphrasing, uncover those precious main takeaways and give them the spotlight. Your paraphrase will become a concise and powerful summary, capturing the speaker's core message.

11. Change sentence structures

Repeating the same sentence structure over and over is like listening to a broken record. Mix it up! Play around with different sentence structures while retaining the original meaning. It keeps your paraphrase fresh and exciting.

12. Use a thesaurus to find substitutes

We all have our favorite words that we use like confetti. But paraphrasing is not a confetti party. To spice things up, use a thesaurus to find exciting word alternatives. Your paraphrases will be a colorful array of ideas.

13. Paraphrase complex ideas clearly

You know the feeling when you're reading a textbook and the jargon makes your head spin? Yeah, don't be that person. Paraphrase complex ideas in a straightforward manner, using everyday language. It helps the speaker—and yourself—understand the message better.

14. Use appropriate sentence stems

Just like building a house, a good paraphrase needs a strong foundation. And that foundation is an appropriate sentence stem. Starting with phrases like "It seems like..." or "I hear you saying..." anchors your paraphrase and sets the tone for a meaningful conversation.

15. Be concise and to the point

If you've ever listened to a never-ending story, you know how frustrating it can be. So, avoid going off on tangents when paraphrasing. Be concise and get to the heart of the matter. Your paraphrases will be like mini-explosions of insight.

16. Restate information with precision

When you're baking a cake, you measure the ingredients carefully to ensure it turns out just right. The same goes for paraphrasing. Pay attention to details and restate the speaker's information with precision. It shows that you value their words and ideas.

17. Paraphrase complex language into simpler terms

Remember that time you tried explaining quantum physics to your grandma? Yeah, not easy. When faced with complex language, break it down into simpler terms. It's like turning quantum physics into plain old everyday conversation. Your grandma will thank you.

18. Utilize owned language

Ever heard of the saying, "Put yourself in someone else's shoes"? Well, paraphrasing is like stepping into their shoes and walking a mile in them. So, use "owned" language when you paraphrase. Say, "It sounds like I heard you say..." instead of "You said..." It shows you're walking that mile together.

19. Ask perception checking questions

Imagine you're traveling to a new country, and you're not sure if you're pronouncing "hello" correctly. So, you ask a local to check. It's the same with paraphrasing. Ask perception checking questions after paraphrasing to ensure you got it right. It builds rapport and mutual understanding.

20. Be empathetic in your paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is more than just a linguistic exercise—it's an emotional connection. When someone shares their feelings, mirror their emotions in your paraphrase. Use phrases like "I can see you're feeling..." or "It sounds like you're experiencing..." This empathy strengthens your bond.

21. Paraphrase to build rapport

Imagine you're meeting your favorite celebrity, and they say, "I love your style!" It instantly creates a connection, right? Well, paraphrasing does the same. When you paraphrase, you show you're on the same page and truly listening. It's like building a bridge of trust and understanding.

22. Use paraphrasing to confirm understanding

Remember the time you went to a party and were unsure if you were at the right place? So, you asked the host to confirm. In the same way, paraphrasing is your confirmation tool. After you paraphrase, ask the speaker, "Did I get that right?" or "Is this what you meant?" It ensures you're in sync.

23. Be respectful in your paraphrases

Would you laugh at someone's dreams or call their ideas dumb? Of course not! So, when paraphrasing, be respectful. Use polite and courteous language. It shows that you value the speaker's perspective and creates a warm and inviting conversation.

24. Paraphrase to encourage dialogue

You know how people in movies say, "We need to talk"? Well, paraphrasing is the opposite—it's an invitation to talk. When you paraphrase, you're saying, "I'm here, and I'm ready to listen." It encourages the speaker to share more and keeps the conversation alive.

25. Use paraphrasing to demonstrate empathy

Empathy is like a warm hug—it makes people feel understood and cared for. So, when you paraphrase, you're giving that virtual hug. You're saying, "I'm here with you, and I get it." This demonstration of empathy fosters a safe and supportive space for communication.

26. Paraphrase to show active engagement

Imagine you're watching a magic show, and the magician asks for a volunteer. You raise your hand, eager to participate. That's the spirit of paraphrasing! It shows you're an active participant, not just a passive listener. Your engagement sets the stage for fruitful communication.

27. Use paraphrasing to build trust

Trust is like the secret ingredient in any successful relationship. When you paraphrase, you're adding that special something. It shows the speaker you're fully invested and genuinely trying to understand. This trust-building paraphrase fosters a deeper connection.

28. Avoid word-for-word repetition

Parrot talk is fun for, well, parrots. But in communication, it's a no-go. Paraphrasing is your opportunity to shine with creativity. So, skip the word-for-word repetition. Use your language skills to restate ideas in your unique way.

29. Avoid inserting personal opinions

Picture this: you're at a concert, and the band starts playing your favorite song. But then someone in the crowd starts loudly singing a different tune. Annoying, right? The same goes for paraphrasing—keep your personal opinions out of it. It's not about you; it's about the speaker.

30. Stay objective in your paraphrases

You know how at a fair, you try to win that stuffed animal by shooting hoops? The more objective you are, the better your chances. It's the same with paraphrasing. Stay objective, and you'll win at accurate communication.

31. Avoid misinterpretation

Misinterpretation is like a dance party gone wrong—you end up stepping on each other's toes. To avoid the mishaps of miscommunication, be cautious while paraphrasing. Pay attention to the speaker's words and nonverbal cues. When in doubt, ask clarifying questions.

32. Avoid making assumptions

You know what they say about assumptions, right? They can lead you down the wrong path. So, leave the assumptions behind when paraphrasing. Focus on the facts and the speaker's actual words. If you're unsure, ask away—better safe than sorry.

33. Avoid altering the speaker's meaning

Imagine you're ordering a sandwich, and the server brings you a burger instead. Not cool! The same goes for paraphrasing. Stick to the main ideas and tone expressed by the speaker. Don't add or subtract—you want the speaker's message intact.

34. Avoid paraphrasing in a condescending manner

Ever had someone talk down to you like you were a child? Not a good feeling, right? So, when you paraphrase, be mindful of your tone. Avoid sounding condescending or dismissive. Treat the speaker as an equal, and your paraphrase will shine.

35. Avoid rushing through paraphrasing

Imagine you're doing a puzzle, and you rush through it, forcing pieces to fit where they don't belong. It's frustrating, and the result isn't pretty. Same with paraphrasing. Take your time, let the pieces of information settle, and craft your paraphrase thoughtfully. The result will be a masterpiece of communication.

36. Paraphrase to enhance clarity

Clarity is like a spotlight—it shines a bright light on your communication. Paraphrasing is your spotlight operator. Use it to highlight the speaker's message and ensure a crystal-clear understanding.

37. Use paraphrasing to clarify ambiguity

You know how sometimes you're lost in a maze, and you need someone to point you in the right direction? That's where paraphrasing comes in. It's your GPS to guide you through ambiguous statements. Clarify any confusion and seek clarification if needed. The path will become clear.

38. Adapt your paraphrasing to the audience

Paraphrasing is like dressing up for different occasions. You wouldn't wear a ball gown to a beach party, would you? Similarly, consider your audience's knowledge and familiarity when paraphrasing. Adjust your language and level of detail accordingly. It ensures your paraphrase is tailored to suit your audience.

39. Paraphrase to confirm accuracy

Ever played telephone as a kid, and the message gets all twisted? That's what happens when you don't verify. Paraphrasing is your verification tool. By restating the speaker's message, you give them the opportunity to correct any misconceptions. It's the key to accurate communication.

40. Paraphrase to foster open communication

Open communication is like a blooming flower—it thrives in a nurturing environment. 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. So, when you paraphrase, pay attention to the context and emotions expressed by the speaker. It helps you craft a paraphrase that's on point and respectful of the speaker's feelings.

42. Paraphrase to create a supportive environment

Paraphrasing is like building a cozy nest for communication. It's your way of saying, "I'm here to support you and your thoughts." By paraphrasing, you create a safe and supportive space for open dialogue.

43. Use paraphrasing to clarify misunderstandings

Remember that time your friend misunderstood your text, and it turned into a big mess? Misunderstandings happen, but paraphrasing is your troubleshooter. It helps identify and resolve these issues, creating a smoother exchange of ideas.

44. Be mindful of cultural differences

Cultural sensitivity is like speaking a foreign language—it takes practice and patience. When paraphrasing, be mindful of cultural nuances and avoid misinterpreting or disrespecting cultural norms. It's the key to smooth and respectful communication.

45. Practice paraphrasing regularly

Practice makes perfect—like playing an instrument or doing yoga. So, engage in daily conversations and make an effort to paraphrase frequently. The more you practice, the more proficient you'll become.

46. Practice paraphrasing with different topics

Imagine you're a chef who only cooks one dish. Boring, right? Same goes for paraphrasing. Try your hand at paraphrasing different topics. It broadens your knowledge and adaptability, making you a paraphrasing virtuoso.

47. Use paraphrasing to facilitate problem-solving

Paraphrasing is like a bridge—it connects different ideas and helps solve problems collaboratively. When you paraphrase, you're not just rephrasing; you're building bridges of understanding. This fosters problem-solving and teamwork.

48. Use paraphrasing to encourage further discussion

Ever been in a brainstorming session where ideas bounce around like ping-pong balls? Paraphrasing is your ping-pong paddle. Use it to bounce ideas back to the speaker. It keeps the conversation lively and encourages further discussion.

49. Paraphrase to help coach your employees

When coaching employees, it's easy to give the answers. Instead, use paraphrasing to hold back your automatic answers. Listen, paraphrase back to them, and help them come up with the solution. Then, they'll learn more from the experience and will know what to do next time.

50. Always acknowledge the original source

Imagine you create a beautiful piece of art, and someone else claims it as their own. Not cool, right? Same goes for paraphrasing. Always give credit where it's due. Acknowledge the original source—it shows respect for their work and maintains academic integrity.

Paraphrasing is like the secret weapon in your communication arsenal—it enhances understanding, fosters empathy, and builds lasting connections. Through active listening, thoughtful paraphrasing techniques, and a dash of empathy, you can become a communication superstar, whether at the university, workplace, or in your personal life.

Remember to be respectful of cultural differences and to always acknowledge the original sources when paraphrasing academic or professional material. With practice, you'll master the art of paraphrasing, bringing harmony and success to your interactions. So, paraphrase on and see the magic unfold in your communication!

21 Expert Tips For Effective Communication With Difficult People

We communicate with people every day, but sometimes it can be challenging to deal with certain individuals, especially the difficult ones. You may feel stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed by their behavior.

However, effective communication can help alleviate tension and find common ground. In this blog post, we've gathered 21 tips that will help you communicate with difficult people more effectively. By following these tips, you can manage difficult situations with greater ease and achieve better outcomes.

Preparing Yourself

1. stay calm.

Staying calm is crucial when dealing with difficult people. If you let their emotions affect you, you may find yourself becoming angry or frustrated. This can make the situation worse and harder to resolve. Instead, take deep breaths, remain objective, and don't take their behavior personally. By staying calm, you can de-escalate the situation and find a solution that works for everyone.

2. Prepare Mentally

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Mastering communication: paraphrasing and summarizing skills.

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Two very useful skills in communicating with others, including when coaching and facilitating, are paraphrasing and summarizing the thoughts of others.

How to Paraphrase When Communicating and Coaching With Others

Paraphrasing is repeating in your words what you interpreted someone else to be saying. Paraphrasing is powerful means to further the understanding of the other person and yourself, and can greatly increase the impact of another’s comments. It can translate comments so that even more people can understand them. When paraphrasing:

Put the focus of the paraphrase on what the other person implied, not on what you wanted him/her to imply, e.g., don’t say, “I believe what you meant to say was …”. Instead, say “If I’m hearing you right, you conveyed that …?”
Phrase the paraphrase as a question, “So you’re saying that …?”, so that the other person has the responsibility and opportunity to refine his/her original comments in response to your question.
Put the focus of the paraphrase on the other person, e.g., if the person said, “I don’t get enough resources to do what I want,” then don’t paraphrase, “We probably all don’t get what we want, right?”
Put the ownership of the paraphrase on yourself, e.g., “If I’m hearing you right …?” or “If I understand you correctly …?”
Put the ownership of the other person’s words on him/her, e.g., say “If I understand you right, you’re saying that …?” or “… you believe that …?” or “… you feel that …?”
In the paraphrase, use some of the words that the other person used. For example, if the other person said, “I think we should do more planning around here.” You might paraphrase, “If I’m hearing you right in this strategic planning workshop, you believe that more strategic planning should be done in our community?”
Don’t judge or evaluate the other person’s comments, e.g., don’t say, “I wonder if you really believe that?” or “Don’t you feel out-on-a-limb making that comment?”
You can use a paraphrase to validate your impression of the other’s comments, e.g., you could say, “So you were frustrated when …?”
The paraphrase should be shorter than the original comments made by the other person.
If the other person responds to your paraphrase that you still don’t understand him/her, then give the other person 1-2 chances to restate his position. Then you might cease the paraphrasing; otherwise, you might embarrass or provoke the other person.

How to Effectively Summarize

A summary is a concise overview of the most important points from a communication, whether it’s from a conversation, presentation or document. Summarizing is a very important skill for an effective communicator.

A good summary can verify that people are understanding each other, can make communications more efficient, and can ensure that the highlights of communications are captured and utilized.

When summarizing, consider the following guidelines:

When listening or reading, look for the main ideas being conveyed.
Look for any one major point that comes from the communication. What is the person trying to accomplish in the communication?
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 adding them.
If possible, have other readers or listeners also read your summary and tell you if it is understandable, accurate and complete.

For many related, free online resources, see the following Free Management Library’s topics:

All About Personal and Professional Coaching
Communications Skills
Skills in Questioning
Team Building
LinkedIn Discussion Group about “Coaching for Everyone”

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Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD – Authenticity Consulting, LLC – 763-971-8890 Read my blogs: Boards , Consulting and OD , and Strategic Planning .

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Paraphrasing Examples for Better Communication

Paraphrasing is a vital communication skill that helps simplify complex ideas, foster understanding, and enhance interpersonal relationships

Why is paraphrasing important for better communication?

Paraphrasing is crucial for better communication because it helps simplify complex ideas, making them easier for the audience to understand. It also demonstrates active listening and engagement, fosters empathy, and allows for effective communication across diverse cultural backgrounds.

What are some tips for effective paraphrasing?

To paraphrase effectively, read and understand the original content thoroughly. Use your own words and sentence structure while maintaining the overall meaning and context. Incorporate synonyms and alternative phrasing where appropriate, and remember to cite the source if using specific ideas or information from it.

How can paraphrasing enhance relationships in personal and professional settings?

Paraphrasing can enhance relationships by showing that you have understood and considered the speaker's perspective, leading to greater empathy and rapport. In professional settings, it can promote collaboration and understanding among team members, while in personal relationships, it fosters effective communication and mutual understanding.

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Paraphrasing Examples for Better Communication

Effective communication is vital in today's fast-paced world. Paraphrasing is a valuable tool that helps people convey complex ideas and information in a simplified and understandable manner. Here we will discuss the importance of paraphrasing for better communication and provide examples that demonstrate its application in different contexts.

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing involves expressing the ideas, thoughts, or information found in another source using your own words. It is a vital skill in many professional, academic, and everyday situations where accurate and clear communication is necessary. The goal of paraphrasing is to simplify or clarify the original message while maintaining its essence and meaning.

Why is Paraphrasing Important for Better Communication?

Improved Understanding: Paraphrasing helps in breaking down complex ideas and jargon into simpler language, making it easier for your audience to grasp the message you are trying to convey.
Avoiding Plagiarism: In academic and professional settings, paraphrasing is essential to avoid plagiarism, which can have severe consequences for one's reputation and career.
Active Listening: Paraphrasing demonstrates active listening and engagement in a conversation, showing that you have understood and considered the speaker's perspective.
Enhancing Relationships: Paraphrasing can foster empathy and rapport between the communicator and the recipient, promoting collaboration and understanding in personal and professional relationships.
Cultural Sensitivity: Paraphrasing can help in adapting the message to suit the cultural context and language of the audience, ensuring effective communication across different backgrounds.

Tips for Effective Paraphrasing

Read and understand the original content thoroughly.
Use your own words and sentence structure.
Maintain the overall meaning and context of the original source.
Use synonyms and alternative phrasing where appropriate.
Cite the source if you are using specific ideas or information from it.

Original Statement (1): The current rate of global warming is alarming, and if we don't take significant steps to reduce our carbon footprint, the consequences could be catastrophic for future generations.

Paraphrase Example: The speed at which our planet is heating up is deeply concerning, and if we don't make substantial efforts to lower our carbon emissions, the impact on our descendants could be disastrous.

Original Statement (2): Many companies now offer flexible work arrangements, including remote work and flextime, which provide employees with better work-life balance and increased job satisfaction.

Paraphrase Example: Numerous businesses are now introducing adaptable work options, such as working from home and flexible hours, leading to an improved balance between personal and professional life and higher employee contentment.

Original Statement (3): A well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep are crucial for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases.

Paraphrase Example: Eating a varied and nutritious diet, staying physically active, and getting enough rest are essential for preserving our overall well-being and avoiding long-term health issues.

Original Statement (4): In today's fast-paced business environment, effective communication is a key factor in fostering collaboration, productivity, and innovation.

Paraphrase Example: In the rapidly-evolving corporate world, efficient communication plays a pivotal role in promoting teamwork, enhancing output, and stimulating creativity.

Original Statement (5): Research has shown that students who engage in extracurricular activities tend to have better academic performance and develop important life skills, such as time management, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Paraphrase Example: Studies indicate that students who participate in after-school activities generally demonstrate higher academic achievement and acquire crucial life competencies, including organizing their time, finding solutions to challenges, and working collaboratively.

As you can see, paraphrasing is a vital communication skill that helps simplify complex ideas, foster understanding, and enhance interpersonal relationships. By mastering the art of paraphrasing, you can improve your communication in various professional, academic, and personal settings. As demonstrated, paraphrasing allows for the clearer and more accessible expression of ideas, ensuring that the intended message is effectively conveyed to the listener. In a world where effective communication is paramount, developing strong paraphrasing skills can greatly contribute to success in both personal and professional spheres.

Olga Ayvazyan

Non-Native English Speaker & Tech Professional, First-Generation Immigrant

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Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Summing up key ideas in your own words.

Make complex information easier to digest!

Imagine you're preparing a presentation for your CEO. You asked everyone in your team to contribute, and they all had plenty to say!

But now you have a dozen reports, all in different styles, and your CEO says that she can spare only 10 minutes to read the final version. What do you do?

The solution is to paraphrase and summarize the reports, so your boss gets only the key information that she needs, in a form that she can process quickly.

In this article, we explain how to paraphrase and how to summarize, and how to apply these techniques to text and the spoken word. We also explore the differences between the two skills, and point out the pitfalls to avoid.

What Is Paraphrasing?

When you paraphrase, you use your own words to express something that was written or said by another person.

Putting it into your own words can clarify the message, make it more relevant to your audience , or give it greater impact.

You might use paraphrased material to support your own argument or viewpoint. Or, if you're putting together a report , presentation or speech , you can use paraphrasing to maintain a consistent style, and to avoid lengthy quotations from the original text or conversation.

Paraphrased material should keep its original meaning and (approximate) length, but you can use it to pick out a single point from a longer discussion.

What Is Summarizing?

In contrast, a summary is a brief overview of an entire discussion or argument. You might summarize a whole research paper or conversation in a single paragraph, for example, or with a series of bullet points, using your own words and style.

People often summarize when the original material is long, or to emphasize key facts or points. Summaries leave out detail or examples that may distract the reader from the most important information, and they simplify complex arguments, grammar and vocabulary.

Used correctly, summarizing and paraphrasing can save time, increase understanding, and give authority and credibility to your work. Both tools are useful when the precise wording of the original communication is less important than its overall meaning.

How to Paraphrase Text

To paraphrase text, follow these four steps:

1. Read and Make Notes

Carefully read the text that you want to paraphrase. Highlight, underline or note down important terms and phrases that you need to remember.

2. Find Different Terms

Find equivalent words or phrases (synonyms) to use in place of the ones that you've picked out. A dictionary, thesaurus or online search can be useful here, but take care to preserve the meaning of the original text, particularly if you're dealing with technical or scientific terms.

3. Put the Text into Your Own Words

Rewrite the original text, line by line. Simplify the grammar and vocabulary, adjust the order of the words and sentences, and replace "passive" expressions with "active" ones (for example, you could change "The new supplier was contacted by Nusrat" to "Nusrat contacted the new supplier").

Remove complex clauses, and break longer sentences into shorter ones. All of this will make your new version easier to understand .

4. Check Your Work

Check your work by comparing it to the original. Your paraphrase should be clear and simple, and written in your own words. It may be shorter, but it should include all of the necessary detail.

Paraphrasing: an Example

Despite the undoubted fact that everyone's vision of what constitutes success is different, one should spend one's time establishing and finalizing one's personal vision of it. Otherwise, how can you possibly understand what your final destination might be, or whether or not your decisions are assisting you in moving in the direction of the goals which you've set yourself?

The two kinds of statement – mission and vision – can be invaluable to your approach, aiding you, as they do, in focusing on your primary goal, and quickly identifying possibilities that you might wish to exploit and explore.

We all have different ideas about success. What's important is that you spend time defining your version of success. That way, you'll understand what you should be working toward. You'll also know if your decisions are helping you to move toward your goals.

Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements are useful for bringing sharp focus to your most important goal, and for helping you to quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue.

How to Paraphrase Speech

In a conversation – a meeting or coaching session, for example – paraphrasing is a good way to make sure that you have correctly understood what the other person has said.

This requires two additional skills: active listening and asking the right questions .

Useful questions include:

If I hear you correctly, you're saying that…?
So you mean that…? Is that right?
Did I understand you when you said that…?

You can use questions like these to repeat the speaker's words back to them. For instance, if the person says, "We just don't have the funds available for these projects," you could reply: "If I understand you correctly, you're saying that our organization can't afford to pay for my team's projects?"

This may seem repetitive, but it gives the speaker the opportunity to highlight any misunderstandings, or to clarify their position.

When you're paraphrasing conversations in this way, take care not to introduce new ideas or information, and not to make judgements on what the other person has said, or to "spin" their words toward what you want to hear. Instead, simply restate their position as you understand it.

Sometimes, you may need to paraphrase a speech or a presentation. Perhaps you want to report back to your team, or write about it in a company blog, for example.

In these cases it's a good idea to make summary notes as you listen, and to work them up into a paraphrase later. (See How to Summarize Text or Speech, below.)

How to Summarize Text or Speech

Follow steps 1-5 below to summarize text. To summarize spoken material – a speech, a meeting, or a presentation, for example – start at step 3.

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1. Get a General Idea of the Original

First, speed read the text that you're summarizing to get a general impression of its content. Pay particular attention to the title, introduction, conclusion, and the headings and subheadings.

2. Check Your Understanding

Build your comprehension of the text by reading it again more carefully. Check that your initial interpretation of the content was correct.

3. Make Notes

Take notes on what you're reading or listening to. Use bullet points, and introduce each bullet with a key word or idea. Write down only one point or idea for each bullet.

If you're summarizing spoken material, you may not have much time on each point before the speaker moves on. If you can, obtain a meeting agenda, a copy of the presentation, or a transcript of the speech in advance, so you know what's coming.

Make sure your notes are concise, well-ordered, and include only the points that really matter.

The Cornell Note-Taking System is an effective way to organize your notes as you write them, so that you can easily identify key points and actions later. Our article, Writing Meeting Notes , also contains plenty of useful advice.

4. Write Your Summary

Bullet points or numbered lists are often an acceptable format for summaries – for example, on presentation slides, in the minutes of a meeting, or in Key Points sections like the one at the end of this article.

However, don't just use the bulleted notes that you took in step 3. They'll likely need editing or "polishing" if you want other people to understand them.

Some summaries, such as research paper abstracts, press releases, and marketing copy, require continuous prose. If this is the case, write your summary as a paragraph, turning each bullet point into a full sentence.

Aim to use only your own notes, and refer to original documents or recordings only if you really need to. This helps to ensure that you use your own words.

If you're summarizing speech, do so as soon as possible after the event, while it's still fresh in your mind.

5. Check Your Work

Your summary should be a brief but informative outline of the original. Check that you've expressed all of the most important points in your own words, and that you've left out any unnecessary detail.

Summarizing: an Example

So how do you go about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing the opportunities and threats that flow from them? SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that helps you to do this.

What makes SWOT especially powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you to uncover opportunities that you would not otherwise have spotted. And by understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats that might otherwise hurt your ability to move forward in your role.

If you look at yourself using the SWOT framework, you can start to separate yourself from your peers, and further develop the specialized talents and abilities that you need in order to advance your career and to help you achieve your personal goals.

SWOT Analysis is a technique that helps you identify strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Understanding and managing these factors helps you to develop the abilities you need to achieve your goals and progress in your career.

Permission and Citations

If you intend to publish or circulate your document, it's important to seek permission from the copyright holder of the material that you've paraphrased or summarized. Failure to do so can leave you open to allegations of plagiarism, or even legal action.

It's good practice to cite your sources with a footnote, or with a reference in the text to a list of sources at the end of your document. There are several standard citation styles – choose one and apply it consistently, or follow your organization's house style guidelines.

As well as acknowledging the original author, citations tell you, the reader, that you're reading paraphrased or summarized material. This enables you to check the original source if you think that someone else's words may have been misused or misinterpreted.

Some writers might use others' ideas to prop up their own, but include only what suits them, for instance. Others may have misunderstood the original arguments, or "twisted" them by adding their own material.

If you're wary, or you find problems with the work, you may prefer to seek more reliable sources of information. (See our article, How to Spot Real and Fake News , for more on this.)

Paraphrasing means rephrasing text or speech in your own words, without changing its meaning. Summarizing means cutting it down to its bare essentials. You can use both techniques to clarify and simplify complex information or ideas.

To paraphrase text:

Read and make notes.
Find different terms.
Put the text into your own words.
Check your work.

You can also use paraphrasing in a meeting or conversation, by listening carefully to what's being said and repeating it back to the speaker to check that you have understood it correctly.

To summarize text or speech:

Get a general idea of the original.
Check your understanding.
Make notes.
Write your summary.

Seek permission for any copyrighted material that you use, and cite it appropriately.

This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and successful career; and this is just one of many tools and resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Subscribe to our free newsletter , or join the Mind Tools Club and really supercharge your career!

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Comments (10)

Over a month ago Midgie wrote Hi sahibaMehry, My view is that we paraphrase the meaning and essence of what has been said, rather than sentence by sentence or word for word. If you are to use the exact words, that would be 'quoting' someone. Hope that helps. Midgie Mind Tools Team
Over a month ago sahibaMehry wrote Hello could you please answer my question do we need to paraphrase sentences in summarizing or not we should summarize it word to word?
Over a month ago Michele wrote Hi SabrinaSeo, You are most welcome. We hope the information in the article was helpful. Michele Mind Tools Team

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Article • 12 min read

How to Paraphrase and Summarize Work

Summing up key ideas in your own words.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Imagine you're preparing a presentation for your CEO. You asked everyone in your team to contribute, and they all had plenty to say!

But now you have a dozen reports, all in different styles, and your CEO says that she can spare only 10 minutes to read the final version. What do you do?

The solution is to paraphrase and summarize the reports, so your boss gets only the key information that she needs, in a form that she can process quickly.

What Is Paraphrasing?

When you paraphrase, you use your own words to express something that was written or said by another person.

Putting it into your own words can clarify the message, make it more relevant to your audience , or give it greater impact.

Paraphrased material should keep its original meaning and (approximate) length, but you can use it to pick out a single point from a longer discussion.

What Is Summarizing?

How to Paraphrase Text

To paraphrase text, follow these four steps:

1. Read and Make Notes

Carefully read the text that you want to paraphrase. Highlight, underline or note down important terms and phrases that you need to remember.

2. Find Different Terms

3. Put the Text into Your Own Words

Remove complex clauses, and break longer sentences into shorter ones. All of this will make your new version easier to understand .

4. Check Your Work

Check your work by comparing it to the original. Your paraphrase should be clear and simple, and written in your own words. It may be shorter, but it should include all of the necessary detail.

Paraphrasing: an Example

How to Paraphrase Speech

In a conversation – a meeting or coaching session, for example – paraphrasing is a good way to make sure that you have correctly understood what the other person has said.

This requires two additional skills: active listening and asking the right questions .

Useful questions include:

If I hear you correctly, you're saying that…?
So you mean that…? Is that right?
Did I understand you when you said that…?

This may seem repetitive, but it gives the speaker the opportunity to highlight any misunderstandings, or to clarify their position.

When you're paraphrasing conversations in this way, take care not to introduce new ideas or information, and not to make judgments on what the other person has said, or to "spin" their words toward what you want to hear. Instead, simply restate their position as you understand it.

Sometimes, you may need to paraphrase a speech or a presentation. Perhaps you want to report back to your team, or write about it in a company blog, for example.

In these cases it's a good idea to make summary notes as you listen, and to work them up into a paraphrase later. (See How to Summarize Text or Speech, below.)

How to Summarize Text or Speech

Follow steps 1-5 below to summarize text. To summarize spoken material – a speech, a meeting, or a presentation, for example – start at step three.

1. Get a General Idea of the Original

First, speed read the text that you're summarizing to get a general impression of its content. Pay particular attention to the title, introduction, conclusion, and the headings and subheadings.

2. Check Your Understanding

Build your comprehension of the text by reading it again more carefully. Check that your initial interpretation of the content was correct.

3. Make Notes

Take notes on what you're reading or listening to. Use bullet points, and introduce each bullet with a key word or idea. Write down only one point or idea for each bullet.

Make sure your notes are concise, well-ordered, and include only the points that really matter.

4. Write Your Summary

However, don't just use the bulleted notes that you took in step 3. They'll likely need editing or "polishing" if you want other people to understand them.

Aim to use only your own notes, and refer to original documents or recordings only if you really need to. This helps to ensure that you use your own words.

If you're summarizing speech, do so as soon as possible after the event, while it's still fresh in your mind.

5. Check Your Work

Summarizing: an Example

So how do you go about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing the opportunities and threats that flow from them? SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that helps you to do this.

Permission and Citations

If you're wary, or you find problems with the work, you may prefer to seek more reliable sources of information. (See our article, How to Spot Real and Fake News , for more on this.)

To paraphrase text:

Read and make notes.
Find different terms.
Put the text into your own words.
Check your work.

You can also use paraphrasing in a meeting or conversation, by listening carefully to what's being said and repeating it back to the speaker to check that you have understood it correctly.

To summarize text or speech:

Get a general idea of the original.
Check your understanding.
Make notes.
Write your summary.

Seek permission for any copyrighted material that you use, and cite it appropriately.

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What Is Paraphrasing and Why Do We Do It?

To put it simply: paraphrasing condenses information or the main points taken from another source and expresses or interprets it in your own words and writing style. Learning the art of paraphrasing involves comprehending, synthesizing, and conveying information in an original format. This technique is often used in college coursework such as research papers where plagiarism is strictly prohibited, and direct quotations should be kept to a minimum.

Paraphrasing is a valuable technique that you can use in many forms of writing and speaking, such as presentations, speeches, blogs, articles, and any other forms of communication where original ideas are shared. In today’s world, there are even paraphrasing tools such as Quillbot AI and Paraphraser.io leveraging technology and AI to help writers paraphrase while avoiding plagiarism.

Read on to learn all about what paraphrasing is, why it’s important and how to put this valuable rewording technique to use.

Fast Facts About Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is a valuable skill for speaking and writing original content in your own words.
When paraphrasing, it is important to keep the facts and express the original idea without copying the original content.
A common goal of paraphrasing is to distill information concisely, creating more clarity, relevance, and/or impact for the receiver of information.

Are Paraphrasing and Plagiarism the Same?

There is a distinct difference between paraphrasing and plagiarism, and a lot of it is based on intention. If the paraphrased wording or sentence structure looks too close to the original passage, then one will assume that the writer is passing it off as their own work.

Unfortunately, intentionally plagiarizing can lead to failing a class, job loss, and even a damaged reputation or career.

A direct quotation is typically permitted if a text citation acknowledges the source. APA in-text citation style guidelines use the author's last name and year of publication when you refer to, paraphrase, summarize or use quotation marks for information from the direct source material.

Plagiarism is considered intellectual theft and is strictly prohibited in academia and for legal reasons. Copyright is a set of exclusive rights given to a creator of original works. Plagiarism often violates these rights by copying and distributing the work. Copyright infringement can still occur even if the original author is acknowledged.

One instance where plagiarism doesn’t apply is related to commonly known facts such as basic information or historical dates. For example, you would not need to cite the encyclopedia if you wrote that “The United States officially adopted the Constitution in 1788” or that “There are eight planets in the solar system, nine if you count Pluto.”

How To Use Paraphrasing in Your Own Writing

Paraphrasing is a technique used to combat plagiarism, keeping original ideas intact but rephrasing information in your own words and original perspectives. Effective paraphrasing involves reading or listening to the original content until you fully understand it and taking notes on the main points.

Next, you write down your version of the core concepts without looking at the original passage. Then, make sure that you restate it in a way that the original author has implied and not how you want them to imply it. Lastly, compare and edit your work to ensure it doesn’t resemble the original, and cite your sources when necessary.

Other strategies to keep in mind when paraphrasing are changing the sentence structure or form, using synonyms, changing active to passive voice, changing clauses to phrases, and starting the sentence or paragraph differently from the original content.

Suppose you don’t think you can accurately paraphrase a passage concisely. Instead, you can directly quote exact words from the original author and identify the original source of the material with their name or text citation to avoid plagiarizing, as explained previously.

Does Paraphrasing Improve Your Communication Skills?

Practicing paraphrasing as a skill can drastically improve your communication and writing skills since it involves the mental practice of active listening , learning new information or ideas, reflecting upon them, and pulling out the key concepts in your own words.

The process of paraphrasing enables you to truly learn a subject before you can confidently write or communicate that idea . Paraphrasing is a powerful way to further understand a subject or idea for both the writer and reader or speaker and listener.

Active listening and understanding are key components of efficient communication. Using this skill alleviates misunderstandings and prevents conflict.

What Are Some Examples of Paraphrasing?

In daily life, an example situation involving paraphrasing could look like sitting down at your favorite restaurant and ordering from the menu. You tell the server each item you’d like to order. They repeat it back to you for confirmation. If they misunderstand anything you said, you would interject to correct them.

They will usually repeat it back a second time to ensure they have the correct order. They may not use the exact words you used but provide a restatement of your order. This process confirms the chef prepares the correct meals for you.

Other paraphrasing examples in writing include:

Original: He has many old clothes and furniture to donate or throw away.
Paraphrase: He needs to get rid of a lot of junk.
Original: Polar bears are nearly undetectable by infrared cameras. Thermal cameras detect the heat lost by a subject as infrared, but polar bears are experts at conserving heat.
Paraphrase: Because thermal cameras detect infrared heat given off by a subject, polar bears are undetectable due to their unique heat conservation abilities.
Original: Although most people learn from experienced sailors, it's possible to teach yourself in a controlled environment. The biggest concern when teaching yourself to sail is safety, as going out on the water alone and inexperienced can be perilous.
Paraphrase: In a safe and controlled environment, you can teach yourself to sail, despite trained sailors giving instruction in most cases. Going out on the water alone can be dangerous for a beginner.

Is Paraphrasing Ever a Bad Thing?

Paraphrasing shouldn’t be used when it does not accurately reflect the ideas of the original source. Poor paraphrasing can look like only switching out a few words or failing to acknowledge the source or author with direct quotations or in-text citations when necessary. Ultimately, incorrect paraphrasing could result in a costly mistake.

Paraphrasing is unnecessary when sharing a famous speech or lines from a book. In this case, you would use direct quotations. For example, you wouldn’t paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech. Therefore, paraphrasing would likely reduce the impact.

Why Do We Paraphrase?

Paraphrasing leaves out unnecessary info.

The art of paraphrasing allows a writer or speaker to succinctly rephrase statements or ideas, focusing on the most critical aspects of the topic or idea. It helps to create clarity by leaving out any unnecessary information.

Paraphrasing allows the speaker or writer to reframe it in a more relevant way to their audience. Sometimes you would only take pieces of the original idea that relate to what you want to express.

Paraphrasing Simplifies Your Communication

Putting paraphrasing into practice regularly helps you focus on the key concepts or crucial information and communicate that, whether it’s in a professional conversation, giving a speech, or writing your paper for a college course. It allows you to hold people’s attention by providing concise information and impacting your audience.

Paraphrasing Puts an Original Spin on Information

Paraphrasing is a great technique to use if the original format of the information is not unique or impactful. It is an opportunity to rephrase it in a more compelling and digestible way, putting an original spin on an idea.

Improving this skill also allows you to keep your authentic communication style even if you’re sharing someone else's ideas.

Using Paraphrasing as a Listener

Using paraphrasing in active listening .

A critical step in the paraphrasing process is active listening. To succinctly communicate an idea or concept in an original way, you must actively listen to extract the main points before you can accurately paraphrase. Paraphrasing what someone said shows the speaker you are actively listening and retaining the information.

How To Paraphrase in Conversation

When in conversation with others, paraphrasing is a great way to ensure both parties are on the same page in understanding the exchange of information. You can practice paraphrasing by actively listening to what someone is saying, condensing the information into a shorter format using your own words, and repeating it for confirmation.

New, Original Words

Paraphrasing is an effective technique for learning, communicating, and restating ideas and concepts in an original format. Improving your paraphrasing skills will help ensure your research paper, presentation, and professional or personal communication is clear, relevant, impactful, and plagiarism free. Just remember to cite any original sources where appropriate.

Did you know you can communicate with clarity, conciseness, and confidence using Poised, the AI communication coach?

Poised gives you real-time feedback on everything from words most spoken to filler words, confidence, energy, empathy, and more. The best part? No one else knows you’re using it. Learn more today .

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In this example, the paraphrase allows us to find out that the speaker is concerned that Bill is avoiding him. While this is not what he said initially, the paraphrase revealed what his real meaning was.

Alternately, the speaker could have responded by saying: "Yes, I'm concerned and not at all sure what to do about it." This would also have revealed more about the message that the speaker was trying to communicate.

Here's another example:

In this case, the listener took the wrong meaning for what the speaker said, but when they checked their understanding by paraphrasing, the speaker corrected their understanding.

Remember... use paraphrasing to check your understanding.

You can learn how to paraphrase when you use Communication University.

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Front Psychol

Effects of Empathic Paraphrasing – Extrinsic Emotion Regulation in Social Conflict

Maria seehausen.

1 Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion,” Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

2 Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

3 Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

Philipp Kazzer

Malek bajbouj, kristin prehn.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of empathic paraphrasing as an extrinsic emotion regulation technique in social conflict. We hypothesized that negative emotions elicited by social conflict can be regulated extrinsically in a conversation by a listener following the narrator’s perspective and verbally expressing cognitive empathy. Twenty participants were interviewed on an ongoing or recently self-experienced social conflict. The interviewer utilized 10 standardized open questions inviting participants to describe their perception of the conflict. After each of the 10 descriptions, the interviewer responded by either paraphrasing or taking notes (control condition). Valence ratings pertaining to the current emotional state were assessed during the interview along with psychophysiological and voice recordings. Participants reported feeling less negative after hearing the interviewer paraphrase what they had said. In addition, we found a lower sound intensity of participants’ voices when answering to questions following a paraphrase. At the physiological level, skin conductance response, as well as heart rate, were higher during paraphrasing than during taking notes, while blood volume pulse amplitude was lower during paraphrasing, indicating higher autonomic arousal. The results show that demonstrating cognitive empathy through paraphrasing can extrinsically regulate negative emotion on a short-term basis. Paraphrasing led to enhanced autonomic activation in recipients, while at the same time influencing emotional valence in the direction of feeling better. A possible explanation for these results is that being treated in an empathic manner may stimulate a more intense emotion processing helping to transform and resolve the conflict.

Introduction

Emotion regulation research to date has mainly focused on an individualistic point of view emphasizing control mechanisms in the individual, such as attention deployment, cognitive reappraisal, or the willful suppression of emotional expressions (Gross and Thompson, 2007 ; Butler and Gross, 2009 ; Rime, 2009 ). Compared to the abundance and sophistication of the research pertaining to classification schemes on such intrinsic regulation, systematic analysis of extrinsic emotion regulation and especially of controlled interpersonal affect regulation (i.e., the process of deliberately influencing the emotional state of another person, as opposed to non-conscious affect spreading) is still relatively sparse. Rime ( 2009 ), however, points out that an emotional experience is virtually indivisible of a social response, which in turn is bound to shape and modify the original emotion, so that emotion has to be regarded as a fundamentally interdependent process.

Niven et al. ( 2009 ) propose a classification system for controlled interpersonal affect regulation strategies, derived from Totterdell and Parkinson’s ( 1999 ) classification of strategies to deliberately improve one’s affect. Their final classification distinguishes between strategies used to improve versus strategies used to worsen others’ affect, and between strategies that engage the target in a situation or affective state versus relationship-oriented strategies. The technique of empathic paraphrasing, which is investigated in the present study, can be categorized as aiming at affect improvement and engagement within this classification framework. However, it also contains a relationship-oriented component, as empathic paraphrasing communicates interest and commitment in understanding the other’s perspective, thereby implying that their feelings are valid and worth listening to.

Empathy has been conceptualized in many different ways, usually involving a cognitive and an emotional component (Preston and de Waal, 2002 ; Lamm et al., 2007 ; Decety and Meyer, 2008 ). Cognitive empathy means the ability to take the perspective of another person and infer their mental state, while emotional empathy refers to the observer’s affective response to another person’s emotional state (Dziobek et al., 2008 ).

Paraphrasing or active listening (coined by Carl R. Rogers in Client-Centered-Therapy) is a form of responding empathically to the emotions of another person by repeating in other words what this person said while focusing on the essence of what they feel and what is important to them. In this way, the listener actively demonstrates that he or she can understand the speaker’s perspective (cognitive empathy). Rogers described empathy as the ability to sense the client’s private world as if it were one’s own, but without losing the “as if” quality (Rogers, 1951 ). Empathy is communicated through active listening, which in the Client-Centered approach aspires to evoke personal growth and transformation through providing a space of unconditional acceptance for the client. Rogers considered empathy, positive regard, and congruence both necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ).

This early notion on the importance of empathy for facilitating therapeutic change has gained ample empirical support over the last decades of research. How empathic a therapist is perceived to be has been identified as a critical factor for positive therapy outcome for both psychodynamically oriented and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (Bohart et al., 2002 ; Duan and Kivlighan, 2002 ; Orlinsky et al., 2004 ; Marci et al., 2007 ; Elliott et al., 2011 ; Norcross and Wampold, 2011 ). Based on a review of several studies Marci et al. ( 2007 ) describe a significant influence of perceived empathy on mood and general clinical improvement, even when controlling for other factors. Along this line, a meta-analysis conducted by Bohart et al. ( 2002 ) confirms a modest but consistent importance of empathy during psychotherapy. Zuroff et al. ( 2010 ) specifically examined the relationship between patient-reported measures of the three Rogerian conditions (positive regard, empathy, and genuineness) and therapeutic outcome, and found that patients whose therapists provided high average levels of the Rogerian conditions across all patients in their caseloads experienced more rapid reductions in both overall maladjustment and depressive vulnerability (self-critical perfectionism). Farber and Doolin ( 2011 ) conducted a meta-analysis on 18 studies also focusing on the effects of positive regard as defined by Rogers on treatment outcome, and found an aggregate effect size of 0.26, confirming a moderate influence of this factor.

The effectiveness of showing empathy on treatment success has also been assured within the field of medical care. Medical researchers have coined the term clinical empathy , which Mercer and Reynolds ( 2002 ) define as (1) understanding the patient’s situation, perspective and feelings (and their attached meanings), (2) communicating that understanding and checking its accuracy, and (3) acting on that understanding with the patient in a helpful (therapeutic) way. Hence, within the clinical setting empathy entails not only cognitive and affective components but also a behavioral component to communicate understanding to the patient, i.e., through active listening (Davis, 2009 ). Accordingly, the active demonstration of empathy has already been recognized as a crucial component of promoting cooperation in challenging situations within the field of clinical care. Halpern ( 2007 ) stresses that physicians who learn to empathize with patients during emotionally charged interactions can thereby increase their therapeutic impact. By the same token, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that empathic communication effectively helps patients through challenging and fearful situations, ranging from painful dental treatments over psychological problems to pandemic crisis (Cape, 2000 ; Reynolds and Quinn Crouse, 2008 ; Bernson et al., 2011 ). Neumann et al. ( 2009 ) reviewed prior empirical studies on clinical empathy and conclude that clinical empathy is a fundamental determinant of successful medical care, because “ it enables the clinician to fulfill key medical tasks more accurately, thereby achieving enhanced health outcomes ” (Neumann et al., 2009 , p. 344).

In sum, the effectiveness of empathic communication as an extrinsic emotion regulation technique has already gained solid empirical support from psychotherapy and medical research. For the present study, social conflict was chosen as the context to examine the effects of empathic paraphrasing on emotion, for two reasons. Firstly, social conflict is often accompanied by intense emotions such as anger and hurt, and therefore lends itself easily to the investigation of extrinsic emotion regulation, without requiring artificial emotion induction in the laboratory. The setting of real-life social conflict renders it possible to work with “real” emotion, while at the same time concentrating on a non-clinical population. Secondly, empathic paraphrasing is used with vast prevalence within the field of conflict resolution. Paraphrasing is generally applied as one of the most important constitutional elements across all domains of conflict mediation (business mediation, family mediation, community mediation, victim-offender mediation, etc.). Hence, it seems expedient to take a closer look at the emotional effects of a technique so widely used within the context of its most common application.

Social psychology research offers evidence for a connection between dispositional affective empathy as well as dispositional perspective taking and adaptive social conflict behavior (Steins, 2000 ; Gehlbach, 2004 ; de Wied et al., 2007 ). However, there is hardly any research on the effects of being treated in an empathic manner (as opposed to feeling empathy oneself) on conflict behavior. Moran and Diamond ( 2008 ) report positive effects of therapist empathy on parent’s negative attitudes toward their depressed adolescent children. Being treated in an empathic way seems to help parents to also empathize with their children going through a rough time. This is an interesting finding, which contains parallels to social conflict situations and stimulates the question which emotional effects are triggered by being treated empathically, and how these emotional processes aid own empathic reactions toward others.

An interesting train of evidence regarding the socio-cognitive effects of being treated empathically is provided by research on interpersonal mimicry and language matching in social interaction. Numerous studies confirm that non-verbal interpersonal mimicry increases affiliation and positive social judgment as well as pro-social behavior not only toward the mimicker but also toward people not involved in the mimicry situation, indicating that being mimicked not only leads to an increased liking toward the interaction partner, but to an increased pro-social orientation in general (van Baaren et al., 2004 ; Ashton–James et al., 2007 ; Fischer-Lokou et al., 2011 .; Guéguen et al., 2011 ; Stel and Harinck, 2011 ). This is true for the mimickee as well as the mimicker (Stel et al., 2008 ). Maddux et al. ( 2008 ) also report that strategic mimicry in negotiation abets more favorable negotiation outcomes, facilitating both individual and joint gains. This effect was mediated by higher levels of trust toward the mimicker. Ashton–James et al. ( 2007 ) tested several hypotheses on why mimicry promotes pro-social behavior and found that being mimicked during social interaction shifts self-construal toward becoming more interdependent and “other-oriented.” Additionally, mimicry strengthens one’s perception of interpersonal closeness with other people in general.

Correspondingly, language style matching, i.e., similarity in use of function words, has been found to predict relationship initiation and stability (Ireland et al., 2011 ). On a similar vein, according to the interactive-alignment account of dialog, the success of any given conversation depends on the extent of the conversation partners arriving at a common understanding of the relevant aspects of what they are talking about, i.e., a common situation model (Pickering and Garrod, 2004 ). Interlocutors tend to automatically align at different levels of linguistic representation, e.g., through repeating each other’s words and grammar (Garrod and Pickering, 2004 ). This alignment at low-level structure positively affects alignment of interlocutors’ situation models – the hallmark of successful communication – as people who describe a situation in the same way tend to think about it in the same way as well (Markman and Makin, 1998 ; Menenti et al., 2012 ). These findings strongly support the hypothesis that paraphrasing, which involves a certain degree of language matching and bears parallels to mimicry on a verbal level, administrates emotional and socio-cognitive effects on the person being paraphrased.

Regardless the impressive amount of research reviewed above, the specific dynamics of emotional response to empathic paraphrasing are yet largely unclear. Rime ( 2009 ) suggests that socio-affective responses such as comfort and empathy temporarily alleviate a narrator’s negative emotions and generate a deep feeling of relief. However, if no cognitive reframing and re-adjustment of goals, motives, models, and schemas occur, the alleviating effects of socio-affective responses can be expected to be only temporary, because the cognitive sources of the emotional unsettledness have not been transformed. Following this reasoning, the emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing should be expected to be short-lived. On the other hand, Rogers argued that receiving empathy and positive regard are necessary conditions for being able to revise overly rigid structures of the self and assimilate dissonant information and experiences (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ). Hence, empathic paraphrasing may initiate a cognitive-emotional process progressing in several stages, with emotional alleviation and an increased mental openness and disposition for cognitive restructuring possibly being the first one. In this respect, the present research makes a valuable contribution by moving beyond correlational designs to presenting the first experimental study assessing in detail the emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing in the context of social conflict, hopefully providing a useful basis for further analysis in future studies.

To investigate whether and how empathic paraphrasing in the context of a real-life social conflict extrinsically regulates emotion, we invited participants to an interview in which they were asked to talk about an ongoing or recently self-experienced social conflict with a partner, friend, roommate, neighbor, or family member. The interviewer responded to participants’ descriptions by either paraphrasing (experimental condition following half of the interview questions) or taking notes (control condition). We assessed valence ratings pertaining to participants’ current emotional state as well as skin conductance response (SCR), blood volume pulse (BVP), blood volume pulse amplitude (BVPamp), and heart rate (HR) as indicators of autonomous nervous system (ANS) activity during the interviews. We also recorded the interviews for documentation and analysis.

Psychophysiological and voice parameters have been proven to be reliable indicators for emotional responses (Scherer, 2003 ; Kushki et al., 2011 ). HR is regulated by sympathetic (increase) as well as parasympathetic (decrease) pathways of the ANS (Li and Chen, 2006 ; Kushki et al., 2011 ), and reflects autonomic arousal (Critchley, 2002 ) as well as emotional valence (Palomba et al., 1997 ). BVP is a measure of changes in the volume of blood in vessels and has been associated with affective and cognitive processing (Kushki et al., 2011 ). BVP amplitude has been found to be lower during episodes of increased sympathetic activity (Shelley, 2007 ) and has also been shown to decrease when feeling fear or sadness in several studies (Kreibig et al., 2007 ). SCR depicts changes in the skin’s ability to conduct electricity and is considered a sensitive psychophysiological index of changes in autonomic sympathetic arousal that are integrated with emotional and cognitive states. In addition, SCR reflects vicarious emotional responses to another’s affective state (pain), and is therefore also connected to empathy (Hein et al., 2011 ).

Based on the literature reviewed above, we hypothesized that empathic paraphrasing would lead to a reduction of negative emotion in the situation of talking about the conflict. Specifically, we expected valence ratings to be more positive after paraphrasing. Furthermore, we hypothesized that empathic paraphrasing would lead to lower autonomic arousal, reflected in psychophysiological measures and voice analysis.

Materials and Methods

Participants.

Twenty healthy subjects [10 female; age: mean (M) = 27, standard deviation (SD) = 7.9] participated in this study. All participants were native German speakers, and had recently experienced a potentially ongoing social conflict with a partner, friend, roommate, neighbor, or family member. No conflicts involving physical or psychological violence were included in the study. Due to technical problems, SCR and voice data of four participants as well as BVP data of three participants were lost. Therefore, 20 participants entered the analysis of self-report data, 16 entered voice data analysis and analysis of SCR, and 17 entered analysis of HR and BVP.

The study was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the ethical committee of the Charité University Medicine Berlin. All participants gave written informed consent prior to investigation and received payment for participation.

Interview design and procedure

Participants were told that the study investigates emotion in social conflict, especially how emotions develop while speaking about a social conflict. The interviewer further informed participants that she would try to understand their perspective, and sometimes summarize what she understood so far, while at other times take notes to help her memorize certain things and have them present over the course of the interview.

Interviews consisted of 10 standardized open questions (e.g., “What exactly bothers you about the other person’s behavior?”). After the participant answered each question, the interviewer either paraphrased what had been said, or silently took notes (control condition). Following these paraphrasing interventions or control conditions, respectively, participants were asked to rate their current emotional state. In order to avoid confounding effects resulting from the content of the questions, as well as distortions due to emotional processing over the course of the interview, interventions, and control condition were given alternately during the interview. Half of all participants received an intervention (empathic paraphrasing) after the first question, a control intervention after the second question, and so forth; the other half received a control intervention first. All interviews were conducted by the same female interviewer, who had previously received 190 h of training in conflict resolution and has worked on cases in community mediation, business mediation, and family mediation over several years, applying empathic paraphrasing as one of the core techniques of conflict resolution.

Paraphrasing in the present study was implemented in such a way that after each narration the interviewer briefly summarized the facts of the narration and described her understanding of how the narrator felt, and why, and what she understood was important to the narrator regarding the situation described. To confirm the accuracy of her paraphrasing, the interviewer asked if her understanding was correct at the end of each paraphrase. An example of a paraphrase is given in the Appendix.

All interviews were audiotaped. Interview length was 30.16 min on average (SD = 11.03), depending on how extensively participants answered to the questions. Figure Figure1 1 depicts the interview questions as well as a schematic overview of the interview procedure and measurements.

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Interview guideline and procedure .

Data acquisition and analyses

Participants were asked to indicate their current emotional state (valence rating) on an eight-point Likert scale ranging from −4 to 4 (“How positive or negative do you feel right now?”) 10 times during the interview, following the interventions and control condition, respectively. Ratings were analyzed with two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures in IBM SPSS Statistics 20.

Skin conductance response and BVP were recorded continuously with a sampling frequency of 40 Hz using a commercial sampling device ( Biofeedback 2000 X-pert , Schuhfried GmbH, Austria) during the entire interview. Both interviewer’s and participant’s voices were recorded using Audacity 1.2.6 with a highly directional microphone (Shure, WH20 Dynamic Headset Microphone, IL, USA).

Skin conductance data was analyzed in LedaLab V3.3.1. Time frame of analysis was 25 s after the onset of the intervention or control condition. Within this interval, SCR was decomposed by continuous decomposition analysis (CDA; Benedek and Kaernbach, 2010 ). For each participant and interval, the maximum phasic activity was computed (with a minimum amplitude of 0.001 μS) and averaged for each participant across all intervals of both conditions).

Blood volume pulse and BVPamp were analyzed for intervals of 23 s after the onset of intervention or control condition using Matlab 7.1 (The Math-Works, Inc., MA, USA). Data were smoothed using a six point Gaussian filter. BVP was further used for extracting HR data through computing the inverse of the distance between successive peaks of the BVP signal in intervals larger than 0.4 s (Kushki et al., 2011 ). Mean SCR between both conditions (paraphrasing interventions and control conditions), BVP, BVPamp (in%), and HR (in beats per minute) were also analyzed with two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures in IBM SPSS Statistics 20. In addition, we compared BVP, BVPamp, and HR during the paraphrasing intervention and the interview question directly following the paraphrase, with a standard time frame of 4 s for the question phase.

Analysis of voice recordings was done with seewave in R statistics (Sueur et al., 2008 ). Using Audacity 1.2.6., intervals of speech for voice analysis were selected manually by listening to the recorded interviews and cutting out participants’ responses to each question – following an intervention or control intervention, respectively.

Behavioral data

Valence ratings following paraphrasing revealed less negative feelings than ratings following the control condition [ t (19) = 3.395, p = 0.003]. Effect size is d = 0.76 (Cohen’s d for repeated measures, calculated with pooled means and standard deviations).

Differences in valence ratings over the conditions are shown in Figure Figure2 2 .

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Mean valence ratings (with standard error of the mean) after the empathic paraphrasing and control conditions .

Time series plots over the entire course of the interview show a U-shaped trend in valence ratings over time, which is mainly due to ratings following the control condition (see Figure Figure3). 3 ). However, a repeated measures ANOVA including sequence of intervention over time as an additional factor demonstrates that the effect of the intervention remains untouched by sequence [main effect of sequence F (4, 72) = 1.768; p = 0.145; main effect of intervention: F (1,18) = 11.400; p = 0.003 interaction intervention × sequence F (4, 72) = 1.489; p = 0.215].

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Mean valence ratings over the course of the interview, averaged over both conditions (A) and split up into paraphrasing and control condition (B) . At each of the 10 trials, 10 subjects received an intervention and 10 received a control intervention.

Psychophysiological data

Two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures show that participants had a higher SCR during paraphrasing than during the control condition [ t (15) = 2.589; p = 0.021]. Effect size is d = 0.65 (Cohen’s d ). Complementary results were found in participants’ HR, which was also higher during paraphrasing than during the control condition [ t (16) = 6.491; p = 0.000; effect size d = 1.57]. No significant differences between the conditions for BVP were found [ t (16) = 0.22; p = 0.812]. However, there was a strong trend for mean BVPamp [ t (16) = −2.119; p = 0.050; effect size d = 0.51], which was lower during paraphrasing than during taking notes. Comparing BVPamp during paraphrasing with the interview question directly following the paraphrase, we also found that BVPamp is lower during paraphrasing than during the following interview question [ t (13) = 2.381; p = 0.033; effect size d = 0.64]. For HR and BVP, no such difference between paraphrase and subsequent interview question was found. Figure Figure4 4 illustrates differences in psychophysiological measures and voice intensity over the two conditions.

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Measures of sympathetic activation (mean values with standard error of the mean) . (A) Skin conductance response (SCR; in μS), (B) Heart rate (in beats/minute), (C) Blood volume pulse amplitude (BVPamp in%), and (D) Voice volume (in dB) during empathic paraphrasing and control condition.

Voice analysis data

Mean intensity/volume of participants’ voices was lower when they replied to an interview question following a paraphrase [ t (15) = −2,466; p = 0.026; effect size d = 0.62]. There was no difference in mean fundamental voice frequency (F0) between the conditions [ t (15) = 0.583; p = 0.568]. F0 range and F0 standard deviation did not differ between the conditions, either (see Table Table1). 1 ). However, speech rate and articulation rate showed trends for slower speech following paraphrasing [speech rate t (15) = −1.86; p = 0.082; articulation rate t (15) = −2.05; p = 0.059]. Cohen’s d yielded effect sizes of d = 0.47 for speech rate and d = 0.51 for articulation rate.

Means (M), standard deviations (SD), t -, p -, and d -values of all parameters in intervention and control condition .

* and ** indicate significant findings .

Table Table1 1 gives an overview of means and standard deviations of all psychophysiological, voice, and self-report parameters over the two conditions.

The aim of our study was to investigate the short-term emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing in social conflict. To achieve this, we conducted interviews on real-life social conflicts currently experienced by our participants. During the interview, paraphrasing was alternated with a control condition (taking notes). Emotional valence ratings were obtained after each intervention and control intervention and psychophysiological and voice recordings were executed continuously during the interviews. Our hypothesis was that paraphrasing would lead to more positive emotional valence and lower autonomic arousal. Viewing the results of our study as a whole suggests that empathic paraphrasing has a regulating effect on a narrator’s emotions, however, this effect seems to be more complex than originally expected. In sum, we found that participants felt better when the interviewer paraphrased their emotions and perceptions of the conflict. At the same time, and contrary to our expectations, SCR, HR, and BVP amplitude indicate higher autonomic activation during paraphrasing. Voice intensity as well as speech and articulation rate of participants on the other hand was lower when answering to a question following a paraphrase.

Effects of paraphrasing on valence

The self-report ratings demonstrate that participants felt better after the interviewer had paraphrased what they had said. Also, the relatively high effect size suggests that this effect is strong and practically relevant. The interview itself also induced valence effects over time, insofar that participants experienced a decline in emotional valence in the middle of the interview, which recuperated toward the end of the interview. However, due to the alternation of intervention and control intervention, which was again alternated in sequence over participants, this trend does not affect the intervention effect.

This self-reported valence effect is consistent with participants’ lower voice intensity after paraphrasing compared to the control condition. Banse and Scherer ( 1996 ) have linked high voice intensity with negative affects or aggressive speaker attitudes, thereby suggesting a conjunction between high voice intensity and negative emotional valence. Conversely, speech and articulation rate are also slightly lower following an intervention, even though these effects are not statistically significant. Speech rate is defined as the number of spoken units (e.g., words/syllables) per unit of time (minute/second). It is calculated across continuous speech segments, which may include pauses, disruptions, or dysfluency. Articulation rate is an analogical measure based only on fluent utterances, excluding pauses, and dysfluency (Howell et al., 1999 ). Speech rate has been demonstrated to increase when experiencing anger or fear compared to neutral emotional states (Scherer, 1995 ; Rochman et al., 2008 ). Hence, the lower speech and articulation rates following paraphrasing also suggest that participants experienced less negative emotion after paraphrasing.

By the same token, HR was higher during paraphrasing than during the control condition, which according to Palomba et al. ( 1997 ) can also be interpreted as a valence effect. HR deceleration has been associated with negative emotional valence during presentation of unpleasant visual stimuli. In social tasks, HR acceleration has been measured in accordance with intensity of emotion, and to a lesser degree, with emotional valence (Palomba et al., 1997 ). Palomba et al. ( 1997 ) found significant differences in HR deceleration between positive, negative, and neutral visual stimuli, with positive stimuli producing the highest and negative stimuli the lowest HR. Hence, self-report data, voice data, and HR analysis all support the conclusion that emotional valence was positively influenced by offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing. This effect of paraphrasing on valence bolsters Rime’s ( 2009 ) supposition that being treated empathically while socially sharing negative emotion produces a short-term alleviation of these negative emotions.

Interestingly, the positive impact of mimicry on social judgment mentioned in the introduction (i.e., promoting liking toward the mimicker) suggests the generation of positive emotion as a result of mimicry. This was not the case for paraphrasing in our study: valence ratings in the intervention condition center around the neutral. Nevertheless, it is still possible that paraphrasing led to an increased liking toward the interviewer, while overall affect was neutral. Social judgment was not assessed in the present study, hence, no direct comparison with mimicry is possible. However, it would be interesting to compare the effects of mimicry and paraphrasing on emotion in future studies, as well as to study verbal mimicry or matching more extensively in the context of distressing conversations such as social conflict discussions.

Effects of paraphrasing on arousal

Skin conductance response, HR and BVP amplitude indicate a period of higher autonomic arousal while the interviewer paraphrased what participants had said, compared to taking notes on what they had said. Again, effects sizes of physiological measures suggest medium and in the case of HR, very strong, effects. This is surprising, as we presumed that the lower intensity of negative emotion induced by paraphrasing would be accompanied by lower arousal. Instead, paraphrasing apparently enhanced autonomic arousal. Quite conversely to psychophysiological data, the lower voice intensity following the intervention on the other hand suggests a calming effect of paraphrasing on autonomic arousal, as several studies on emotion and voice quality have associated high voice intensity with high sympathetic autonomic arousal emotions (Scherer, 2003 ). This apparent contradiction between voice data and psychophysiological data appears initially confusing, as vocal changes and changes in SCR both originate in mediated variation of HR, blood flow, and muscular tension caused by an arousing event (Duffy, 1932 ; Laver, 1968 ; Schirmer and Kotz, 2006 ).

However, this discrepancy can be explained by the fact that BVP and SCR were recorded while participants listened to the interviewer paraphrasing, whereas voice analysis was done on recordings of participants’ answers to the interviewer’s next question, following the paraphrase. Thus, the autonomic arousal induced by paraphrasing may already have subsided and passed into a calmer state at the time participants answered the next question. This possibility is difficult to double-check for SCR as this parameter is reactive to speech and will thus be higher while participants are talking, even though autonomic sympathetic arousal induced by the intervention might have diminished already. However, we reassessed this hypothesis using BVP, BVPamp, and HR data, comparing the paraphrasing phase with the subsequent question phase and found a confirming result for BVPamp, although not for the other two measures. Participant had a lower BVP amplitude while listening to the paraphrase compared to listening to the interview question asked in direct succession. This indicates a specific effect of paraphrasing on autonomic arousal, which is not induced by speech in general. It should also be noted that voice intensity following paraphrasing is significantly lower than voice intensity following the control condition. Hence, given the assumption made above is correct, participants’ autonomic arousal is first heightened by listening to the paraphrasing, and after a short period of time lowered to a level below the control state. This is a very interesting finding, for which two possible explanations should be considered.

Firstly, it is possible that empathic paraphrasing not only leads to a reduction of negative emotion in participants, but even induces positive emotions, such as happiness and relief about being listened to and validated. This would explain the initial higher autonomic arousal, which would in this case be due to a short-term experience of positive emotions, in accordance with Rime ( 2009 ) dissipating quickly. However, the behavioral data does not support this notion, as the valence ratings remain in the negative range of the scale even after paraphrasing, only approximating the neutral zero-point. Also, it should be noted that empathic paraphrasing is distinctly different from everyday forms of volunteering empathy or forms of social sharing of emotion as referred to by Rime. Paraphrasing does not offer sympathy or emotional empathy, but instead takes a purely cognitive road by demonstrating that the listener can understand the narrator’s perspective. It does not seem likely that this technique should have the same emotional effects as common social sharing responses such as offering sympathy.

Therefore, as an alternative explanation of our results, it is more conceivable that demonstrating cognitive empathy through paraphrasing temporarily leads to a heightened focus on and increased processing of negative emotion, which might eventually have a resolving effect on these emotions. This explanation seems probable considering the nature of paraphrasing, which entails repeating emotional narrations in a pointed way, thereby sharpening and clarifying the emotional experience. In a study on the relationship between therapist pre-session mood, therapist empathy, and session evaluation, Duan and Kivlighan ( 2002 ) found that intellectual empathy (demonstrating an understanding of the client’s perspective, i.e., empathic paraphrasing) was positively correlated with client-perceived session depth (power and value of the session), but not correlated with perceived session smoothness (comfort and pleasantness of the session). In a way, paraphrasing confronts people with what they are feeling, and thus can stimulate a deeper processing of negative emotion (depth), which temporarily involves higher autonomic arousal and may even be perceived as trying and hard work (smoothness), but eventually abets resolution of the emotional conflict. It however seems unlikely that this process advances automatically without fueling cognitive work such as reappraisal and re-adjustment of goals and schemas. Yet, the clarifying focus on one’s own emotion, accompanied by the non-judgmental stance of empathic paraphrasing might strongly push this process forward. This notion is in line with Rogers’ original claim to evoke personal growth and transformation in the client through empathic paraphrasing, thereby achieving therapeutic change (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ).

Also, considering the findings from mimicry and language matching research, which have demonstrated that being treated empathically on basal levels such as facial expression and language style promotes attitude and behavior change, it seems plausible that empathic paraphrasing may foster socio-cognitive processes in a similar direction. As paraphrasing contains a deliberate effort to verbally align with the narrator, it may generate a shared situation model and in this way promote successful communication. It would be interesting to consider if empathic paraphrasing, as it bears a certain resemblance to mimicry on a verbal level, can also stimulate pro-social behavior in the person being paraphrased; for instance a greater willingness to open up for the other party’s perspective on the conflict. This would strongly support the idea of paraphrasing stimulating a clearance of negative emotion.

There seems to be wide consensus between psychotherapists of different disciplines that psychotherapy benefits from an optimal level of arousal in the client, similar to the Yerkes–Dodson law, which posits an inverse U-shaped correlation between arousal and performance in complex tasks (Bridges, 2006 ). Markowitz and Milrod ( 2011 ) argue that emotional arousal is central for engaging the client in psychotherapy and making the therapeutic experience meaningful. They claim that the therapist’s ability to understand and respond empathically to negative emotional arousal should be considered the most important one of the common factors of psychotherapy. The therapist provides support and at the same time acts as a model, teaching the client to tolerate, verbalize, and integrate their feelings. Thus, negative feelings diminish and lose toxicity. In a similar vein, the traditional concept of the “corrective emotional experience” by Alexander and French ( 1946 ) describes the transformation of painful emotional conflicts as re-experiencing the old, unsettled conflict but with a new ending. This notion, which has gained ample empirical support, holds that processing emotional conflicts within a safe and empathic environment is necessary for therapeutic change (Bridges, 2006 ).

A resembling road is also pursued by acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions. Research on acceptance-based and mindfulness-based therapy has shown that accepting and mindfully observing negative emotions (instead of trying to suppress them) leads to the dissolution of these emotions (Eifert and Heffner, 2003 ; Arch and Craske, 2006 ; Hayes-Skelton et al., 2011 ). Czech et al. ( 2011 ) cite several experimental studies which have demonstrated that acceptance of negative emotion decreases distress and increases willingness to engage in challenging tasks. Empathic paraphrasing may have similar effects, as it essentially applies the principles of mindfulness and acceptance from the outside – through a listener who takes on an accepting role, thereby prompting the narrator in the same direction. Offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing draws attention to emotions, non-judgmentally describes and accepts them, and is thus very similar to acceptance-based and mindfulness-based therapy. The central difference might be the locus of initiation of these processes, which in the case of empathic paraphrasing comes from somebody else. Comparing the effects of mindfulness and empathic paraphrasing and investigating the potential consequences of this difference on emotion processing and emotion regulation could be an interesting research focus for future studies.

Limitations of the present study

A potential short-coming of the present study pertains to the nature of the control condition, which consisted of taking notes silently. It could be argued that, as only the experimental condition involved speech, the differences found might be due to a general effect of being spoken to, rather than to an isolated effect of empathic paraphrasing. However, it should be noted that within a social conflict situation, the content of a reply to emotional descriptions can never be perceived as completely neutral, and any control condition involving speech will induce emotional effects of its own, e.g., irritation or even anger caused by inapplicable verbal comments of the interviewer following participants’ emotional disclosure. The present control condition was deliberately chosen for providing a neutral baseline against which the effects of empathic paraphrasing can be tested before moving on to other modes of comparison.

An aligned point of concern might be that it cannot be ascertained how the control condition was perceived by participants. For instance, even though they were informed that the note-taking simply served the purpose of bolstering the interviewer’s memory during the conversation, some participants may still have worried about the notes containing subjective judgment. This would most likely induce stress and add an emotional bias to the control condition. In this case, however, one would expect an increase in autonomic responses during the control condition, which did not occur. Still, considering these shortcomings of the control condition, the results need to be reproduced with varying kinds of control conditions involving speech before they can be viewed as definite.

It should also be mentioned that this study focused exclusively on short-term emotional reactions to paraphrasing, in order to obtain a constitutional data base illustrating the regulatory effect of this communicational technique. Our results suggest that in addition to influencing immediate emotional valence, paraphrasing sets in motion an initially arousing process of coping with negative emotions associated with the social conflict, which eventually may lead to resolving these emotions. However, as we did not assess longitudinal measures pertaining to the emotions associated with the social conflicts in question, this conclusion has to remain speculative until backed up by further research.

Finally, the relatively small sample size of the study makes it prone to distortions from individual variations and gender differences, e.g., in emotion expression. Again, replication of the results based on larger groups of study participants is called for.

Conclusion and directions for future research

The present study provides first experimental evidence that offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing extrinsically regulates emotion in social conflict. Paraphrasing led to less negative feelings in study participants, while at the same time inducing higher autonomic arousal, which subsided after a short period of time. A possible explanation for these findings is that empathic paraphrasing stimulates an increased and focused processing of negative emotion in social conflict, and thus may contribute to resolving these emotions.

Future studies investigating the emotional effects of demonstrating cognitive empathy may further scrutinize the short- and long-term effects empathic paraphrasing has on arousal, and test the hypothesis that paraphrasing induces a cognitive-emotional process which facilitates the resolution of negative emotion in social conflict. Also, it would be interesting to investigate the dynamics of this process more closely and identify factors necessary for its successful development. Presently, we are working on a neuroimaging paradigm designed to overcome some of the above mentioned shortcomings and further explore the effects of empathic paraphrasing on the disposition to consider other people’s perspective in social conflict.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion” at Freie Universität Berlin which is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation), and by the Open-Access publication fund of the DFG and the Freie Universität Berlin.

Example of a paraphrasing sequence

Interviewer: “What is worst for you about this situation?”

Narrator: “The worst thing is not knowing what happens now, well, this uncertainty. I mean, there is a problem, I have to make sure the rent is being paid, because in the end I am responsible, because I am in the rental agreement…and then – not being able to deal with that situation, not being able to act, because I just don’t know what is going to happen. The worst…now I am not so sure anymore, what was worst about it – well, also interpersonally it was very disappointing, because after all I took care of everything, voluntarily, and…I mean, when she is acting this way now, that is also a lack of recognition for what I do, what I accomplish. For my whole courtesy. What aggravates things is that is was clear from the beginning that she does not do so well financially, but urgently needed an apartment, and I let her move in with me to help her. And that is something that is…not being trampled under her feet…but you notice that there is a lack of recognition. Well, I think this second issue is worse than the first one.”

Interviewer: “So it is a combination, is it? For one, this thing, that in some way your existence is on stake here, that you are saying, this uncertainty is hard to bear – that you do not know how the rent is going to come around in the future. And then also the interpersonal issue, that you are saying you are disappointed of her, because you helped her, and in return you get this now, right? Especially the lack of recognition, the interpersonal treatment is what is worst – did I understand that correctly?”

Narrator: “Yes.”

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Frequently asked questions

The act of putting someone else’s ideas or words into your own words is called paraphrasing, rephrasing, or rewording. Even though they are often used interchangeably, the terms can mean slightly different things:

Paraphrasing is restating someone else’s ideas or words in your own words while retaining their meaning. Paraphrasing changes sentence structure, word choice, and sentence length to convey the same meaning.

Rephrasing may involve more substantial changes to the original text, including changing the order of sentences or the overall structure of the text.

Rewording is changing individual words in a text without changing its meaning or structure, often using synonyms.

It can. One of the two methods of paraphrasing is called “Fluency.” This will improve the language and fix grammatical errors in the text you’re paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing and using a paraphrasing tool aren’t cheating. It’s a great tool for saving time and coming up with new ways to express yourself in writing. However, always be sure to credit your sources. Avoid plagiarism.

If you don’t properly cite text paraphrased from another source, you’re plagiarizing. If you use someone else’s text and paraphrase it, you need to credit the original source. You can do that by using citations. There are different styles, like APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago. Find more information about citing sources here.

Paraphrasing without crediting the original author is a form of plagiarism , because you’re presenting someone else’s ideas as if they were your own.

However, paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you correctly cite the source . This means including an in-text citation and a full reference, formatted according to your required citation style .

As well as citing, make sure that any paraphrased text is completely rewritten in your own words.

Plagiarism means using someone else’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own. Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s ideas in your own words.

So when does paraphrasing count as plagiarism?

Paraphrasing is plagiarism if you don’t properly credit the original author.
Paraphrasing is plagiarism if your text is too close to the original wording (even if you cite the source). If you directly copy a sentence or phrase, you should quote it instead.
Paraphrasing is not plagiarism if you put the author’s ideas completely in your own words and properly cite the source .

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Paraphrasing and summarising: Two weapons of solid communication

Mastering the two skills will result in fruitful conversations at workplaces.

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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).

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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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3 Benefits of Paraphrasing: The Skill for Learning, Writing and Communicating

Paraphrasing is the underrated skill of reinstating, clarifying or condensing the ideas of another in your own words. By paraphrasing, you can curate credible and well-developed documents, and arguments. But there’s more to paraphrasing than the final result, the process of paraphrasing engages your ability to learn actively, write well, and communicate creatively.

Paraphrasing allows you to share another’s ideas in your own words. This powerful technique is useful in both written and verbal communication, and acts as a tool for conveying information effectively. Paraphrasing is an underrated skill that is beneficial to a variety of individuals from students and writers to employees and business owners. In any setting, sharing information well is the key to good quality work and results. The process of paraphrasing itself also has a number of benefits, making you a better learner, writer and communicator.

Paraphrasing: The Active Learning Strategy

Paraphrasing requires you to think about the information you want to convey. You need to understand the meaning in order to reword and restructure the idea, and share it effectively. The process of paraphrasing encourages you to get to the core message, and improves your understanding of the material. In this way, you are actively engaging with the material . Instead of passively reading, you are breaking down the ideas and concepts. Rather than slotting information into your writing, you’re reworking and tailoring it to your needs and your audience.

Paraphrasing can improve your memory by encouraging you to engage with the information. The 5-step approach to paraphrasing suggests writing your first paraphrase without looking at the original material. This engages your ability to actively recall information from memory, and think of new ways to write it out, rather than simply trying to memorise what you read word for word. After your first draft, you’ll revisit the original material to check if your work conveys the same meaning, this part of the process can further strengthen memory. You’re again revisiting the material in a way that is active and assessing your understanding. Likewise, the practice of paraphrasing improves your ability to convey information, ensuring that it is well-written and tailored to your audience.

This learning method is particularly useful for exams. You’ll learn the material well, developing a deep understanding and continue to refine this as you paraphrase the information. You’ll also be practising your ability to share this information in a way that is well-written, avoids plagiarism and engages your audience. This means, you’ll be able to easily add these ideas into your assignments or exams, having already taken the time to understand the ideas deeply and even practised sharing this information. You’ll be able to show the depth of your learning through paraphrasing, proving you understand the bigger picture and the finer details.

Paraphrasing: The Technique for Improving Writing Ability

Once you’ve understood the concept well, the process of paraphrasing can improve your writing ability in a variety of ways. You’ll improve your vocabulary by making use of synonyms and identifying key words. You might also switch between word categories, using a noun instead of a verb or changing adjectives into adverbs. Overtime, this will make you a better writer. Paraphrasing is more than changing a few words and can involve switching between the active or passive voice, this can improve your ability to distinguish between the two. Effective paraphrasing also involves playing around with sentence structure, you might utilise shorter or longer sentences to convey the idea at hand.

These benefits can still be found even when using paraphrasing tools . You’ll still have to test your understanding by assessing the paraphrase the tool produced. Likewise, you’ll be exposed to new ways of writing things, new words, sentence structures, and organisation. You’ll learn how to pick out the paraphrasing styles that do or don’t work for your writing. Beyond the more technical aspects of writing, paraphrasing can also teach you how to communicate more clearly. You might rearrange the information to emphasise a particular point, or simplify the language to make it accessible to your audience. This improves your ability to clarify the ideas of the original material, and make ideas that might be overly complex, easier to digest.

Paraphrasing: The Skill for Better Communication

Finally, paraphrasing can make you a better and more creative communicator. By engaging in the process of paraphrasing, you’re developing your ability to share one idea in a variety of ways. For this to be engaging, you have to get creative. You might play around with the tone, switching between formal, informal, casual, or persuasive. Imagine a business launching a new product, communicating the idea to various internal teams, and customers, each would require a different approach and yet the meaning behind the information would remain the same.

You might ask questions such as, how can I tailor this information to my audience? How can I bring this aspect of the idea to life? This highlights how paraphrasing can really exercise your ability to communicate creatively. Similarly, paraphrasing can teach you how to share ideas in your own personal way. Whether you’re sharing an idea with a friend, or on social media, you’ll find you can share information in your own personal style while still retaining the original meaning. This can make ideas more accessible and relatable to those in your circle. Additionally, this can prove to be a useful skill in your career, studies or creative endeavours.

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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.

Why and Who Should Use Paraphrasing Tools?

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:

Affiliate Marketers
Freelancers
Copywriters

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.

Benefits of Using Paraphrasing Tool

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

Easy-to-use tool
Just copy-paste your content in the box and click ‘paraphrase’
Get thousands of fresh, brand new, and comprehensively informative articles.
A unique quality of the AI Paraphrasing Tool that makes it stand out is its five modes:

All the modes follow natural language processing and create different results.

Free sign-up - no need to pay a single dollar. Just visit the website and find the tool ready to process your content.
Get your bulk content rephrased with fast and accurate results.
No grammatical mistakes
No plagiarism

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.

The user can enjoy 5 days free trial
The tool carries more than 5 Spintax styles
Naturally creates a paragraph
This paraphrasing tool can be run on any device.
Stock photo integration
The software has combined content marketing and SEO tools like copy-scape
It offers manual as well as automatic spinning
HTML formatting option also available

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.

Generates quality content with no sentence errors and plagiarism
Provides link building facility
More than 7 SEO tools have been integrated to enhance the quality of the tool
The user gains cloud campaigns
Anyone with a basic knowledge of running online apps can use it – a very easy-to-use tool
Best paraphrasing tool for all levels

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.

Multiple content sources
This software can work with public and private proxies.
Can translate your article back and forth
Help you find long-tail keywords with a built-in tool.
It helps users post the paraphrased content directly onto WordPress sites.

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.

Rephrases poems
Generates creative snippets
Summarizes articles
With its spelling and grammar check function, the tool completely proofreads your content, making it error-free and ready to publish.
It can paraphrase both quotes as well as repetitions.
No need to make any payments to sign up - it is a totally free tool

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?

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What is effective communication?

Effective communication skill 1: become an engaged listener, skill 2: pay attention to nonverbal signals, skill 3: keep stress in check, skill 4: assert yourself, effective communication.

Want to communicate better? These tips will help you avoid misunderstandings, grasp the real meaning of what’s being communicated, and greatly improve your work and personal relationships.

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.

Effective communication sounds like it should be instinctive. But all too often, when we try to communicate with others something goes astray. We say one thing, the other person hears something else, and misunderstandings, frustration, and conflicts ensue. This can cause problems in your home, school, and work relationships.

For many of us, communicating more clearly and effectively requires learning some important skills. Whether you’re trying to improve communication with your spouse, kids, boss, or coworkers, learning these skills can deepen your connections to others, build greater trust and respect, and improve teamwork, problem solving, and your overall social and emotional health.

What’s stopping you from communicating effectively?

Common barriers to effective communication include:

Stress and out-of-control emotion. When you’re stressed or emotionally overwhelmed, you’re more likely to misread other people, send confusing or off-putting nonverbal signals, and lapse into unhealthy knee-jerk patterns of behavior. To avoid conflict and misunderstandings, you can learn how to quickly calm down before continuing a conversation.

Lack of focus. You can’t communicate effectively when you’re multitasking. If you’re checking your phone , planning what you’re going to say next, or daydreaming, you’re almost certain to miss nonverbal cues in the conversation. To communicate effectively, you need to avoid distractions and stay focused.

Inconsistent body language. Nonverbal communication should reinforce what is being said, not contradict it. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will likely feel that you’re being dishonest. For example, you can’t say “yes” while shaking your head no.

[Read: Nonverbal Communication and Body Language]

Negative body language. If you disagree with or dislike what’s being said, you might use negative body language to rebuff the other person’s message, such as crossing your arms, avoiding eye contact, or tapping your feet. You don’t have to agree with, or even like what’s being said, but to communicate effectively and not put the other person on the defensive, it’s important to avoid sending negative signals.

When communicating with others, we often focus on what we should say. However, effective communication is less about talking and more about listening. Listening well means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding the emotions the speaker is trying to convey.

There’s a big difference between engaged listening and simply hearing. When you really listen—when you’re engaged with what’s being said—you’ll hear the subtle intonations in someone’s voice that tell you how that person is feeling and the emotions they’re trying to communicate. When you’re an engaged listener, not only will you better understand the other person, you’ll also make that person feel heard and understood, which can help build a stronger, deeper connection between you.

By communicating in this way, you’ll also experience a process that lowers stress and supports physical and emotional well-being. If the person you’re talking to is calm, for example, listening in an engaged way will help to calm you, too. Similarly, if the person is agitated, you can help calm them by listening in an attentive way and making the person feel understood.

If your goal is to fully understand and connect with the other person, listening in an engaged way will often come naturally. If it doesn’t, try the following tips. The more you practice them, the more satisfying and rewarding your interactions with others will become.

Tips for becoming an engaged listener

Focus fully on the speaker. You can’t listen in an engaged way if you’re constantly checking your phone or thinking about something else. You need to stay focused on the moment-to-moment experience in order to pick up the subtle nuances and important nonverbal cues in a conversation. If you find it hard to concentrate on some speakers, try repeating their words over in your head—it’ll reinforce their message and help you stay focused.

Favor your right ear. As strange as it sounds, the left side of the brain contains the primary processing centers for both speech comprehension and emotions. Since the left side of the brain is connected to the right side of the body, favoring your right ear can help you better detect the emotional nuances of what someone is saying.

Avoid interrupting or trying to redirect the conversation to your concerns. By saying something like, “If you think that’s bad, let me tell you what happened to me.” Listening is not the same as waiting for your turn to talk. You can’t concentrate on what someone’s saying if you’re forming what you’re going to say next. Often, the speaker can read your facial expressions and know that your mind’s elsewhere.

Show your interest in what’s being said. Nod occasionally, smile at the person, and make sure your posture is open and inviting. Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like “yes” or “uh huh.”

Try to set aside judgment. In order to communicate effectively with someone, you don’t have to like them or agree with their ideas, values, or opinions. However, you do need to set aside your judgment and withhold blame and criticism in order to fully understand them. The most difficult communication, when successfully executed, can often lead to an unlikely connection with someone.

[Read: Improving Emotional Intelligence (EQ)]

Provide feedback. If there seems to be a disconnect, reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is,” or “Sounds like you are saying,” are great ways to reflect back. Don’t simply repeat what the speaker has said verbatim, though—you’ll sound insincere or unintelligent. Instead, express what the speaker’s words mean to you. Ask questions to clarify certain points: “What do you mean when you say…” or “Is this what you mean?”

Hear the emotion behind the words . It’s the higher frequencies of human speech that impart emotion. You can become more attuned to these frequencies—and thus better able to understand what others are really saying—by exercising the tiny muscles of your middle ear (the smallest in the body). You can do this by singing, playing a wind instrument, or listening to certain types of high-frequency music (a Mozart symphony or violin concerto, for example, rather than low-frequency rock, pop, or hip-hop).

The way you look, listen, move, and react to another person tells them more about how you’re feeling than words alone ever can. Nonverbal communication, or body language, includes facial expressions, body movement and gestures, eye contact, posture, the tone of your voice, and even your muscle tension and breathing.

Developing the ability to understand and use nonverbal communication can help you connect with others, express what you really mean, navigate challenging situations, and build better relationships at home and work.

You can enhance effective communication by using open body language—arms uncrossed, standing with an open stance or sitting on the edge of your seat, and maintaining eye contact with the person you’re talking to.
You can also use body language to emphasize or enhance your verbal message—patting a friend on the back while complimenting him on his success, for example, or pounding your fists to underline your message.

Improve how you read nonverbal communication

Be aware of individual differences. People from different countries and cultures tend to use different nonverbal communication gestures, so it’s important to take age, culture, religion, gender, and emotional state into account when reading body language signals. An American teen, a grieving widow, and an Asian businessman, for example, are likely to use nonverbal signals differently.

Look at nonverbal communication signals as a group. Don’t read too much into a single gesture or nonverbal cue. Consider all of the nonverbal signals you receive, from eye contact to tone of voice to body language. Anyone can slip up occasionally and let eye contact go, for example, or briefly cross their arms without meaning to. Consider the signals as a whole to get a better “read” on a person.

Improve how you deliver nonverbal communication

Use nonverbal signals that match up with your words rather than contradict them. If you say one thing, but your body language says something else, your listener will feel confused or suspect that you’re being dishonest. For example, sitting with your arms crossed and shaking your head doesn’t match words telling the other person that you agree with what they’re saying.

Adjust your nonverbal signals according to the context. The tone of your voice, for example, should be different when you’re addressing a child than when you’re addressing a group of adults. Similarly, take into account the emotional state and cultural background of the person you’re interacting with.

Avoid negative body language. Instead, use body language to convey positive feelings, even when you’re not actually experiencing them. If you’re nervous about a situation—a job interview, important presentation, or first date, for example—you can use positive body language to signal confidence, even though you’re not feeling it. Instead of tentatively entering a room with your head down, eyes averted, and sliding into a chair, try standing tall with your shoulders back, smiling and maintaining eye contact, and delivering a firm handshake. It will make you feel more self-confident and help to put the other person at ease.

How many times have you felt stressed during a disagreement with your spouse, kids, boss, friends, or coworkers and then said or done something you later regretted? If you can quickly relieve stress and return to a calm state, you’ll not only avoid such regrets, but in many cases you’ll also help to calm the other person as well. It’s only when you’re in a calm, relaxed state that you’ll be able to know whether the situation requires a response, or whether the other person’s signals indicate it would be better to remain silent.

In situations such as a job interview, business presentation, high-pressure meeting, or introduction to a loved one’s family, for example, it’s important to manage your emotions, think on your feet, and effectively communicate under pressure.

Communicate effectively by staying calm under pressure

Use stalling tactics to give yourself time to think. Ask for a question to be repeated or for clarification of a statement before you respond.

Pause to collect your thoughts. Silence isn’t necessarily a bad thing—pausing can make you seem more in control than rushing your response.

Make one point and provide an example or supporting piece of information. If your response is too long or you waffle about a number of points, you risk losing the listener’s interest. Follow one point with an example and then gauge the listener’s reaction to tell if you should make a second point.

Deliver your words clearly. In many cases, how you say something can be as important as what you say. Speak clearly, maintain an even tone, and make eye contact. Keep your body language relaxed and open.

Wrap up with a summary and then stop. Summarize your response and then stop talking, even if it leaves a silence in the room. You don’t have to fill the silence by continuing to talk.

Quick stress relief for effective communication

When a conversation starts to get heated, you need something quick and immediate to bring down the emotional intensity. By learning to quickly reduce stress in the moment, you can safely take stock of any strong emotions you’re experiencing, regulate your feelings, and behave appropriately.

Recognize when you’re becoming stressed. Your body will let you know if you’re stressed as you communicate. Are your muscles or stomach tight? Are your hands clenched? Is your breath shallow? Are you “forgetting” to breathe?

Take a moment to calm down before deciding to continue a conversation or postpone it.

Bring your senses to the rescue. The best way to rapidly and reliably relieve stress is through the senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, smell—or movement. For example, you could pop a peppermint in your mouth, squeeze a stress ball in your pocket, take a few deep breaths, clench and relax your muscles, or simply recall a soothing, sensory-rich image. Each person responds differently to sensory input, so you need to find a coping mechanism that is soothing to you.

[Read: Quick Stress Relief]

Look for humor in the situation. When used appropriately, humor is a great way to relieve stress when communicating . When you or those around you start taking things too seriously, find a way to lighten the mood by sharing a joke or an amusing story.

Be willing to compromise. Sometimes, if you can both bend a little, you’ll be able to find a happy middle ground that reduces the stress levels for everyone concerned. If you realize that the other person cares much more about an issue than you do, compromise may be easier for you and a good investment for the future of the relationship.

Agree to disagree, if necessary, and take time away from the situation so everyone can calm down. Go for a stroll outside if possible, or spend a few minutes meditating. Physical movement or finding a quiet place to regain your balance can quickly reduce stress.

Find your space for healing and growth

Regain is an online couples counseling service. Whether you’re facing problems with communication, intimacy, or trust, Regain’s licensed, accredited therapists can help you improve your relationship.

Direct, assertive expression makes for clear communication and can help boost your self-esteem and decision-making skills. Being assertive means expressing your thoughts, feelings, and needs in an open and honest way, while standing up for yourself and respecting others. It does NOT mean being hostile, aggressive, or demanding. Effective communication is always about understanding the other person, not about winning an argument or forcing your opinions on others.

To improve your assertiveness

Value yourself and your options. They are as important as anyone else’s.

Know your needs and wants. Learn to express them without infringing on the rights of others.

Express negative thoughts in a positive way. It’s okay to be angry , but you must remain respectful as well.

Receive feedback positively. Accept compliments graciously, learn from your mistakes, ask for help when needed.

Learn to say “no.” Know your limits and don’t let others take advantage of you. Look for alternatives so everyone feels good about the outcome.

Developing assertive communication techniques

Empathetic assertion conveys sensitivity to the other person. First, recognize the other person’s situation or feelings, then state your needs or opinion. “I know you’ve been very busy at work, but I want you to make time for us as well.”

Escalating assertion can be employed when your first attempts are not successful. You become increasingly firm as time progresses, which may include outlining consequences if your needs are not met. For example, “If you don’t abide by the contract, I’ll be forced to pursue legal action.”

Practice assertiveness in lower risk situations to help build up your confidence. Or ask friends or family if you can practice assertiveness techniques on them first.

More Information

Effective Communication: Improving Your Social Skills - Communicate more effectively, improve your conversation skills, and become more assertive. (AnxietyCanada)
Core Listening Skills - How to be a better listener. (SucceedSocially.com)
Effective Communication - How to communicate in groups using nonverbal communication and active listening techniques. (University of Maine)
Some Common Communication Mistakes - And how to avoid them. (SucceedSocially.com)
3aPPa3 – When cognitive demand increases, does the right ear have an advantage? – Danielle Sacchinell | Acoustics.org . (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2022, from Link
How to Behave More Assertively . (n.d.). 10. Weger, H., Castle Bell, G., Minei, E. M., & Robinson, M. C. (2014). The Relative Effectiveness of Active Listening in Initial Interactions. International Journal of Listening , 28(1), 13–31. Link

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Paraphrasing in Counselling

Table of Contents

In essence, paraphrasing is a micro skill that allows counselors to create an authentic bond with their clients Together with encouraging and summarizing, paraphrasing plays a crucial role in therapeutic communication, making the client feel understood and listened to. In other words, paraphrasing in counseling is what makes the client say, “ Finally, someone who understands what I’m going through.” Without this essential ingredient, counseling sessions would be nothing more than dull and impersonal exchanges of ideas.

What is the difference between reflecting and paraphrasing in Counseling?

Paraphrasing and reflecting are close synonyms for most people, both playing a crucial role in any form of communication.

Although paraphrasing and reflecting are fundamental counseling communication skills [1], these two processes can have slightly different connotations in a therapeutic context.

In essence, reflecting is like putting a mirror in front of your clients, helping them gain a better sense of the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors they experienced in a situation that has meaning for them.

Of course, this does not mean you have to parrot their message; simply highlight the link between different ideas and emotions and how one influences the other.

When reflecting, it is vital to match the client’s tone and even body language so that he/she knows that you’ve received the message and the feelings that accompany his/her story.

On the other hand, paraphrasing is about capturing the essence of their story with a brief statement that emphasizes the underlying emotional vibe.

This technique is particularly useful when clients know how ideas and emotions can merge to create a subjective experience, but you want them to feel understood and listened to.

In a way, we could argue that paraphrasing is a brief version of reflecting.

Let’s look at a brief example of paraphrasing in counseling:

Client: I had a huge fight with Andrew last night. At some point, he stormed out and didn’t come back ‘til morning. I tried calling him all night, but his phone was switched off. I was worried sick and thought he did something stupid. This whole thing was like a nightmare that I could not wake up from.

Therapist : It seems this unpleasant event has put you through a lot of fear and anxiety.

Now let’s take a look at reflecting:

Therapist : I can only imagine how terrifying it must have felt to see your partner storm out after a huge fight without telling you where he is going or when he’ll be back.

As you can see, both processes require active listening. But while paraphrasing is a short statement that highlights the emotional tone of the situation, a reflective response captures “the vibe” of the story, along with other essential details.

How do you paraphrase?

Start by listening.

Whether the purpose is to paraphrase or reflect, listening is always the first step.

Through active listening, counselors gain a better sense of what their clients have experienced in a particular situation. Active listening means looking beyond the surface and trying to connect with the client on an emotional level.

To achieve this level of emotional depth, counselors listen with both their ears and their hearts. That means putting themselves in their clients’ shoes and zeroing in on the emotional aspect of the experience.

Focus on feelings and thoughts rather than circumstances

When we listen to another person’s story, the most visible aspects are related to the actual events that he or she has gone through.

But details like names, dates, locations, or other circumstantial issues are less relevant than how the person interpreted and consequently felt in a particular situation.

When it comes to paraphrasing, counselors are trained to look beyond circumstances and identify why a client has chosen to talk about a particular event.

In almost every case, the reason is a set of emotional experiences.

Capture the essence of the message

Although people can experience a wide range of emotions in a given situation or context, there’s always an underlying feeling that defines how they react.

That underlying emotional vibe is the “golden nugget” that counselors are looking to capture and express through paraphrasing.

If done right, paraphrasing in counseling creates an emotional bridge that sets the foundation for authentic and meaningful interactions. This will encourage clients to open up and share their struggles.

Offer a brief version of what has been said

The last step is providing a concise version that highlights the emotional tone of the story.

Once this message reaches the client, it creates a sense of understanding that builds trust and authentic connection.

Long story short, paraphrasing is a valuable tool for cultivating empathy and facilitating therapeutic change.

How does paraphrasing help in communication?

Cultivating clarity (on both sides).

Any form of communication, whether it’s a therapeutic process, a negotiation, or a casual chat between friends, involves exchanging ideas.

And when people exchange ideas and opinions, there’s always the risk of confusion and misunderstanding.

By paraphrasing what the other person has shared, not only that you cultivate empathy, but you also let him/her know that the message has been received and understood correctly.

Research indicates that paraphrasing in counseling helps clients clarify their issues. [2] The more clients understand the inner-workings of their problems, the better they can adjust their coping strategies.

In a nutshell, paraphrasing eliminates ambiguity and paves the way for clarity.

Facilitating emotional regulation

One of the main functions of paraphrasing is to build empathy between two or more people engaged in conversation.

But the effects of paraphrasing on emotions extend way beyond empathy and understanding.

One study revealed that empathic paraphrasing facilitates extrinsic emotional regulation. [3] People who receive empathy through paraphrasing feel understood, and that prompts them to engage in a more intense emotional regulation process.

What starts as extrinsic emotional regulation slowly becomes intrinsic emotional regulation. This is the reason why someone who’s going through a rough patch can feel better by merely talking to a person who listens in an empathic manner and doesn’t necessarily hand out solutions or practical advice.

Paraphrasing can be a vital skill in heated arguments where two people have opposing views that result in emotional turmoil.

If one of them manages to exercise restraint over their intense emotional reactions and tries to paraphrase what the other shares, it could change the whole dynamic of the conversation.

What is the role of paraphrasing in listening?

As we discussed throughout this article, paraphrasing is one of the critical aspects of active listening.

It’s what turns a passive individual who listens only to have something to say when it’s his/her turn to speak into an active listener who understands and resonates on an emotional level.

Furthermore, paraphrasing is a means by which we provide valuable feedback on the topic of discussion, keeping the conversation alive.

It is also the tool that allows therapists to build safe spaces where clients feel comfortable enough to unburden their souls by sharing painful experiences and gaining clarity.

To sum up, paraphrasing in counseling is a vital micro skill that creates an authentic connection, providing clients with the opportunity to experience a sense of understanding.

Knowing there is someone who resonates with your emotional struggles makes your problems seem less burdensome.

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Maybe you're stuck writing an essay, crafting a creative story, or even just trying to explain your point in a conversation. Well, say goodbye to repetitive writing and hello to Paraphrasing Tool, your new best friend for expressing yourself clearly and creatively! What is Paraphrasing Tool? Forget about the days of thesauruses and clunky online rewriters. Paraphrasing Tool is a free app that uses cutting-edge technology to help you rephrase text in your own words. That's right, no more robotic-sounding sentences or awkward grammar. This powerful tool understands the nuances of language and helps you find fresh, natural-sounding alternatives for any phrase or sentence. Why is it for you? A student tired of rewriting the same ideas in different assignments? A writer looking for inspiration and variety in your stories, poems, or articles? A casual learner exploring new concepts and wanting to express your understanding differently? Anyone who wants to communicate effectively and avoid repetitive language? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then [Paraphrasing Tool] is for you! It's perfect for users 13 and above, making it a valuable tool for students, writers, and anyone who wants to enhance their communication skills. How does it work? Type or paste your text. Whether it's a sentence, paragraph, or even a whole document, Paraphrasing Tool can handle it.Tap the "Paraphrase" button. Within seconds, you'll see several different ways to rewrite your text, using synonyms, changing sentence structures, and maintaining the original meaning. Choose the paraphrase you like best. You can even compare different options to find the perfect fit for your needs. And that's it! You now have fresh, unique ways to express yourself without sacrificing clarity or meaning. While the basic paraphrasing feature is free, Paraphrasing Tool offers premium features for those who need even more control and flexibility. With Premium you can: Paraphrase longer texts: Rewrite entire essays, stories, or reports with ease. Unlock more unique paraphrases: Get even more options to choose from for truly individualized results. Adjust style and tone: Make your paraphrased text more formal, informal, creative, or whatever suits your needs. Ready to unleash your voice with Paraphrasing Tool? Download the free app today and start exploring the power of language in a whole new way! Note: The price for each plan may vary according to the country from where a user gets subscribed. The actual cost of the plan may get converted to the currency of the country you’re residing in. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current subscription period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. Automatic renewals will cost the same price you were originally charged for the subscription. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. Read our terms of service and Privacy Policy for more information. Privacy policy: https://www.contentarcade.com/privacy Terms of use: https://www.contentarcade.com/terms

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COMMENTS

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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 ...
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Reflecting
Reflecting is the process of paraphrasing and restating both the feelings and words of the speaker. ... Learn more about the key communication skills you need to be an effective communicator. Our eBooks are ideal for anyone who wants to learn about or develop their communication skills, and are full of easy-to-follow practical information and ...
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Paraphrase #1: As put forth by Verbosity (2021), freedom of choice extends to the acceptance or rejection of God's own existence and to whether humans accept the Bible as true or devise their ...
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Source text Paraphrase "The current research extends the previous work by revealing that listening to moral dilemmas could elicit a FLE [foreign-language effect] in highly proficient bilinguals. … Here, it has been demonstrated that hearing a foreign language can even influence moral decision making, and namely promote more utilitarian-type decisions" (Brouwer, 2019, p. 874).
Communication skills
Communication skills - Paraphrasing. Report this article Michael G. Wilkovesky Michael G. Wilkovesky Working with business people to help bring their lives back into balance and success through ...
Effects of Empathic Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing led to enhanced autonomic activation in recipients, while at the same time influencing emotional valence in the direction of feeling better. ... By the same token, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that empathic communication effectively helps patients through challenging and fearful situations, ranging from painful dental ...
#1 Free Paraphrasing Tool
Paraphrasing tools can help you quickly reword text by replacing certain words with synonyms or restructuring sentences. They can also make your text more concise, clear, and suitable for a specific audience. Paraphrasing is an essential skill in academic writing and professional communication.
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Effective communication skill 1: Become an engaged listener. When communicating with others, we often focus on what we should say. However, effective communication is less about talking and more about listening. Listening well means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding the emotions the ...
Paraphrasing in Counselling
Paraphrasing and reflecting are close synonyms for most people, both playing a crucial role in any form of communication. Although paraphrasing and reflecting are fundamental counseling communication skills [1], these two processes can have slightly different connotations in a therapeutic context.
Paraphrasing Tool
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Paraphrasing Tool For Writers 4+
Paraphrasing Tool is a free app that uses cutting-edge technology to help you rephrase text in your own words. That's right, no more robotic-sounding sentences or awkward grammar. This powerful tool understands the nuances of language and helps you find fresh, natural-sounding alternatives for any phrase or sentence.