Denise Chrisman

This activity demonstrates and teaches paraphrasing to enhance active listening skills.

Explain to the girl you are working with about feedback and paraphrasing. Now simply begin a conversation with her and paraphrase back to her what she is saying ("What I hear you saying is…") This will give her the opportunity to clarify what she is saying and also demonstrates how when we communicate, the message sent is not always the message received.

Try these phrases when paraphrasing:

• "What I hear you saying is…"
• "I'm hearing …"
• "I understand you to be saying…"
• "I understand your point to be…"

If you really don't know what she is trying to say - tell her. There is nothing wrong with saying, "I'm not sure what you are saying" or "I don't understand what you're trying to tell me"

Now it's her turn. Help her practice her active listening skills in a conversation with you. This is a really good opportunity for her to try to understand your perspective in the services you are providing to her.