Reflection

Another great skill you can use to improve and it enhances your communication skills, specifically, your listening skills is to use a technique called reflection.

This technique requires you to repeat back what someone just said to you, but do it in a way that you don't sound like a parrot repeating everything back.

In other words use your own words when repeating back what was said. This shows the speaker that you understand what they meant.

There are five different categories you can focus on when reflecting: 1. Acknowledgment responses * Examples: Yes. Right. Go on. Yeah

2. Reflecting Content * You use your own words to repeat the essence of what was said

3. Reflecting Feeling * Listen for the feeling being delivered by the speaker and reflect this back...”you look upset”

4. Reflecting Meaning * Reflecting back the content and feeling the speaker is expressing. Example: you feel (feeling word) because (content).

5. Summarizing * In two or three sentences sum up what was said by the speaker