Thursday, August 19, 2010

BCS-Basic Communication Skills-1

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing if a way of checking with the other person to be sure that you understand his idea or suggestion as he intended it. Any means of revealing your understanding of the other person's comment constitutes a paraphrase. The objective is to provide information to the other person so that he can determine whether you understand his message as he intends it.

Person newly introduced to the idea of paraphrasing frequently take it too literally and incorrectly assume that their task is merely to translate the other person's statement into different words. This can lead to "word-swapping," which does little to improve understanding. People ask if an effective paraphrase should be more specific or more general than the original comment. The answer is that either maybe an appropriate way to convey your understanding.

Paraphrasing has potential for increasing the accuracy of communication because it allows the speaker to assess the listener's understanding. If the speaker thinks he has been misunderstood, he can provide additional information to clarify his meaning. In addition, paraphrasing allows the listener to convey his interest in the other person. Thus, the paraphrase serves to enhance interpersonal relations as well as the clarification of communication.

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