So we're gonna switch gears and learn about paraphrasing and why, in my view, it is a very important technique to know and to understand. Now paraphrase is an accurate response to the person who's speaking, which states the essence of the speaker's words and the listeners own words. To put it another way, to paraphrase is to express the meaning of something written, or spoken using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity. So if I'm talking to someone and they're explaining something to me, what I would do is paraphrase what they just said, but in my own words, for example, if my wife is talking about her day and what she did at work, you know, she's explaining the process of doing something someone's taxes to me. So she says, He beeps. One of my clients got all upset because they didn't receive the whole amount they expected from their tax return.

And they threw a fit in the office. And so I would say, so they got mad because it was less than what they thought. It's as simple as that. So now let's talk about what goes into paraphrasing. Oh, and a quick side note, my wife really doesn't sound like that. But that was the best impersonation I could do.

So yeah. Anyway, let's get back to this. So the essential elements of paraphrasing are number one conducts a good paraphrase is accurate, and people begin using this technique. They tend to be too wordy. A paraphrase should be shorter than the speaker's statement. Number two, only the essentials and effective paraphrase reflects only the essentials of the speaker's message, it cuts through the clutter of details and focuses on what is central in the speaker's message.

Number three, focused on information. Another characteristic of a paraphrase is that it focuses on the content of the speaker's message. It deals with the facts or ideas rather than the emotions descenders expressing, even though firm distinction between facts and feelings is artificial paraphrasing focuses on the content of the message. Number four, stated in the listeners own words, the listener summarizes their understanding of what they heard in their own words, repeating the speaker's exact words, which some people call parroting, usually stifles or dries up for conversation, while paraphrasing when used appropriately can contribute greatly to the communication between people. So let's take a look at another example of paraphrasing. Here's Person A, I want to bring you up to speed on a particular project.

I talked with Claire at headquarters yesterday. She has been meeting with people at the state for weeks about the funding. Things sound really up in the air. She cautioned me about starting into this until we know more might happen, might not. So one way we can paraphrase This statement is by saying, so the whole project is dependent on whether or not state funding comes through. And that's just a quick example.

But there's many ways to paraphrase. Always remember, paraphrasing is very useful because it shows the person or people you're talking to that you are actively listening to them, and that you understand what they're communicating with you. Believe me, this is good. helps a whole lot especially in meetings with important people in your career and life.