What is meant by summarising and rephrasing

Summarising means repeating the key points without changing their meaning. This works well for simple instructions, directions, or processes.

It can be helpful to check you have heard correctly, and shows the speaker that you have been paying attention. 

Rephrasing goes a step further than summarising. It involves putting the speaker’s main points into your own words, which helps when dealing with complex ideas or abstract concepts. If you can rephrase something accurately, you likely understand it well.

Why and when summarising and rephrasing are useful when listening 

Summarising and rephrasing are useful in many situations, such as:

• Checking understanding: When someone gives a lot of information, summarising helps confirm you have understood the main points.
• Avoiding misunderstandings: Rephrasing can help clear up confusion if something was unclear.
• Keeping a conversation on track: Summarising helps to refocus a discussion, especially if it has gone in different directions.
• Helping others feel heard: When you repeat what someone has said in your own words, it shows you are listening and value their ideas.
• Bringing different ideas together: If several people share their thoughts, summarising can link their points and find common ideas.

However, summarising and rephrasing might be less helpful if the conversation is very simple as repeating information may not be needed. Similarly, if someone is already being very clear, rephrasing too often can slow down the conversation.

How to use summarising and rephrasing effectively in conversation

To summarise effectively:

• Pay attention to what the speaker is saying. Try to pick out key points, such as instructions, important facts, or key arguments. Ignore unnecessary details.
• Ask yourself: What is the speaker really trying to say? Think about the overall meaning rather than just individual words.
• Keep it brief and to the point when summarising. Avoid repeating everything word for word. Instead, focus on the most important parts.

To rephrase effectively:

• Think about what the key concepts are that the speaker is trying to get across.
• Ask yourself whether there are other similar concepts or examples that you have come across before.
• When rephrasing, try to keep it brief and check your understanding by phrasing something differently, or checking whether what the speaker has shared is like another example or concept you are familiar with. 

Timing is important so you do not break the speaker’s flow and make them feel cut-off nor wait so long that you miss a moment. Look for pauses in speech and use phrases like:

• “So, what you’re saying is…”
• “To check my understanding, do you mean…?”
• “Is it the case that…?”

If timed well, the speaker should appreciate your effort to understand. If too early, they may seem flustered. If too late, they might start doubting whether you are following.