We’ve covered a lot of ground so far; let’s review a couple of things before moving on. We learned how important it is to ask for permission and the difference between open and closed-ended questions. We’ve looked at ways of encouraging silence and strengthening our listening skills while increasing others’ confidence. And our last topic looked at encouraging positive change talk. Does that about cover it?
You’ve just seen an example of a summarizing statement. Summaries are one of the more difficult skills to develop but are very important because they allow us to demonstrate we’re listening with purpose, guiding a conversation and reinforcing key points.
When summarizing, think about bookends on a shelf. The first bookend is like a lead-in statement to introduce the summary. The books represent main ideas or key points of your conversation. And the other bookend provides closure to the summary by inviting an opportunity to clarify or acknowledge understanding.