4. Skill Builder Practice your skill at questioning and paraphrasing in groups of four. Each group member should assume one of the following roles: speaker, listener1, listener2, and observer.

a. The speaker will talk about a problem he or she has recently experienced. If you can’t think of a problem, talk about one o f the following topics: how to perform a task you are familiar with, how to improve your chances for landing the job you want, or how to talk politely to a co-worker about a behavior you disapprove of.

b. The listeners should use vocalizations, sincere questions, and paraphrasing to understand the speaker’s content, intent, and f eeling.

c. After the conversation ends, the speaker will describe the degree to which s/he feels satisfied that the paraphrasing reflected his or her meaning accurately. This is the measure of success of the interaction.

d. The observer should point out specific examples of effective and ineffective techniques used by the listeners.

e. Listeners should answer the following questions:

1. Was paraphrasing difficult or awkward?

Why?

2. How does this type of listening compare to your typical manner of responding?

3. What types of useful information did you gain from the conversations?

Would you be likely to gain the same quality of information by responding in your more usual manner?

4. How could you use paraphrasing and sincere questioning to help in your everyday w ork?