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Sustaining the Journey Archive
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June 14, 2010
Paraphrases with Reflective Stems
The paraphrase is the medium that provides psychological safety between the coach and the coachee.
It lets the coachee know that they have been heard and understood. The paraphrase also grants
permission for the coach to continue posing questions. Without it, there is uncertainty as to
whether or not the coach and coachee are even on the same page.
It is important that the emphasis not be about the coach's interpretation of what the speaker
is saying, but rather about the speaker's ideas themselves. One way to ensure this is to use
a reflective stem such as, "You're considering. . . ." or "You're wondering if.
. . ." This offers the paraphrase in a way that suggests it is all about the cognitive
processes of the coachee. It offers a presupposition that the coachee is reflective by nature
and spends time thinking about their practice. It also makes it clear that the coach is not agreeing
or disagreeing with the content of the paraphrase itself, but suspending their thoughts in order
to facilitate the coachee's thinking.
As you paraphrase this week, consider the following:
- What might be some of the indicators that your paraphrasing is maintaining a safe environment?
- What differences do you notice when you use reflective stems to precede your paraphrases?
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