”SO YOU’RE TELLING ME . . . ”: PARAPHRASING (FORMULATING), AFFECTIVE STANCE, AND ACTIVE LISTENING

ABSTRACT

Paraphrasing is one of the core practices associated with active listening. While its use is widely advocated, research on its efficacy shows limited results. Paraphrasing-like actions have been studied extensively in conversation analytic research under the term formulations. Building on that tradition, this article features a conversation analysis of the affective stance that paraphrasing turns display toward their referents. Primary data drawn from a podcast series, Conversations with People Who Hate Me, are supplemented with instances drawn from mediation and a medical interview. Affiliative paraphrases feature components such as positive assessments, empathy displays, and shared laughter. Neutral paraphrases withhold markers of positive or negative orientation to their referents. Disaffiliative paraphrases restate what was said before in ways that convey skepticism or leave the prior talk vulnerable to criticism. Ambiguous paraphrases may reflect both affiliative and disaffiliative components; responses provide evidence for how recipients orient to their stance. Affiliative and neutral paraphrases may most closely approach the spirit of active listening. Greater understanding of how stance shapes paraphrasing can enrich research and practice in active listening.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Thanks to Christina Fasone for creating first drafts of the CWPWHM transcripts.

² It is possible that the video recording might indicate ways in which the PA conveys an affective stance vocally or visually. Nothing in the transcript indicates such.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Emerson College Office of Research and Creative Scholarship.