Active listening skills include which set of practices?

• A. Questioning, Paraphrasing, Reflecting (Clarifying), Repeating, Summarizing, and Minimal Encouragers
• B. Questioning, Lecturing, Debating
• C. Questioning, Paraphrasing, Reflecting (Clarifying), Repeating, Summarizing, and Minimal Encouragers
• D. Reading Aloud, Note-Taking, Checking Comprehension

Answer: (C)

Active listening involves engaging with the speaker through specific techniques that show you’re truly listening and aiming to understand both what is being said and how it’s being felt. The best set includes questioning to seek clarity, paraphrasing to reflect understanding of the content, reflecting (clarifying) to mirror the speaker’s meaning or emotions, repeating key points to confirm accuracy, summarizing the overall message for cohesion, and using minimal encouragers to invite the speaker to continue.

This combination covers understanding, validation, and encouraging further sharing. Questioning helps remove ambiguity; paraphrasing and reflecting ensure you’ve grasped both facts and feelings; repeating and summarizing lock in accuracy and help the speaker feel heard; minimal encouragers keep the dialogue flowing without interrupting. The other options introduce behaviors like lecturing or debating, which shift the focus away from listening, or include activities like reading aloud or heavy note-taking that aren’t direct demonstrations of active listening in the moment.