Ask Clarifying Questions To Help Yourself Remember Key Conversation Points

Ask Clarifying Questions To Help Yourself Remember Key Conversation Points

When you’re having a verbal conversation, and you want to make sure you remember something you’re discussing, repetition can help. Ask clarifying questions to reinforce your memory of the topic.

Photo by Chip Griffin.

As business site Entrepreneur explains, verbal conversations are often a dance of various priorities. While you’re listening, you’re also trying to think about what to say next, you might be thinking about your body language or you could get distracted by something else in the room. There are a lot of things that can get in the way of remembering the topic at hand. If you’re having an important conversation and you want to remember what’s being said, start by asking clarifying questions:

Conversations, particularly the one-on-one variety can involve a lot of back-and-forth. With the natural ebb and flow of dialogue, it can be easy to misunderstand important information. Always repeat key points, as you understand them, to make sure you heard them correctly. If you are off or are having difficulty understanding something, make sure to ask for clarification and additional examples to gain a deeper understanding. By taking some time to make sure you’re both on the same page, you allow the other party to move forward with confidence and enable yourself to focus on listening in the moment versus pondering the meaning of previous conversation.

A good clarifying question will focus in on something you did retain, and then expand on it. “Oh, you like that TV show? What do you like about it?” You can also repeat important points back, possibly in your own words, if you want to retain the information. In either case, the repetition helps focus your thoughts on the topic, making it easier to remember later.

Listen Up! Here Are 6 Ways to Become a Great Communicator. [Entrepreneur]


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