Which communication technique involves summarizing what was said to confirm understanding?

• A. Active listening
• B. Adaptive questioning
• C. Summarization
• D. Nonverbal Communication

Answer: (C)

Summarization is the technique of restating the main points of what someone has said to verify you understood them correctly. It provides a concrete check that your interpretation matches the speaker’s intent, helps prevent miscommunication, and signals you were listening. In practice, you briefly recap the key ideas and invite confirmation, for example by asking if you captured the main concerns accurately. This explicit confirmation is what makes summarization the precise method for ensuring understanding.

Active listening is the broader skill that includes paying attention, reflecting, and asking clarifying questions; summarization is one specific tactic used to confirm understanding. Adaptive questioning is about tailoring questions to draw out information, and nonverbal communication covers things like eye contact and posture. Those elements are valuable, but they don’t focus on restating the message to confirm it as clearly.