COOP Communication & Active Listening Skills Flashcards

Which listening technique involves reflecting the emotional content of what a visitor has expressed?

Answer: Empathic reflection

Empathic reflection acknowledges and mirrors the emotional dimension of what a visitor communicates, building rapport and trust.

An ombuds paraphrases a visitor's concern primarily to:

Answer: Confirm understanding and show the visitor they have been heard

Paraphrasing confirms the ombuds's understanding and signals to the visitor that their concern has been accurately received.

Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question in ombuds practice?

Answer: Can you tell me more about what occurred?

Open-ended questions invite the visitor to share in their own words, eliciting richer information than yes/no questions.

When a visitor is highly emotional, the ombuds should first:

Answer: Acknowledge the emotion before moving to problem-solving

Acknowledging emotion first creates the psychological safety needed for productive conversation and prevents the visitor from feeling dismissed.

Active listening in ombuds practice includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Answer: Formulating your response while the visitor is still speaking

Formulating a response while the visitor speaks diverts attention from what is being said, which is the opposite of active listening.

Silence used strategically by an ombuds during a conversation typically serves to:

Answer: Allow the visitor space to reflect and continue sharing

Strategic silence gives visitors room to process their thoughts and often prompts deeper disclosure without pressure.