CPM Reflective Listening & Questioning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mentee says, 'I feel like no one at work takes my ideas seriously.' Which reflective listening response best validates their experience?
- Tell me more about your background and qualifications.
- It sounds like you're feeling dismissed and undervalued by your colleagues. (Correct answer)
- Have you considered presenting your ideas differently?
- Everyone feels that way at some point in their career.
Correct answer: It sounds like you're feeling dismissed and undervalued by your colleagues.
Reflective listening mirrors the emotional content of the speaker's message to show understanding and validation.
Question 2: What distinguishes a clarifying question from a probing question in mentoring conversations?
- Clarifying questions challenge assumptions; probing questions confirm facts.
- Clarifying questions seek to understand what was said; probing questions explore deeper meaning or reasoning. (Correct answer)
- Clarifying questions are always closed-ended; probing questions are always open-ended.
- Clarifying questions are used early in a session; probing questions are used only at the end.
Correct answer: Clarifying questions seek to understand what was said; probing questions explore deeper meaning or reasoning.
Clarifying questions ensure the mentor understands the mentee's words, while probing questions invite the mentee to think more deeply.
Question 3: During a mentoring session, a mentee trails off mid-sentence and looks away. The best reflective listening response is to:
- Fill in the sentence to show you are engaged.
- Ask a direct question to redirect the conversation.
- Sit in silence and offer an attentive, patient presence. (Correct answer)
- Summarize what was said up to that point and move on.
Correct answer: Sit in silence and offer an attentive, patient presence.
Comfortable silence is a powerful reflective listening tool that gives the mentee space to process and continue at their own pace.
Question 4: A mentor reflects back the content but not the emotion of a mentee's message. What is the likely impact?
- The mentee will feel fully understood and validated.
- The mentee may feel heard intellectually but not emotionally connected. (Correct answer)
- The session will become more productive and solution-focused.
- The mentee will clarify their feelings without being prompted.
Correct answer: The mentee may feel heard intellectually but not emotionally connected.
Effective reflection includes both content and emotional tone; missing the emotional component leaves the mentee feeling only partially understood.
Question 5: Which scenario best illustrates the use of a 'scaling question' in a mentoring context?
- 'Can you describe what success looks like for you?'
- 'On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident do you feel about this decision right now?' (Correct answer)
- 'What obstacles do you see in reaching your goal?'
- 'How long have you been dealing with this challenge?'
Correct answer: 'On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident do you feel about this decision right now?'
Scaling questions quantify subjective experiences, helping mentees articulate levels of confidence, motivation, or progress.
Question 6: When a mentor paraphrases a mentee's statement, the primary goal is to:
- Demonstrate that the mentor has more knowledge on the topic.
- Restate the mentee's words verbatim to show attention.
- Confirm understanding and invite the mentee to correct or expand on the message. (Correct answer)
- Transition the conversation to a new topic.
Correct answer: Confirm understanding and invite the mentee to correct or expand on the message.
Paraphrasing gives the mentee an opportunity to confirm that they have been understood or to clarify and add nuance.
Question 7: A mentee responds to a mentor's open-ended question with a very brief, one-word answer. The most effective next step is to:
- Accept the answer and proceed to the next question.
- Rephrase the question as a closed-ended one to get a clearer answer.
- Use silence or a gentle prompt like 'Tell me more about that' to encourage elaboration. (Correct answer)
- Challenge the mentee to give a more complete response.
Correct answer: Use silence or a gentle prompt like 'Tell me more about that' to encourage elaboration.
A gentle invitation to elaborate respects the mentee's pace while encouraging deeper reflection without pressure.
CPM Reflective Listening & Questioning 2
A mentee says, 'I feel like no one at work takes my ideas seriously.' Which reflective listening response best validates their experience?