Paraphrasing and Summarizing

In this session, you will be learning of how to paraphrase and how to summarize, and
how to apply these techniques to text and the spoken word. You will also learn the
differences between the two skills, and point out the pitfalls to avoid.

What Is Paraphrasing?

When you paraphrase, you use your own words to express something that was written
or said by another person. Putting it into your own words can clarify the message, make
it more relevant to your audience, or give it greater impact.

You might use paraphrased material to support your own argument or viewpoint. Or, if
you're putting together a report, presentation or speech , you can use paraphrasing to
maintain a consistent style, and to avoid lengthy quotations from the original text or
conversation.

Paraphrased material should keep its original meaning and (approximate) length, but
you can use it to pick out a single point from a longer discussion.

What Is Summarizing?

In contrast, a summary is a brief overview of an entire discussion or argument. You

might summarize a whole research paper or conversation in a single paragraph, for
example, or with a series of bullet points, using your own words and style.

People often summarize when the original material is long, or to emphasize key facts or
points. Summaries leave out detail or examples that may distract the reader from the
most important information, and they simplify complex arguments, grammar and
vocabulary.

Used correctly, summarizing and paraphrasing can save time, increase understanding,
and give authority and credibility to your work. Both tools are useful when the precise
wording of the original communication is less important than its overall meaning.

How to Paraphrase Text

To paraphrase text, follow these four steps:

1. Read and Make Notes
Carefully read the text that you want to paraphrase. Highlight, underline or note
down important terms and phrases that you need to remember.
2. Find Different Terms
Find equivalent words or phrases (synonyms) to use in place of the ones that you've
picked out. A dictionary, thesaurus or online search can be useful here, but take
 care to preserve the meaning of the original text, particularly if you're dealing with
technical or scientific terms.
3. Put the Text into Your Own Words
Rewrite the original text, line by line. Simplify the grammar and vocabulary, adjust
the order of the words and sentences, and replace "passive" expressions with
"active" ones (for example, you could change "The new supplier was contacted by
Nusrat" to "Nusrat contacted the new supplier").
4. Remove complex clauses, and break longer sentences into shorter ones. All of this
will make your new version easier to understand.
5. Check Your Work
Check your work by comparing it to the original. Your paraphrase should be clear
and simple, and written in your own words. It may be shorter, but it should include all
of the necessary detail.

Paraphrasing: an Example

Original
Despite the undoubted fact that everyone's vision of what constitutes success is
different, one should spend one's time establishing and finalizing one's personal vision
of it. Otherwise, how can you possibly understand what your final destination might be,
or whether or not your decisions are assisting you in moving in the direction of the goals
which you've set yourself?

The two kinds of statement – mission and vision – can be invaluable to your approach,
aiding you, as they do, in focusing on your primary goal, and quickly identifying
possibilities that you might wish to exploit and explore.

Paraphrase
We all have different ideas about success. What's important is that you spend time
defining your version of success. That way, you'll understand what you should be
working toward. You'll also know if your decisions are helping you to move toward your
goals.

Used as part of your personal approach to goal-setting, mission and vision statements
are useful for bringing sharp focus to your most important goal, and for helping you to
quickly identify which opportunities you should pursue.

How to Paraphrase Speech

In a conversation – a meeting or coaching session, for example – paraphrasing is a

good way to make sure that you have correctly understood what the other person has
said. This requires two additional skills: active listening and asking the right questions .

Useful questions include:

If I hear you correctly, you're saying that…?
So you mean that…? Is that right?
Did I understand you when you said that…?
You can use questions like these to repeat the speaker's words back to them. For
instance, if the person says, "We just don't have the funds available for these projects,"
you could reply: "If I understand you correctly, you're saying that our organization can't
afford to pay for my team's projects?"

This may seem repetitive, but it gives the speaker the opportunity to highlight any
misunderstandings, or to clarify their position.

Note:
When you're paraphrasing conversations in this way, take care not to introduce new
ideas or information, and not to make judgements on what the other person has said, or
to "spin" their words toward what you want to hear. Instead, simply restate their position
as you understand it.

Sometimes, you may need to paraphrase a speech or a presentation. Perhaps you want
to report back to your team, or write about it in a company blog, for example. In these
cases, it's a good idea to make summary notes as you listen, and to work them up into a
paraphrase later. (See How to Summarize Text or Speech, below.)

How to Summarize Text or Speech

Follow steps 1-5 below to summarize text. To summarize spoken material – a speech, a
meeting, or a presentation, for example – start at step 3.
1. Get a General Idea of the Original
First, speed read the text that you're summarizing to get a general impression of its
content. Pay particular attention to the title, introduction, conclusion, and the
headings and subheadings.
2. Check Your Understanding
Build your comprehension of the text by reading it again more carefully. Check that
your initial interpretation of the content was correct.
3. Make Notes
Take notes on what you're reading or listening to. Use bullet points, and introduce
each bullet with a key word or idea. Write down only one point or idea for each
bullet. If you're summarizing spoken material, you may not have much time on each
point before the speaker moves on. If you can, obtain a meeting agenda, a copy of
the presentation, or a transcript of the speech in advance, so you know what's
coming. Make sure your notes are concise, well-ordered, and include only the points
that really matter.
4. Write Your Summary
Bullet points or numbered lists are often an acceptable format for summaries – for
example, on presentation slides, in the minutes of a meeting, or in Key Points
sections like the one at the end of this article. However, don't just use the bulleted
notes that you took in step 3. They'll likely need editing or "polishing" if you want
other people to understand them. Some summaries, such as research paper
abstracts, press releases, and marketing copy, require continuous prose. If this is
 the case, write your summary as a paragraph, turning each bullet point into a full
sentence. Aim to use only your own notes, and refer to original documents or
recordings only if you really need to. This helps to ensure that you use your own
words. If you're summarizing speech, do so as soon as possible after the event,
while it's still fresh in your mind.
5. Check Your Work
Your summary should be a brief but informative outline of the original. Check that
you've expressed all of the most important points in your own words, and that you've
left out any unnecessary detail.

Summarizing: an Example

Original
So how do you go about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, and analyzing the
opportunities and threats that flow from them? SWOT Analysis is a useful technique that
helps you to do this.

What makes SWOT especially powerful is that, with a little thought, it can help you to
uncover opportunities that you would not otherwise have spotted. And by understanding
your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats that might otherwise hurt your
ability to move forward in your role.

If you look at yourself using the SWOT framework, you can start to separate yourself
from your peers, and further develop the specialized talents and abilities that you need
in order to advance your career and to help you achieve your personal goals.

Summary
SWOT Analysis is a technique that helps you identify strengths, weakness,
opportunities, and threats. Understanding and managing these factors helps you to
develop the abilities you need to achieve your goals and progress in your career.

Permission and Citations

If you intend to publish or circulate your document, it's important to seek permission
from the copyright holder of the material that you've paraphrased or summarized.
Failure to do so can leave you open to allegations of plagiarism, or even legal action. It's
good practice to cite your sources with a footnote, or with a reference in the text to a list
of sources at the end of your document. There are several standard citation styles –
choose one and apply it consistently, or follow your organization's house style
guidelines.

Tip:
As well as acknowledging the original author, citations tell you, the reader, that you're
reading paraphrased or summarized material. This enables you to check the original
source if you think that someone else's words may have been misused or
misinterpreted. Some writers might use others' ideas to prop up their own, but include
only what suits them, for instance. Others may have misunderstood the original
arguments, or "twisted" them by adding their own material.

Key Points

Paraphrasing means rephrasing text or speech in your own words, without changing its
meaning. Summarizing means cutting it down to its bare essentials. You can use both
techniques to clarify and simplify complex information or ideas.

To paraphrase text:
1. Read and make notes.
2. Find different terms.
3. Put the text into your own words.
4. Check your work.
You can also use paraphrasing in a meeting or conversation, by listening carefully to
what's being said and repeating it back to the speaker to check that you have
understood it correctly.

To summarize text or speech:

1. Get a general idea of the original.
2. Check your understanding.
3. Make notes.
4. Write your summary.
5. Check your work.
Seek permission for any copyrighted material that you use, and cite it appropriately.