Reflecting Back Without Sounding Like a Parrot
Content, emotion, implication. Three reflections that move the hour instead of echoing it.
“So you’re saying you feel stuck” is a parrot. Reflection is a cut. Use it after the working agreement, not as filler.
Three Reflections
- Content — “You sent the draft and then rewrote the headline four times.”
- Emotion — “There’s heat on the send, not on the words.”
- Implication — “Almost-sent is doing a job.”
One of those. Then the one question. This is not the discovery diagnose-and-enroll. It’s the delivery hour. Park the rest in progress notes.
How to Pick
If they are in the story, reflect content. If their voice changes, emotion. If they keep circling, implication. Do not stack all three.
Where Coaches Break
- Mirroring every sentence. That’s a podcast.
- Adding “that must be hard” so you sound kind. Kind is the next question.
The 3-Minute Action
In the next session, use one implication reflection. Write it down after. If it used a word they never said, you failed the drill.