What if the most powerful listening skill isn't asking better questions—but making better reflections?
In this episode of Compassion in a T-Shirt, Dr. Stan Steindl explores one of the core skills of compassionate communication: reflective listening. Drawing on Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and the work of Carl Rogers, you'll learn how reflections help people feel understood, organise their thoughts, discover deeper meaning, and often arrive at their own insights.
Using the metaphor of an ordinary mirror versus a magic mirror, this episode explains why reflections are far more than repeating someone's words. They become a compassionate way of helping people understand themselves.
Whether you're a therapist, coach, healthcare professional, leader, teacher, parent, partner, or simply someone who wants to become a better listener, these practical skills can transform your conversations.
If this video was helpful, I'd love for you to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who values meaningful conversations. Small changes in the way we listen can make an enormous difference to the people around us.
Timestamps:
00:00 Surface vs Deep Talk
01:06 Questions vs Reflections
02:46 What Is a Reflection?
04:38 Simple Reflections
06:07 Complex Reflection Magic
08:03 Reflecting Feelings
11:38 Reflecting Meaning
14:33 Choosing What to Reflect
16:22 Special Reflection Types
19:50 Drop the Reflection Stems
21:05 Putting It All Together
22:27 Compassion in Action
23:47 Final Takeaways
Links:
If you would like to learn more about compassion focused therapy, you can find Dr Stan Steindl's book The Gifts of Compassion here: https://www.ausapress.com/p/the-gifts-of-compassion-how-to-understand-and-overcome-suffering/
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Video hashtags:
reflectivelistening, compassionfocusedtherapy, compassion, motivationinterviewing, communicationskills, activelistening
