Comment by ipadmini

@vsri, yes, exactly! Paraphrasing is stating your interpretation of what you've heard and mirroring is reflecting back exactly what the speaker said. I didn't break down the two interpretations in this post to keep it simple, but from what I've learned and read, mirroring is especially useful in more vulnerable / emotional conversations. You want to help the speaker feel seen as they are, without placing any judgment on them (and your interpretation is a form of judgment of what they're saying). Paraphrasing helps in making the speaker feel heard, but it's more useful in driving clarity.