What is back channeling?
Back channeling is the feedback which a listener gives to a speaker to show that (s)he is following, or understands what the speaker is saying.
The term back channel comes from the idea that every conversation operates in two directions – the primary “channel” of communication comes from the speaker to the listener, but there is another “channel” which comes back from the listener.
Sometimes in a conversation, a person is speaking and another one is making interruptions. These interruptions are called back-channeling. A back-channel response can be verbal or non-verbal. This conversational strategy signifies the listener’s attention, understanding or agreement. Back-channeling will make the dialogue sounds natural. In this unit, we only discuss the verbal types.
What are some examples of back channeling?
In English, back channeling usually takes the form of utterances such as uh-huh, yeah, mmm, okay, right, wow!, really?.
