{"id":56947,"date":"2022-01-26T16:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=56947"},"modified":"2022-01-27T16:34:29","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T20:34:29","slug":"acknowledgment-in-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/acknowledgment-in-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Acknowledgment in Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What role does acknowledgment play in communication? How do you acknowledge the speaker’s message without interrupting their turn to speak? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledgment is an extremely important part of human communication, and it\u2019s one that we often overlook. Recent research in the field of linguistics has put renewed focus on \u201cbackchannels,\u201d a listener\u2019s short interjections that acknowledge a speaker\u2019s message without ending their turn to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is why acknowledgment is the key to smooth communication. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Acknowledgment in Communication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Acknowledgment is a powerful determinant of success in communication. In their book Algorithms to Live By<\/em>, Christian and Griffiths liken acknowledgment in communication to “ACKs” (acknowledgment packets) in digital connections between computers. These are short messages that tell the other computer that its message has been received. These ACKs are a vitally necessary part of the communication process, and they make up a huge portion of all uploaded data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They cite studies showing that when someone is telling a story, consistent, engaged responses from their listeners have a drastic impact on how well the story is told. When distracted listeners fail to fully acknowledge stories they\u2019re being told, the storytellers tend to get defensive, justifying why their story is interesting instead of trying to tell it well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In sum, Christian and Griffiths argue that if you want to connect to the people around you, you need to become a good listener<\/strong>. Being quiet and polite isn\u2019t enough\u2014if you don\u2019t provide acknowledgment, communication falls apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does a Good Listener Really Look Like?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Common advice on being a good listener often contradicts Christian and Griffiths\u2019s perspective\u2014for example, Dale Carnegie\u2019s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People<\/em> argues that the best conversationalists do nothing but listen attentively while the other person talks<\/a>. However, recent research indicates that this isn\u2019t the whole picture: As Christian and Griffiths maintain, the best listeners are much more active in conversation<\/a> than Carnegie claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can sum up much of the confusion surrounding active listening in one question: Do good listeners offer their opinions and suggestions or do they just let the other person vent? A common criticism of bad listeners is that they attempt to solve problems right away instead of listening\u2014unlike in network transmission, not all \u201cacknowledgment packets\u201d make your conversation partner feel heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To determine what kinds of listener interjections are welcome, researchers have deconstructed the act of listening into six \u201clevels.\u201d Each level is built on the previous one, indicating a deeper connection between speaker and listener. If you interject in the wrong way before you reach a high enough listening level, you may come across as insensitive or disingenuous<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The deeper you want a conversation to be, the further you should advance from Level One to Level Six:<\/p>\n\n\n\n