{"id":1924,"date":"2021-08-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/?p=1924"},"modified":"2021-08-05T08:51:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T08:51:10","slug":"backchanneling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/","title":{"rendered":"Take Your Students' Backchannels to the Next Level \u2013 Or At Least Beyond \u201cUh-Huh\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#1_Responses_That_Show_Interest\" >1. Responses That Show Interest<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#2_Responses_That_Show_Approval\" >2. Responses That Show Approval<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#3_Responses_That_Show_Agreement\" >3. Responses That Show Agreement<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#4_Sympathetic_Responses\" >4. Sympathetic Responses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#5_Doubtful_Responses\" >5. Doubtful Responses<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#Bonus_Tip_Raise_Intonation\" >Bonus Tip: Raise Intonation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/#%F0%9F%91%8B_Thats_It_For_Now\" >\ud83d\udc4b That\u2019s It For Now!<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>You\u2019ve probably met a student like Alejandro before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"929\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-1024x929.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1946\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-1024x929.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-300x272.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-768x697.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Or perhaps you\u2019ve met a student who says \u201cOh really,\u201d \u201cI see,\u201d or \u201cThank you\u201d after everything you say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the bright side, these students are trying to \u201cbackchannel\u201d or use little words and phrases to show they\u2019re listening.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are just some tiny problems:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>They use the same one way too often.&nbsp;<\/li><li>They misapply rules for backchanneling from their own language to English, which can lead to miscommunication.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, in her book <em>Conversation Analysis and Second Language Pedagogy, <\/em>linguist and educator Hansun Zhang Waring shares the following mishap from her early days in the US.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a newly arrived international student working as an assistant in my professor\u2019s office, I would frequently respond to her remarks with \u201cmm,\u201d and she would ask \u201cmm yes or mm no?\u201d I was using the Chinese version of \u201cmm hm?\u201d to acknowledge, accept, and agree to what she said!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let\u2019s try to make our students more aware of how they\u2019re backchanneling and make sure they\u2019re doing it in a more thoughtful manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Responses_That_Show_Interest\"><\/span>1. Responses That Show Interest<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We may want to explain to students that in addition to showing they\u2019re listening, they should also try to show some interest in what the speaker is saying. Here are some options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Interesting!<\/li><li>Nice!<\/li><li>Cool!<\/li><li>Wow!&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We might have to explain that \u201cnice\u201d here doesn\u2019t mean \u201ckind\u201d but rather \u201ccool\u201d or \u201cwell done.\u201d Some students will need an example, so you can provide an easy one like \u201cIf your friend passes a test, you could reply with \u2018Nice! Congrats!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Responses_That_Show_Approval\"><\/span>2. Responses That Show Approval<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We can also teach our students some phrases that\u2019ll allow them to show approval for something a conversation partner said. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>That makes sense.<\/li><li>That\u2019s a good point.<\/li><li>Good call.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We might have to explain that the \u201ccall\u201d in \u201cgood call\u201d means \u201cdecision.\u201d So \u201cgood call\u201d means \u201cgood decision\u201d or \u201cI think you did the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example dialogue we can use to explain this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"709\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18071303\/chef-david-combined-1024x709.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1943\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18071303\/chef-david-combined-1024x709.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18071303\/chef-david-combined-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18071303\/chef-david-combined-768x532.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Responses_That_Show_Agreement\"><\/span>3. Responses That Show Agreement<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And of course, we can teach the student some phrases for agreeing with something someone said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I agree.&nbsp;<\/li><li>I think so, too.<\/li><li>That\u2019s true.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In some languages like Japanese, it would be odd to use phrases like \u201cI agree\u201d outside of formal discussions, so we may have to explain to students that they can be used in conversations on light topics in English and not just in formal situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can also provide some simple examples, like two people talking about a haircut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"347\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072817\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.27.56-PM-1024x347.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072817\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.27.56-PM-1024x347.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072817\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.27.56-PM-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072817\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.27.56-PM-768x260.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For more expressions of agreement and approval, see <a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/09\/expressions-of-empathy\/\">\u201c10 Expressions to Help Students Speak English More Empathetically.\u201d<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Sympathetic_Responses\"><\/span>4. Sympathetic Responses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ll also want to make sure our students are prepared to respond sympathetically to a friend who\u2019s sharing a bad experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Oh no!<\/li><li>Oh my god\/goodness!<\/li><li>That sucks.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some students are under the impression that \u201csucks\u201d is a bad word. Even though that\u2019s not the case, it still is considered slang, so we can remind them to only use it in casual conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"354\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072937\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.29.29-PM-1024x354.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072937\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.29.29-PM-1024x354.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072937\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.29.29-PM-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18072937\/Screen-Shot-2021-06-18-at-3.29.29-PM-768x265.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Alejandro has learned!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Your student might be interested to also learn expressions used in more serious situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I\u2019m sorry about that.<\/li><li>I\u2019m really\/so sorry to hear that.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Doubtful_Responses\"><\/span>5. Doubtful Responses<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some common expressions people use to respond to a conversation partner with doubt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Really?<\/li><li>Wait, really?<\/li><li>Are you sure?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bonus_Tip_Raise_Intonation\"><\/span>Bonus Tip: Raise Intonation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, we don\u2019t want to discourage students from using basic backchannels like \u201cuh-huh,\u201d \u201cmmm hmm,\u201d \u201cokay,\u201d and \u201cyeah.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It makes sense to use them to encourage a speaker to continue telling a story. We should just make sure not to overuse them. For example, Alejandro\u2019s first two \u201cuh-huh\u2019s\u201d are perfectly normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"929\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-1024x929.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1946\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-1024x929.png 1024w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-300x272.png 300w, https:\/\/assets.blog.engoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2021\/08\/18073643\/liam-alej-combined-768x697.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Backchannels used this way are called \u201ccontinuers,\u201d since they play an important role in allowing the speaker to continue their story. When they\u2019re not there, the speaker might sense boredom and change the subject!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, we should make sure to point out that the intonation usually rises at the end as if the word were a question: e.g. \u201cuh-huh?\u201d and \u201cyeah?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This change in intonation can make the difference between \u201cYawn, so boring\u201d and \u201cYes, I\u2019m listening. Please continue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%F0%9F%91%8B_Thats_It_For_Now\"><\/span>\ud83d\udc4b That\u2019s It For Now!<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope you found these tips helpful! And for students who are ready for a bigger challenge, make sure to teach them <a href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/28\/turn-your-students-into-conversationalists-with-these-simple-questions\/\">these simple questions<\/a> that\u2019ll keep a conversation going.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve probably met a student like Alejandro before. Or perhaps you\u2019ve met a student who says \u201cOh really,\u201d \u201cI see,\u201d or \u201cThank you\u201d after everything you say. On the bright side, these students are trying...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":137,"featured_media":1925,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"unified_meta_tagline_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teaching-conversation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Take Your Students&#039; Backchannels to the Next Level \u2013 Or At Least Beyond \u201cUh-Huh\u201d | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tutor.engoo.com\/blog\/teaching-conversation\/backchanneling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Take Your Students&#039; Backchannels to the Next Level \u2013 Or At Least Beyond \u201cUh-Huh\u201d | Engoo Tutor&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You\u2019ve probably met a student like Alejandro before. 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