Showing Interest and Keeping a Conversation Going!
When you are interested in what another person says, you want to show interest (without interrupting). In American English, we use short words and phrases when the other speaker pauses. This is called backchanneling.
To respond to positive information, say...
- Wow!
- That’s great!
- Nice!
- Really?
- Oh yeah?
- Uh-huh
- Mm-hmm
- Awesome!
To respond to negative information, say...
- Ooh/oh.
- Oh no!
- That’s too bad.
- That’s terrible.
- Really?
If you want the other speaker to keep talking, you can use these phrases:
- Tell me more.
- What happened? / Then what happened?
- What did (he) say?
- What did (he) do?
Example conversation
(Notice that Nicole doesn’t add any new information to the discussion.)
- Lucas: I had the worst day at work today.
- Nicole: Really? What happened?
- Lucas: Well, my boss yelled at me for being late, but I wasn’t late! I was here really early, but he didn’t see me.
- Nicole: Ooh. That’s terrible.
- Lucas: I know, right? But I should be happy. At least I have a job.
- Nicole: Mm-hmm.
- Lucas: My boss did one nice thing today, though.
- Nicole: Oh, yeah? What did he do?
- Lucas: He told us that if we finish all of our work quickly, we can take Friday off.
- Nicole: Wow! That’s great! What did your co-workers say?
- Lucas: They said “thanks,” but they weren’t especially happy or anything.
- Nicole: Really?
- Lucas: Yeah—we all think the boss just wants to cut our hours.
- Nicole: That’s too bad.
- Lucas: Yeah, tell me about it!
Body language
Your body position is called body language. Have you ever been unsure of what to do or say when an American is talking to you? If they’re talking a lot, should you talk too? Be quiet? Nod? Smile? Look at them? Look away? Americans use a lot of body language. They usually:
- Look at the other person when speaking and listening
- Show size or location with their hands
- Nod “yes,” when listening to positive information. Nod “no,” when listening to negative information
- Smile at positive information. Show concern for negative information.
- If you don’t know what to do with your body when you are listening, copy the speaker!
Exercise
Please open the exercise to continue.