Listener Feedback

The signals produced by a listener during conversation that communicate their attentiveness, understanding, agreement, confusion, or emotional response to the speaker without taking a full conversational turn. Listener feedback encompasses verbal backchanneling ("mm-hmm," "right"), non-verbal cues (nods, facial expressions), and para-verbal signals (tone, timing). Effective listener feedback is co-constructed between partners and varies across cultures and communication modalities. In AAC contexts, listener feedback strategies must adapt to the constraints of device-mediated communication while preserving their conversational function.