Phrasal backchannel

Phrasal backchannel is a type of backchannel response. "Phrasal backchannels most commonly assess or acknowledge a speaker's communication with simple words or phrases (for example, "Really?" or "Wow!" in English). One of the conversational functions of phrasal backchannels is to assess or appraise a previous utterance."

-Example (1):

-Explainer: ['Okay. We're going to start with a model that every Japanese person learns in kindergarten. It's called a crane, traditional origami design, it's over 400 years old. So, people have been doing what we're about to do for 400 years.']
-Explainee: [Wow.] ---> Phrasal backchannel
-Explainer: ["Let's fold it in half from corner to corner, unfold it", "and then we'll fold it in half the other direction,", "also corner to corner but we're going to lift it up", "and we're going to hold the fold with both hands.", "We're going to bring these corners together,", 'making a little pocket and then,', 'this is the trickiest part of this whole design,', "so you're going to put your finger underneath the top layer", "and we're going to try to make that layer", 'fold right along the edge.', 'Now you see how the sides kind of want to come in', "as you're doing that?"]
-Explainee: ['Yeah.']
-Explainer: ["It's called a petal fold,", "it's a part of a lot of origami designs", "and it's key to the crane.", "Now we're ready for the magic.", "We're going to hold it in between thumb and forefinger,", 'reach inside,', "grab the skinny point that's between the two layers,", 'which are the wings,', "and I'm going to slide it out so it pokes out at an angle.", "We'll take the two wings, we spread them out to the side", 'and you have made your first origami crane.']
Explainee: [Wow.] ---> Phrasal backchannel

-Example (2):

-Explainer: ["Do you know what we're gonna talk about today?", "It's called blockchain."]
-Explainee: ["What's blockchain?"]
-Explainer: ["That's a really good question.", "It's actually a way that we can trade.", 'Do you know what trade is?']
-Explainee: ["Mmm-hmm, it's when you take turns doing something.", "It's when you give up most of what you want, right?"]
-Explainer: ['When you give up most of what you want?', 'Well, sometimes that definitely happens for sure.', 'What if I told you that this is the kind of technology', 'that I work on that means you could trade', 'with any kid all over the world?']
-Explainee: [Really?] ---> Phrasal backchannel
-Explainer: ['Yeah.']

-Example (3):

-Explainee: ['Connectone?']
-Explainer: ['Connectome.']
-Explainee: ['To be honest, I have no idea.']
-Explainer: ["That's good, that's a great place to start.", 'There are cells in your brain.', 'Those brain cells are connected by wires to each other.', 'Electricity travels down those wires and communicates', 'from one part of the brain to the other part of the brain,', 'and each of those brain cells makes, you know,', "a thousand connections, it's something like", 'a hundred trillion connections.']
-Explainee: [Whoa.] ---> Phrasal backchannel