Acknowledgement—Our Most Underrated Need

Most of us don’t want advice first – we want to feel heard.

In a fast-paced world, we rarely slow down enough to listen. We rush to share our opinions – which isn’t wrong, but it often skips the part we’re really craving.

Sharing our views matters. Just as important is listening long enough to understand where someone is coming from. We have a basic human need to be seen and heard, and yet we often don’t know how to offer that to each other.

That first step has a name: acknowledgement. It’s the moment you signal, I listened. I understand. There’s nothing “wrong” with the way you feel or think. Acknowledgement means recognising the other person’s feeling or perspective before you analyse, correct, or advise. It’s simple respect: You make sense to me, given what you’ve lived and felt.

Put simply: acknowledgement is saying “I hear you, I see you.”

Why is acknowledgement important?

When humans converse with each other, they are not just exchanging words, they’re offering a small piece of our inner world. Acknowledgement is the tool which makes us be sensitive towards others feelings and thoughts.

Let's look at an example to understand this better -

Imagine you tell your parents what career you want to pursue with all the passion in your heart.

Response 1:

“Are you sure? Is there enough money in that field? Have you considered other options?”

Response 2:

"Wow! We are so happy that you're thinking about your career with so much passion. We are proud that you have faith in yourself to decide what you want to pursue. Let’s explore next steps—what skills or degrees it takes, the resources and costs, the likely return on investment, and a plan B."

The second response feels better because it starts with acknowledgement. It boosts confidence and still opens space for practical thinking. It puts your parents on your team, not across the table. The first begins with doubt and risk—easy to interpret as “I don’t trust you” – which can shut future sharing down.

When communication starts with acknowledgement, it builds trust, invites honesty, and creates a safe space for real conversation.

The Hidden Cost of Skipping Acknowledgement

Most of the problems in human relationship happen because we fail to acknowledge each other. Communication is the breath of human relationships, without it, they don’t stay alive. But communication has two sides: expressing ourselves and understanding the other. When acknowledgement is missing, it slowly and silently starts creating invisible distance and that distance is often the root cause of relationships drifting apart. After all nobody wants to stay in a place where they are not seen and heard.

How to acknowledge?

This is the tricky one. Most of us are triggered to share advice as soon as someone shares something with us, thanks to all the information overload. This is where the real change is needed. We might want to acknowledge people but we don't know how to do it.

The simplest way is to give your full attention. Listen to understand, not to reply. If something isn’t clear, ask gently. Once you really hear the “why” behind their words, empathy shows up almost automatically—it’s human nature. From there, reflect back what you understood and begin to let them know you get where they’re coming from—and that it matters how they feel.That’s the first moment someone feels seen and heard.

Boundaries still apply

Acknowledging feelings isn’t the same as endorsing choices. You can validate the emotion and set limits or disagree about actions – after the person feels understood.

Acknowledgement isn’t “nice to have”; it’s make-or-break. It builds trust, communicates respect, softens defensiveness, and creates the safe space for honest conversation – the kind that makes relationships feel alive and worth coming back to. Acknowledgement answers the two questions every person carries into a relationship: Do you see me? Do I matter here?

We all need it. We should all give it!

— Akanksha Singh