Heard. Understood. Acknowledged.
Probably the only military-derived practice in my life, yet so integral to my marriage. With opposite work/study schedules coupled with the necessity of communication between two people who share a home, John and I converse a bunch over emails, texts, and google voice. And we like to know that the information’s gotten through, or we can get pissy…well, one of us, at least. So, a quick “HUA” in return has been our system for the last couple months. Since I haven’t seen John since I think Tuesday, I have a pretty long row of three-letter emails in my “John” folder.
I’m not really sure I want to know what this says about me, but I oscillate between being concerned and amused.
anna in med school 
HUA
Good to know it works outside of military and spouses 😉
Org Development research shows that there is a class of “disgruntled” employees who only ever want to feel they’ve been heard. We’re trained in facilitating meetings to take a moment and acknowledge that someone has taken a risk and offered something by saying “I have heard you” or something to that affect. According to my seasoned consultant profs, this works wonders in conflict resolution. Go figure.
I like it! I think patients feel similarly.