Friction in Everyday Conversation: Psychological Barriers to Having Good Conversations and How to Overcome Them

Abstract: Having a good, and productive, conversation is difficult for at least two reasons. First, language imperfectly captures mental content; thus a communicator’s true intent can only be indirectly inferred rather than directly observed (the “translation problem”). Second, conversationalists fall short in seamlessly and accurately understanding each other’s different preferences and perspectives during conversation (the “coordination problem”). New research addresses both problems and suggests a solution. First addressing the translation problem, Batista et al. show when and why communicators have trouble saying what they mean (“misarticulation”). Next addressing the coordination problem, Sezer et al. identify a particular turn-off in conversations: hearing someone say “I told you so.” Welker et al. then demonstrate that people tend to be pessimistic in their conversational abilities. Finally, Abi-Esber et al. suggest a way to improve conversation: preparing for a conversation by brainstorming topics to discuss. This symposium sheds new light on friction in everyday conversations.

Keywords: communication, conversation, mind perception, misprediction

Topic: COMM   |   Format: Symposia