Communicating with the Public: Conversation Analytic Studies

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Description

This book offers a collection of conversation analytic investigations into how one US-based philanthropic organization communicates its mission of improving public health. In contrast to political speeches or news interviews with prominent figures, much communication with the public involves the routine work undertaken by institutional representatives as they interact with external audiences: this book considers precisely how this work is accomplished. Communicating with the Public broadens the scope of conversation analysis by unveiling the interactive, multi-party, and multi-modal nature of institutional messaging that might otherwise be construed as a scripted, monologic undertaking. To this end, it examines a diverse array of contemporary platforms, including webinars, podcasts, and television interviews, as well as face-to-face conversations following public talks and panel discussions. Chapters reveal how both foundation representatives and their interlocutors target messaging to specific audiences that may or may not be present, manage the logistics of delivering this messaging, and position themselves as credible experts or a unified institutional collective.

Reviews

Never has there been a more important time to understand how organizations communicate with the public in the context of improving their health. Waring and Reddingtons collection of chapters show in close detail how public relations are manifest across interactional settings, and provide important insights into the conversations that take place between the public across the many modalities of contemporary life. * Elizabeth Stokoe, Professor of Social Interaction, Loughborough University, UK *
This volume breaks new ground as the first sustained investigation of a philanthropic organizations public outreach efforts from the vantage point of everyday language practices in media interviews, panel discussions, podcasts, and webinars. The findings will be of interest to a wide range of language and communication scholars and public relations professionals. * Steven Clayman, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA *
The volume provides fresh insight into how institutions communicate with the public. Using conversation analysis as a lens, the authors delve into both oft-studied and burgeoning issues in such communication, offering new perspectives on the former, and innovative discourse studies on the latter. This is an important read for scholars of communication and discourse studies, as well as workers in public health. * Catherine DiFelice Box, Lecturer in Educational Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, USA *

Author Bio

Hansun Zhang Waring is Associate Professor of Linguistics and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. Elizabeth Reddington is an Instructor in Applied Linguistics & TESOL at Teachers College, Columbia University, USA.