Abstract:
Question and answer sessions at conferences represent a shared
interactional space where participants have the opportunity to learn more
from the presenters. Of note, the conversational floor of such sessions is
a limited resource in that, to the extent that one researcher is speaking,
another cannot; the expectation is that question askers share the floor
with the presenter and other askers. Different tactics may be used,
however, to mitigate the threat posed by taking up more space. We
hypothesized that question askers can employ politeness strategies, such as
expressing gratitude or praise to the presenter, during their turn in order
to make themselves, the presenter, and the audience feel better about their
greater occupation of the floor in a Q&A session. In two videotaped
conferences, askers who displayed polite behavior at the outset of their
turn proceeded to ask more and longer questions than askers who did not. By
first indirectly establishing their credentials as respectful of social
expectations, question askers may then feel licensed to use more of the
space allotted to Q&A sessions.