Elizabeth Stokoe is a scientist of conversations; she studies how and why you speak differently in different contexts -- from first dates to police interrogations.
Stokoe is Professor of social interaction in the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough University. Outside the university, she runs workshops with mediators, doctors, police and other professionals using her research-based communication training method called the "Conversation Analytic Role-play Method".
She also is one of thirteen WIRED2015 Innovation Fellows who will be speaking on the Main Stage at our flagship event, WIRED2015 on October 15-16.
Bringing the WIRED world to life, WIRED2015 showcases the innovators changing the world and promoting disruptive thinking and radical ideas. There will be around 45 speakers over the two-day event, presenting stories about their work in science, design, business and many other fields.
What are you planning to speak about at WIRED2015?
I'm going to speak about ... talk! I'm going to talk about the science behind the interactions that drive our everyday lives, from mundane things like making a doctors' appointment to more dramatic scenarios like being interviewed by the police. I'm going to talk about conversation analysis, and what analysts like me do -- starting with hundreds of recordings of real talk, transcribed technically to permit a forensic analysis of communication. I'm going to show that talk isn't messy or random, but highly systematic and organised. And it's this organisation that enables us to discover the difference that single words and phrases can make to the outcome of encounters -- whether someone becomes your client, answers your question, or feels satisfied with the conversation. Conversation analysis can specify what is "effective" in "effective communication", it can raise questions for traditional methods for training and assessing "communication skills", and it can disrupt what we think we know about talk!
What would you like to achieve by speaking at WIRED2015?
It's really exciting to be able to bring conversation analysis to a WIRED audience spanning so many fields. Because communication drives everything we do, no matter what setting we are in, I hope to show people the relevance of studying talk scientifically for their daily or workplace lives. I'd particularly like to make a dent in some of the things people think they know and hold dear about interaction -- like what silence means, how to build rapport, or what "body language" is. Some pop psychology is responsible for proliferating simply incorrect assumptions about talk, and these can feed their way into training -- or just what we think we know about talk. I want to introduce my approach to training -- the "Conversation Analytic Role-play Method", and show how it takes evidence about what works and what is less effective in interaction and turns it into research-based training with a distinct approach that allows people to live through real encounters. I want to show people how small changes to what they say can produce dramatically different and improved outcome to their communication.
Who are you looking forward to hearing and/or meeting at WIRED2015?
I'm really looking forward to meeting the other Fellows and speakers. Vincent Connare interested me immediately, because I'm fascinated by fonts and use them creatively in my research. Sophie Scott's talk on the neuroscience of speech and, particularly, laughter, is going to be interesting for another language scientist -- whether we'll be allies or competitors will be fun to discover! I guess I'm naturally drawn to "human-social" talks with a twist -- so Daniel McDuff on machine recognition of emotion and facial expression. And maybe even the partners -- as a communications company Telefónicais right in the territory I am interested in.
What does being named a WIRED2015 Innovation Fellow mean to you?
It's tremendously exciting and a real honour. It's something that will hopefully encourage people outside social science (and outside academia) to see talk as something that can be studied scientifically with outcomes that can affect people's lives. In an education world that often feels dominated by "STEM" subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths), the WIRED Innovation Fellowship raises the status of what some might see (mistakenly!) as "soggy" social science. So the Fellowship means a great deal as it will help me show people how exciting and useful studies of real-life interaction can be.
Where do you see your sector in five years' time?
In terms of higher education in the UK, I'd hope to see increased government commitment to non-STEM subjects as well as those important traditional science-based fields. Social sciences, arts and humanities build knowledge that is equally useful -- but all fields must also be able to generate knowledge for the sake of knowledge, without knowing quite where it will lead or be taken up. In terms of conversation analysis, there is a momentum behind applied and interventionist work that seeks to improve communication in many settings, from healthcare and medical to therapy, education and helplines. And obviously my work is pushing that trajectory forwards.
What's next for CARM?
There's a series of projects in the pipeline. Next is work with the Metropolitan Police on hostage negotiation, helping the police to communicate better with suicidal people in the most desperate moments of their lives. With my research associate Dr Rein Sikveland, we are also starting to roll out new training for salespeople and General Practice receptionists, aiming to enhance the customer experience and increase patient satisfaction. We're working with design and branding company A Dozen Eggs to help organisations market themselves more effectively, based on our research on what works linguistically to engage prospective clients.
What's next for Professor Elizabeth Stokoe?
I've just been approached to write a "smart thinking" book about talk, which is quite exciting. This will allow me to continue to my goal of translating important academic research to non-academic audiences. I will spend a month in Norway next year talking about CARM and conversation analysis, and then the summer doing similar things in the USA. In the meantime, I will continue to publish research articles, teach my students Forensic Psychology, and carry out my role as Associate Dean for Research in the School of Social, Political and Geographical Sciences at Loughborough University.
*WIRED2015 takes place on October 15-16 at Tobacco Dock in London, E1. Last year's event sold out, so secure your place now.**WIRED subscribers save 10 per cent on tickets. We also have a limited number of half-price tickets available for startups and registered charities.*For more information or to register, please visit http://www.wiredevent.co.uk/wired-2015
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
