Every Word Matters.

The science of conversation.

This online resource brings together our research and popular science in conversation analysis.

Delve into the world of social interaction and change the way you think about talk.

Science Communication

Watch and read our public science talks, radio broadcasts, podcasts and media articles - all about the science of conversation.

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BBC Radio 4
audio |

Word of Mouth – ‘Real Talk’

Michael Rosen talks to Elizabeth Stokoe about the science of talk. Why infinitesimal pauses and saying hello matter, and the choice of ‘speak’ over ‘talk’ can save lives. Where does…

Professor Elizabeth Stokoe

Professor Elizabeth Stokoe

Elizabeth Stokoe is a professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. She began to develop CARM in 2008 while working at Loughborough University, UK. She has also worked as an industry fellow at SaaS companies Typeform (2018-19) and Deployed (2021-2022). She works with organizations to understand their communication and develops research-based training to improve their interactions with users. She is the author of Talk: The Science of Conversation, published by Little, Brown (2018).

More about Liz’s work & research

Professor Rein Ove Sikveland

Professor Rein Ove Sikveland

Rein Ove Sikveland is a Professor at the Centre for Academic and Professional Communication (SEKOM) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. He brought his expertise in conversation analysis and phonetics to CARM in 2014. He researches social interaction in the workplace, including crisis negotiations and conflict resolution, and interactions between members of the public and service providers within health and commercial organizations. He is lead author of Crisis talk: Negotiating with individuals in crisis, published by Routledge (2022).

More about Rein’s work & research

BBC
audio | 28 minutes

The Life Scientific

Jim Al-Khalili talks to Professor Liz Stokoe about her research analysing real-life conversations from first dates, neighbours and police interviews with suspected criminals.