The other’s face: revealing aspects of participant orientation based on multimodal interaction analysis

Abstract

We offers a systematic discussion of what multimodality is, and how multimodal interaction analyses can be done from an ethnomodological and conversational analytical (EMCA) perspective. We introduce to the basic methodological assumptions. Based on three different analyses we show what themes, issues and research areas analysts can focus on, and what types of findings and results these types of analyses can generate. A classic theme in the method is intersubjectivity; how participants orient themselves towards each other and create understanding and meaning. Among other things this happens by bodily seeking the other's face and eyes to ensure reception and response. The article provides both an application-oriented introduction to the field and presents new research within the three selected areas. The analyzed examples are excerpts from three different settings: interaction between course participants and a service robot, colleagues in an office landscape as well as a citizen and social-psychiatric worker in video-mediated interaction. The analyses shows what resources and actions participants use to secure the other's attention. Thus, the article contributes with new knowledge about the multimodal semiotic ecology, in which speaking bodies interact in a material world. The article concludes with perspectives on new research areas.