1 - Introduction

Summary

Imagine conversations as the erector set of human relationships: They not only create the foundation and frame on which relationships are built but supply the mortar that binds people together. Effective communication permits the smooth meshing of individuals into relationships while awkward communication weakens and erodes these relationships. In every human context – be it home, work, or play – the role of conversation in the negotiation of human relations cannot be overstated.

So how do people accomplish effective communication? One way is through adapting their interaction patterns to one another. Visualize two dancers, so perfectly synchronized that each partner's movement is enmeshed with the other's steps in a fluid and graceful union. When one steps forward the other steps back. They twirl apart then back together. Or one dancer's move is echoed by the other's. This coordination may result from the dancers responding to their partner's actual or anticipated behavior or to both.

Now imagine this same kind of coordination in conversation. People may adapt their communication behavior to one another in a variety of ways. These adaptation patterns undergird human interactions and relationships. Our objectives in this volume are to analyze the nature of these patterns, their possible antecedents and consequences, and their implications for understanding interpersonal communication.