Telephone helplines have become one of the most pervasive sites of expert-lay interaction in modern societies throughout the world. Yet surprisingly little is known of the in situ, language-based processes of help-seeking and help-giving behavior that occurs within them. This collection of original studies by both internationally renowned and emerging scholars seeks to improve upon this state of affairs. It does so by offering some of the first systematic investigations of naturally-occurring spoken interaction in telephone helplines. Using the methods of Conversation Analysis, each of the contributors offers a detailed investigation into the skills and competencies that callers and call-takers routinely draw upon when engaging one another within a range of helplines. Helplines in the US, the UK, Australia, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, and Ireland, dealing with the provision of healthcare, emotional support and counselling, technical assistance and consumer rights, tourism and finance, make up the studies in the volume. Collectively and individually, the research provides fascinating insight into an under-researched area of modern living and demonstrates the relevance and potential of helplines for the growing field of institutional interaction.

This book will be of interest to students of communication, applied linguistics, discourse and conversation, sociology, counselling, technology and work, social psychology and anthropology.

Table of contents

Notes on contributors xi–xiv

Preface xv–xvii

Calling for help: An introduction Alan Firth, Michael Emmison and Carolyn Baker 1–35

Technical assistance

Calibrating for competence in calls to technical support Carolyn Baker, Michael Emmison and Alan Firth 39–62

Collaborative problem description in help desk calls Hanneke Houtkoop, Frank Jansen and Anja Walstock 63–89

The metaphoric use of space in expert-lay interaction about computing systems Wilbert Kraan 91–105

Emotional support

The mitigation of advice: Interactional dilemmas of peers on a telephone support service Christopher Pudlinski 109–131

Four observations on openings in calls to Kids Help Line Susan Danby, Carolyn Baker and Michael Emmison 133–151

'I just want to hear somebody right now': Managing identities on a telephone helpline Hedwig te Molder 153–173

Healthcare provision

Callers' presentations of problems in telephone calls to Swedish primary care Vesa Leppanen 177–205

Constructing and negotiating advice in calls to a poison information center Hakan Landqvist 207–234

Consumer assistance

Opportunities for negotiation at the interface of phone calls and service-counter interaction: A case study Denise Chappell 237–256

Institutionality at issue: The helpline call as a 'language game' Brian Torode 257–283

Aspects of call management

Some initial reflections on conversational structures for instruction giving Ged M. Murtagh 287–307

Working a call: Multiparty management and interactional infrastructure in calls for help Jack Whalen and Don H. Zimmerman 309–345

Name Index 347–348

Subject Index 349–351