Turn-taking dynamics across different phases of explanatory dialogues

We examined the turn-taking dynamics across different phases of explanatory dialogues, in which 21 different explainers explained a board game to 2–3 explainees each. Turn-taking dynamics are investigated focusing on >19K floor transitions, i.e., the detailed patterns characterizing turn keeping or turn yielding events (Gilmartin et al., 2020). The explanations were characterized by three different phases (board game absent, board game present, interactive game play), for which we observed differences in turn-taking dynamics: explanations where the board game is absent are characterized by less complex floor transitions, while explanations with a concretely shared reference space are characterized by more complex floor transitions, as well as more floor transitions between interlocutors. Also, the speakers’ dialogue role (explainer vs. explainee) appears to have a strong impact on turn-taking dynamics, as floor transitions that do not conform with the dialogue role tend to involve more effort, or floor management work.