Conversational Management

The processes by which interlocutors jointly regulate the structure of a conversation - taking and ceding turns, pre-empting interruptions, shifting attention and topic, repairing misunderstandings, and maintaining flow over time. In AAC research, conversational management is a core concern because the slower pace of AAC-mediated speech creates asymmetries in turn-taking with speaking partners; users may struggle to claim or hold the floor, signal that a longer utterance is being composed, or interject in time. AAC tools that focus only on faster word prediction miss this layer; designs targeting conversational management instead address timing cues, status signals to partners, ways to mark turns in progress, and scaffolds for repair and clarification.