Monday, March 17, 2008

Indicator bars for rating conversation

AlainP, a wine analyst, is telling DenisD, a conversation analyst, about a rating system for wine involving indicator bars.

...

AlainP: It’s a five point scale. Runs from light bodied through medium bodied to full bodied. It’s on the label at the back of the bottle.

Light bodied


Medium bodied


Full bodied

DenisD: I could use that idea. Couple the Likert scale to a rating system for conversation as art.

AlainP: And what would body equal?

DenisD: Body could be like information. Running from something already known through clarified facts to new and startling new insight.

Already known


Clarified facts


Startling new insight

But wine has other rating categories besides body?

AlainP: Of course. There is a scale for palatability, taste, ranging from sweet to dry.

DenisD: And I think for conversation I need other categories too. Perhaps attitude, running from attack to empathy, shall we say?

AlainP: And style, do not forget style.

DenisD: Yes, yes. We could go from wooden or formulaic through amusing to highly original and/or witty.
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