Graveside Visit

At the garden center café…

Sophie: I visited my mother's grave yesterday. I was there alone, and it was so peaceful.

Barbara: Did you talk? I sometimes visit my mother's grave too. It's comforting to talk to her. I like that she doesn't reply; it makes me feel more independent.

Sophie: Well, I sometimes hear her voice. Yes, there's something calming about those moments.

Barbara: Uh huh. It's a space where I can just be myself and speak freely. How was she, your mother?

Sophie: I told her about everything that's happened lately, and this time she, well, just listened. It felt really good.

___________

Voice-over

Listening is an art. Something you want to be remembered for, even when you’re gone. Maybe people will keep coming to talk even then. So the connection will continue.

The heat is intense

Under a tree in the park…

James: Whew, this heat is intense!

Katy: Tell me about it! It’s like we're in an oven.

James: The heat is intense. And look, the people are in tents, too.

Katy: Uh huh. Good one. Better than your usual puns.

James: Maybe the heat helps.

Katy: And maybe we should invest in a tent for our park soirées.

James: Meanwhile our tent is this tree. Natural, if not trendy.

Katy: And no competition, like no tent envy with the neighbors.

_________

Voice-over

Gratifying that James and Katy don’t overdo the tent puns. They keep the conversational flow going without choking it with too many jokes.

A Conversation of Concatenated Cliches

Two old blokes finishing Friday coffees...

.

Heinrich: Aach. Going to the dogs, things are.

.

Heimi: Life sure ain’t no bowl of cherries nowadays, is it.

.

Heinrich: Well, I’d better be making tracks. Time and tide, you know. Forget how it goes.

.

Heimi: That’s the way the cookie crumbles. What’s the rush?

Un cafe per amico

.Heinrich: Got to see a man about a dog. Pressing matter, not a moment to lose.

.

Heimi: Rescue, huh? A stitch in time? Horse might have bolted?

.

Heinrich: Dog. Dog. Keep telling you.

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Heimi: Okay. Penny dropped. Weather might be nice for the weekend again.

.

Heinrich: Garden looks dry as a chip at the moment. Report is for cats and dogs. But don’t count your chickens.

____________

Voice-over

Phrases we fall back on. When words fail us. As they can, if the morning coffee isn’t strong enough to stand up a spoon in.

...

The Hesitant Electrician

Umming and Ahing…

John Houseman: Can you transport a fridge on its side? Manufacturer warns not to truck on its side.

Hesitant Electrician: Well, er, it’s possible.

John Houseman: I want to move it from my home to my office. 20 kilometers. Takes about an hour.

Hesitant Electrician: An hour, hmm.

John Houseman: It’ll fit in the back of the car lying down.

Hesitant Electrician: Lying down. Ah, yes.

John Houseman: I was worried about the refrigerant or the motor parts.

Hesitant Electrician: Delicate parts, hmm. The motor is on springs. But I think, er, I think you can stand it up when you get there. Leave it for some hours. Umm, twenty-four or so.

John Houseman: So I can carry it on its side. Short distance won’t hurt.

Hesitant Electrician: I’ve not heard – aah, people having problems. After trucking lying down. Much.

__________

Voice-over
We are accustomed to confident professional pronouncements. Such as, "No problem!" Or "Don't even think about it!" Hesitancy on the part of a professional can make you doubt competency. Or it can guide you to a mutual  conclusion. Particularly when there are conflicting data and anecdotes. Hesitancy may be welcome in a climate of noisy overconfidence.

...

Nope Yep

Swift and Sleek

Fast and Furious 
Dissent…

Brian: Great movie.

Betsy: Trash.

Brian: But you like action.

Betsy: Not cars.

Brian: Drift cars are a culture.

Betsy: Subculture. As in subnormal.

Brian: Some would say sublime. I have an idea. Your black Toyota. Paint some red stripes on that and we’d have a Mustang lookalike.

Betsy: Nope.

Brian: You sound dead set against it.

Betsy: Yep. End of discussion.
________________
Voice-over
Betsy is adamant. She signals this by ending her dissent "No" and assent "Yes" with the unvoiced plosive /p/. An audible punctuation mark. "Nope!" "Yep!" Signalling an incontestable, indubitable, incontrovertible viewpoint. An unequivocal. unarguable, unassailable position. This lady’s not for drifting.
…

Interviewer interviews interviewer

Improvising with music, improvising with words…

O: So what are you really interested in?

W: People. I like people. I like to talk.

O: Talk about what?

W: I'm a generalist. Any topic. I like to shape talk. Jazz musicians improvise with music. I like to improvise with words. Play with different juxtapositions. I even feel confident that it’s something I can do. But what do YOU like to talk about?

O. Same. Everything. I do general. But sometimes I wonder if I don't focus enough.

W: The gamut is good. You become a person with broad interests. Doesn’t that make you feel good?

O: Do you have this feeling that we are actually interviewing each other on the same subject?

_________

Voice-over

Usually interviews run a Q-A-Q-A-Q-A pattern. This one is a little different. It’s closer to Q-AQ-AQ-AQ. They are interviewing each other.

Second, the questions lead to self-introspection and self-divulgence.

A third feature is that the interviewers are mutually supportive and make each feel good about themselves. This develops into a comfortable conversation. It also leads to greater self-confidence.

And on to a successful exchange.

Conversation and Dance

Tango by Alvaro Castagnet

Cooperative Conversation

She: Talking to you is like dancing.

He: Meaning you have to watch out I don’t step on your toes?

She: No, we both seem to hear the rhythm then move together.

He: Doesn’t everyone give and take in conversation?

She: Not everyone by a long shot. Some people don’t pick up on signals. Others have no timing. Some can’t mirror. Some only compete, they don’t cooperate.

_____________

Voice-over

A lot of talk is instrumental. Business talk. Getting things done. Production and sales.

And some talk is for fun. To charm. To entertain. Like dance.

But conversation isn’t all about showiness on the dance floor.The virtuosos can dazzle with their pirouettes, prances, pas de deux. Their spins, twirls, and leaps. Their frolics, quivers, and jiggles.

Virtuosos, divas, prima donnas.

But it takes two to tango.

...