Calibration in Interaction
Communication is a dynamic process where people constantly adjust how they express themselves and respond to each other.
This skill is known as calibration, and it helps you connect, influence, and be understood in any situation.
Calibration refers to the adjustments people make during interaction as they respond to each other. For example:
- Changing signing style
- Using more fingerspelling
- Adding mouthing
- Bringing in signs from different sign languages
- Using gestures or pointing
Through these adjustments, find ways to understand each other and build effective communication, even when they don’t share the same linguistic background.
What This Session Covers
Drawing on Annelies Kusters’ films on gesture and international sign, this session explores how people fine-tune their communication in real time.
In an interactive format, participants will analyse short clips of real-life interactions to explore:
- How deaf and hearing people adjust to each other
- How deaf people with different language backgrounds calibrate their communication
- Moments of misunderstanding and how they are repaired
Who Is This Session For?
This session is particularly relevant for:
- Deaf professionals working in international or multilingual settings
- Sign language interpreters and interpreting students
- Deaf and hearing educators
- Researchers and postgraduate students in deaf studies, sociolinguistics, and communication
- Staff in organisations working across deaf and hearing contexts
- Anyone interested in how understanding is shaped through interaction
What You’ll Gain
The session is designed to be engaging and collaborative. By watching and discussing real examples, participants will develop a sharper awareness of how communication works beneath the surface and how small adjustments shape understanding.
Contact
For further enquiries, please contact Dr Stacey Steen at S.Webb@hw.ac.uk