Abstract
This article introduces conversation analysis, an analytic approach that enables the formal and systematic investigation of language use in the everyday world. As a social research program, conversation analysis can be used to investigate the moment-to-moment interaction between participants in video and audio recorded in natural settings. This study focuses in particular on the usage of information in business communication. A detailed examination of a customer service interaction in a hamburger restaurant shows how information usage is achieved through precisely coordinated verbal and non-verbal exchanges between customers and salespeople.
