What Went Right: Interactional Strategies in a Successful 911 Emergency Call

• In Event: 348 - Regular Session. The Management of Interactional Challenges in the Workplace

Abstract

In this paper I use a conversation analytic approach to analyze an emergency services call in which a school employee successfully negotiated the surrender of an armed intruder in an incident that occurred in an elementary school in Georgia in 2013. The analysis will show that a variety of interactional techniques used by the caller and the call taker contributed to the success of the call. The caller was able to match her interactional style to that of the gunman, to act in a way that demonstrated his control over the situation, and to convey concern for him by expressing empathy and working to create a bond with him. At the same time the caller communicated successfully with the 911 call taker and coordinated her actions with her. The caller and the call taker worked to interact while orienting to an overhearing audience (the gunman), successfully coordinating co-present and technologically mediated talk. In addition, the caller acted as an intermediary between the gunman and the call taker and successfully met the call taker’s need for information and timely responses while at the same time reassuring the gunman and showing him that she was conveying the information he wanted conveyed.

Author

• Angela Cora Garcia, Bentley University