Brexit has not only changed the political landscape but has also given rise to a number of new species in …
Interruptions at Prime Minister’s Questions
Interruptions at PMQs (Prime Minister’s Questions) are recorded in Hansard in a limited way, usually through the insertion of the …
Revealing ‘ah’ in PMQs
In a previous post I have argued that the house is a multi-faceted chamber with comments and background noise from members of …
Hesitations
Hesitations are a natural part of unscripted spoken language. We all hesitate from time to time while speaking for various …
Grayling’s grilling
Political interviewing can be a frustrating affair when the politician being interviewed refuses to answer directly the questions put to …
Slip-squared
Slips of the tongue can be embarrassing for anyone speaking in public, but when the slip occurs twice in quick …
The language of U-turns
We all have to make U-turns in our lives sometimes: reversing our car when we realise we’ve gone down the …
Chuntering from a sedentary position
John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, likes to pick up on members who ‘chunter from a sedentary …
Can I say s**t in the House of Commons?
Certain words in the House of Commons are normally taboo but sometimes it is possible to get away with using …
Exasperation and incredulity!
Political commentators and journalists all have their own idiosyncratic styles when interviewing politicians. Emily Maitlis, the BBC Newsnight commentator, often …
Gove’s Gestures
Michael Gove, Conservative MP, serves up some curious hand gestures while speaking including teacup gestures and steeple Vulcans. Here are …
Conversation Analysis – BBC Question Time (part 1)
Editor: The BBC’s Question Time programme on Thursday nights seems to court controversy these days as we hold it to ever …
Conversation Analysis – BBC Question Time (part 2)
Editor: This is part 2 of the blog on the BBC Question Time programme. Part 1 is here.
Holding the floor: Eyes down
The eyes play an important part in human communication. They can signal an intention to communicate and sometimes act to …
The many faces of ‘no’
Theresa May seems to have developed many ways of saying ‘no’ without actually meaning it. In her interview with Andrew …
Bad things always come in threes
One way to put a politician on the spot is to ask them how many people have been affected by …
Two ‘fakes’ raise the stakes
Conversation can sometimes be like a game of poker, raising and doubling stakes, as the Andrew Marr Show demonstrated on …
a/the Single Market
It seems strange that two of the smallest and most commonest words in the English dictionary could cause confusion between …
Interview terminated!
Richard Madeley knows when to shut down an interview. On ITV’s Good Morning Britain, he abruptly brought his interview with …
A brief bit of brevity
Prime Minister’s question time (PMQs) is known for lengthy questions and answers from Prime Ministers and backbenchers so it was …
This can be a one word answer if you wouldn’t mind?
Interviewers don’t always get what they ask for but when they do, it can often cause difficulties for the interview.
Never ask a genuine question at PMQs
Lawyers sometimes say that you should never ask a witness a question during trial to which you don’t the answer …
Angling for a job, Ms Perry?
Claire Perry, Conservative MP, seemed to enjoy asking questions on the Daily Politics today, so much so that Andrew Neil …
Finishing off your interviewee’s sentences
Interviewers are always looking for ways to hurry their interviewees along, so finishing off their ideas seems to be a …
Closing an interview
In day-to-day conversation, closing a conversation requires both participants to clear the floor. That is, each has to offer the …