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USING THE MICRO-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE OF CONVERSATION ANALYSIS
TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN SUPERVISION
Of these conversations I have transcribed one complete session and many
long extracts from the others (for the transcription conventions see the appen¬
dix) and examined them to answer the following questions: Which topics are
being discussed, and how complex are they really? Which communicative tasks
do supervisors and supervisees perform? How do the interactants construct
their roles and ‘keep their faces’, particularly when in their everyday life they are
professionals in similar fields? And are there specific conversational practices
that promote self-reflection etc. on the part of the supervisee in the sense of the
above-mentioned self-concept of supervision, or on the contrary: that lead to
communicative hitches? Are the systematic conflicts or paradoxes outlined in
chapter 1) visible on the surface of the conversation, and can they be explained
by the above-mentioned circumstances?
In this article I would like to take a closer look at one prominent conflict that
emerges from the recordings that seems to be typical of one-on-one supervision
and probably of counselling in general: How to allow the supervisee to take time
to express herself, her problem(s), her feelings etc. while ensuring a workable
basis for the unfolding process.
TRANSCRIPT #1:
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION, EMPATHY, AND UNDERSTANDING
For a first insight the following excerpt shows a classic example of a
demonstration of empathy and understanding by the supervisor (SR) while
the supervisee (SE) is describing her problem. In this case SE is the new head
of a daycare center and up to this moment has given information mostly on
herself and her workplace situation.
[1]
0 [11:48.3] 1 [11:49.9]
SE [v] aber DAS ist nicht jetzt das problem.= =mein MEIN problem/ jetzt komm ich zu
SE [vE] but this is not the problem now.= =my MY problem/ now I’m moving on to my problem,
[2]
2 [11:51.7] 3 [11:52.4] 4 [11:57.0]
SE [v] meinem problem, ja, ((ea)) ähmm + + + es ist so dass ähm/ (1.4) es gibt ne
SE [vE] yeah, ((inhales)) um « « « the fact of the matter is that um/ (1.4) thereisa
+215 +