Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-178) and index.

Workplace discourse: an overview -- Approaches to analysing workplace discourse -- Pursuing transactional goals: spoken workplace genres -- Relational goals: a framework for analysing interpersoanl dimensions of workplace talk -- A corpus-based comparison of workplace genres -- Negotiating consensus and conflict in workplace talk -- Relational talk in workplace interactions.

"Investigating Workplace Discourse explores the characteristics of different types of workplace conversation, such as decision-making, training, briefing or making arrangements. Particular attention is also given to interactions with a more social focus, such as small talk or office gossip." "The book provides an overview of a range of approaches to analysing workplace discourse, then argues for a combination of quantitative corpus-based methods, to compare specific linguistic features in different 'genres' (such as decision-making and instructional discourse), and qualitative methods involving a close analysis of individual conversations, to explore such issues as politeness, power, conflict and consensus-building."

"A corpus of conversations recorded in a variety of office environments in both the UK and the USA is used throughout to demonstrate the interplay between speakers accomplishing tasks and maintaining relationships in the workplace."--Jacket.