Seizing the moment: The problem of conversational agency

In conversation, actors face constraints on when they can speak, whom they can address, what they can say, and what they carr safely expect from other s by way of cooperation. This is the backdrop against which people pursue t heir idiosyncratic interests and objectives, success at which constitutes c onversational agency. In principle, agency is made possible by the "loosene ss" of conversational constraints. This does not create a clear path for th e advancement of personal ends, however, since options are always limited b y the context, and success is always contingent upon the cooperation of oth ers. Ultimately, the most agentic people are those who readily exploit impe rfect options though this means abandoning the inflexible pursuit of pre-co nceived objectives.