• Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow

    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy
    Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats.
    David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance?
    Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, andall get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail.

    Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from?
    I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently.

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    Sign up to newsletter

    The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too.
    “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about?
    My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different.
    Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos
    What’s your advice when making these decisions?
    There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else.
    After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it.
    The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is?
    Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already.

    What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding?
    In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful.
    There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomansand I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it.
    Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno
    What are the benefits of levity?
    When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again.
    Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room.
    Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian?
    Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud.

    This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like?
    Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it.
    Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone?
    Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far.
    Topics:
    #four #sciencebased #rules #that #will
    Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow
    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats. David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance? Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, andall get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail. Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from? I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. Sign up to newsletter The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too. “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about? My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different. Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos What’s your advice when making these decisions? There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else. After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it. The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is? Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already. What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding? In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful. There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomansand I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it. Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno What are the benefits of levity? When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again. Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room. Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian? Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud. This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like? Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it. Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone? Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far. Topics: #four #sciencebased #rules #that #will
    WWW.NEWSCIENTIST.COM
    Four science-based rules that will make your conversations flow
    One of the four pillars of good conversation is levity. You needn’t be a comedian, you can but have some funTetra Images, LLC/Alamy Conversation lies at the heart of our relationships – yet many of us find it surprisingly hard to talk to others. We may feel anxious at the thought of making small talk with strangers and struggle to connect with the people who are closest to us. If that sounds familiar, Alison Wood Brooks hopes to help. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches an oversubscribed course called “TALK: How to talk gooder in business and life”, and the author of a new book, Talk: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves. Both offer four key principles for more meaningful exchanges. Conversations are inherently unpredictable, says Wood Brooks, but they follow certain rules – and knowing their architecture makes us more comfortable with what is outside of our control. New Scientist asked her about the best ways to apply this research to our own chats. David Robson: Talking about talking feels quite meta. Do you ever find yourself critiquing your own performance? Alison Wood Brooks: There are so many levels of “meta-ness”. I have often felt like I’m floating over the room, watching conversations unfold, even as I’m involved in them myself. I teach a course at Harvard, and [my students] all get to experience this feeling as well. There can be an uncomfortable period of hypervigilance, but I hope that dissipates over time as they develop better habits. There is a famous quote from Charlie Parker, who was a jazz saxophonist. He said something like, “Practise, practise, practise, and then when you get on stage, let it all go and just wail.” I think that’s my approach to conversation. Even when you’re hyper-aware of conversation dynamics, you have to remember the true delight of being with another human mind, and never lose the magic of being together. Think ahead, but once you’re talking, let it all go and just wail. Reading your book, I learned that a good way to enliven a conversation is to ask someone why they are passionate about what they do. So, where does your passion for conversation come from? I have two answers to this question. One is professional. Early in my professorship at Harvard, I had been studying emotions by exploring how people talk about their feelings and the balance between what we feel inside and how we express that to others. And I realised I just had this deep, profound interest in figuring out how people talk to each other about everything, not just their feelings. We now have scientific tools that allow us to capture conversations and analyse them at large scale. Natural language processing, machine learning, the advent of AI – all this allows us to take huge swathes of transcript data and process it much more efficiently. Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. Sign up to newsletter The personal answer is that I’m an identical twin, and I spent my whole life, from the moment I opened my newborn eyes, existing next to a person who’s an exact copy of myself. It was like observing myself at very close range, interacting with the world, interacting with other people. I could see when she said and did things well, and I could try to do that myself. And I saw when her jokes failed, or she stumbled over her words – I tried to avoid those mistakes. It was a very fortunate form of feedback that not a lot of people get. And then, as a twin, you’ve got this person sharing a bedroom, sharing all your clothes, going to all the same parties and playing on the same sports teams, so we were just constantly in conversation with each other. You reached this level of shared reality that is so incredible, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to help other people get there in their relationships, too. “TALK” cleverly captures your framework for better conversations: topics, asking, levity and kindness. Let’s start at the beginning. How should we decide what to talk about? My first piece of advice is to prepare. Some people do this naturally. They already think about the things that they should talk about with somebody before they see them. They should lean into this habit. Some of my students, however, think it’s crazy. They think preparation will make the conversation seem rigid and forced and overly scripted. But just because you’ve thought ahead about what you might talk about doesn’t mean you have to talk about those things once the conversation is underway. It does mean, however, that you always have an idea waiting for you when you’re not sure what to talk about next. Having just one topic in your back pocket can help you in those anxiety-ridden moments. It makes things more fluent, which is important for establishing a connection. Choosing a topic is not only important at the start of a conversation. We’re constantly making decisions about whether we should stay on one subject, drift to something else or totally shift gears and go somewhere wildly different. Sometimes the topic of conversation is obvious. Even then, knowing when to switch to a new one can be trickyMartin Parr/Magnum Photos What’s your advice when making these decisions? There are three very clear signs that suggest that it’s time to switch topics. The first is longer mutual pauses. The second is more uncomfortable laughter, which we use to fill the space that we would usually fill excitedly with good content. And the third sign is redundancy. Once you start repeating things that have already been said on the topic, it’s a sign that you should move to something else. After an average conversation, most people feel like they’ve covered the right number of topics. But if you ask people after conversations that didn’t go well, they’ll more often say that they didn’t talk about enough things, rather than that they talked about too many things. This suggests that a common mistake is lingering too long on a topic after you’ve squeezed all the juice out of it. The second element of TALK is asking questions. I think a lot of us have heard the advice to ask more questions, yet many people don’t apply it. Why do you think that is? Many years of research have shown that the human mind is remarkably egocentric. Often, we are so focused on our own perspective that we forget to even ask someone else to share what’s in their mind. Another reason is fear. You’re interested in the other person, and you know you should ask them questions, but you’re afraid of being too intrusive, or that you will reveal your own incompetence, because you feel you should know the answer already. What kinds of questions should we be asking – and avoiding? In the book, I talk about the power of follow-up questions that build on anything that your partner has just said. It shows that you heard them, that you care and that you want to know more. Even one follow-up question can springboard us away from shallow talk into something deeper and more meaningful. There are, however, some bad patterns of question asking, such as “boomerasking”. Michael Yeomans [at Imperial College London] and I have a recent paper about this, and oh my gosh, it’s been such fun to study. It’s a play on the word boomerang: it comes back to the person who threw it. If I ask you what you had for breakfast, and you tell me you had Special K and banana, and then I say, “Well, let me tell you about my breakfast, because, boy, was it delicious” – that’s boomerasking. Sometimes it’s a thinly veiled way of bragging or complaining, but sometimes I think people are genuinely interested to hear from their partner, but then the partner’s answer reminds them so much of their own life that they can’t help but start sharing their perspective. In our research, we have found that this makes your partner feel like you weren’t interested in their perspective, so it seems very insincere. Sharing your own perspective is important. It’s okay at some point to bring the conversation back to yourself. But don’t do it so soon that it makes your partner feel like you didn’t hear their answer or care about it. Research by Alison Wood Brooks includes a recent study on “boomerasking”, a pitfall you should avoid to make conversations flowJanelle Bruno What are the benefits of levity? When we think of conversations that haven’t gone well, we often think of moments of hostility, anger or disagreement, but a quiet killer of conversation is boredom. Levity is the antidote. These small moments of sparkle or fizz can pull us back in and make us feel engaged with each other again. Our research has shown that we give status and respect to people who make us feel good, so much so that in a group of people, a person who can land even one appropriate joke is more likely to be voted as the leader. And the joke doesn’t even need to be very funny! It’s the fact that they were confident enough to try it and competent enough to read the room. Do you have any practical steps that people can apply to generate levity, even if they’re not a natural comedian? Levity is not just about being funny. In fact, aiming to be a comedian is not the right goal. When we watch stand-up on Netflix, comedians have rehearsed those jokes and honed them and practised them for a long time, and they’re delivering them in a monologue to an audience. It’s a completely different task from a live conversation. In real dialogue, what everybody is looking for is to feel engaged, and that doesn’t require particularly funny jokes or elaborate stories. When you see opportunities to make it fun or lighten the mood, that’s what you need to grab. It can come through a change to a new, fresh topic, or calling back to things that you talked about earlier in the conversation or earlier in your relationship. These callbacks – which sometimes do refer to something funny – are such a nice way of showing that you’ve listened and remembered. A levity move could also involve giving sincere compliments to other people. When you think nice things, when you admire someone, make sure you say it out loud. This brings us to the last element of TALK: kindness. Why do we so often fail to be as kind as we would like? Wobbles in kindness often come back to our egocentrism. Research shows that we underestimate how much other people’s perspectives differ from our own, and we forget that we have the tools to ask other people directly in conversation for their perspective. Being a kinder conversationalist is about trying to focus on your partner’s perspective and then figuring what they need and helping them to get it. Finally, what is your number one tip for readers to have a better conversation the next time they speak to someone? Every conversation is surprisingly tricky and complex. When things don’t go perfectly, give yourself and others more grace. There will be trips and stumbles and then a little grace can go very, very far. Topics:
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  • On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions

    On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal ExhibitionsSave this picture!Czech Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka / Apropos Architects Image © boysplayniceWhat can a pavilion’s architecture reveal about its country? At major World Expos, national pavilions are designed to answer this question, transforming into spaces laden with symbolism. Though temporary, these structures are rich in meaning, functioning as architectural expressions of political identity. Their forms and materials encapsulate national ambitions. Expo Osaka 2025, the latest chapter in this ongoing narrative, showcases how nations increasingly use built space to construct global images of themselves—sustainable, technological, culturally distinct, and geopolitically relevant.
    this picture!Over the decades, these pavilions have evolved into meticulously curated narratives where architecture, politics, and culture intersect to shape national identity. At Osaka 2025, this symbolic and diplomatic function becomes even more pronounced. Pavilions communicate not only who a nation is, but who it aspires to be. The environmental agenda, for example, has become a compelling vector of soft power. Japan’s pavilion exemplifies this shift, employing local wood, parametric design, and natural ventilation not just for function, but as metaphors of circularity and harmony with nature.this picture!Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are embracing immersive technologies—augmented reality, responsive facades, and AI—to reframe their narratives. No longer defined solely by oil economies, they seek to position themselves as innovation-driven futurescapes. In this context, national identity is staged like a multisensory installation. Materials, sounds, aromas, lighting, and spatial choreography become tools for storytelling—none of them neutral, all of them charged with intent. Related Article Are World's Fairs a Thing of the Past? The Role that Architecture Played on One of History's Biggest Stages Architecture as a Political StatementPavilions transcend cultural or technological display to become instruments of political messaging. Architectural choices convey nuanced—or at times overt—signals about values, ambitions, and worldviews. Denmark’s Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion, with open ramps and fluid circulation, subtly suggests democratic transparency and inclusion, while Russia’s monumental spiral structure evokes nationalism and technological command. Here, architecture becomes a codified discourse: every curve, void, and surface reads like a political sign.this picture!This language continues at Osaka 2025. Israel’s pavilion, inspired by the ecological resilience of deserts, presents a narrative of innovation and perseverance amid adversity—an architectural response to both climate challenges and regional geopolitics. Bahrain’s contribution, by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, focuses on the adaptability of maritime cultures. South Korea’s high-tech, futuristic pavilion reinforces its position as a rising digital powerhouse.In some instances, however, absence speaks just as loudly. In previous editions, countries like North Korea and Syria have boycotted the Expo as a form of political protest. These silent gestures are part of the same strategic vocabulary, where presence, form, and even withdrawal shape the geopolitical stage set by architecture.this picture!Sustainability on DisplayAmid the global climate crisis, national pavilions have also become key arenas for environmental diplomacy. Sustainability—once a peripheral concern—is now central to the architectural narrative of Expos. It’s no longer only about meeting green standards, but about crafting a spatial language that embodies ecological responsibility. This shift also challenges the very notion of ephemerality: where temporariness once defined these structures, reuse, intelligent disassembly, and material reintegration now drive their conception.This ecological turn is particularly evident at Expo Osaka 2025. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the event encourages models of regenerative, cooperative, and resilient living. Sweden’s and Germany’s pavilions are designed for a second life, to be repurposed as schools or community centers. The U.S. pavilion, designed by Trahan Architects, incorporates steel, fabric, and HVAC components repurposed from Tokyo 2020 Olympics structures—materials slated for further reuse across Japan. In this framework, the Expo becomes a laboratory of environmental geopolitics, where sustainability itself is a form of soft power.this picture!Technological Spectacle as a National StrategyIn contemporary Universal Exhibitions, technology is no longer displayed as an end in itself but has become a narrative and experiential medium. Immersive installations, sensory interfaces, and AI-driven storytelling transform pavilions into interactive ecosystems, where visitors are both spectators and agents. This shift signals a significant change: it is no longer just about showcasing innovation, but about embedding technology into the dramaturgy of space. Architecture, in this context, ceases to be a static backdrop and merges with experience design, dissolving the boundaries between the built and the digital. Moreover, the way each country orchestrates these elements reveals its ability to envision desirable futures—and to position itself as a protagonist in the global technological transformation.this picture!At Expo Osaka 2025, this race for technological affirmation takes clear shape in pavilions such as that of the United Arab Emirates, which offers an interactive journey through environments responsive to human presence, narrative artificial intelligence, and real-time sensors that react to visitors’ actions—demonstrating a sophisticated technical mastery with implications across multiple spheres. In a similar vein, the Uzbekistan Pavilion stands out with an exhibition focused on empowerment, highlighting the country’s openness to innovation and its commitment to preparing for the future.Yet this immersion presents a growing tension: how to balance technological spectacle with architectural integrity. In some cases, architecture risks being overshadowed by its digital overlay, losing spatial coherence. The most compelling pavilions are those that fuse form, function, and innovation into a seamless whole, where technology becomes not an add-on, but an intrinsic architectural language.this picture!Intercultural Collaborations: The True LegacyWhile Universal Exhibitions are organized around national representation, they have also emerged as vital platforms for cultural exchange. Increasingly, national pavilions are designed by multicultural teams, resulting in more nuanced, inclusive, and inventive expressions of identity, not as a fixed essence, but as something fluid and co-constructed.this picture!At Osaka 2025, this collaborative ethos is exemplified by pavilions such as Switzerland’s, designed by an international team, and Indonesia’s, which brings together local architects and foreign consultants. These collaborations offer more than design efficiency—they signal gestures of quiet diplomacy. In a climate of resurgent nationalism, such exchanges underscore that innovation thrives through openness and dialogue. Each pavilion becomes a space of mutual learning, expanding the very meaning of global belonging.this picture!Ultimately, the lasting value of Expos may not lie in reinforcing national brands, but in fostering encounters—shared spaces where ideas, technologies, and cultures converge to respond to urgent global challenges. As architect Manuel Herz, designer of the Swiss Pavilion, puts it: “In a moment of global tension, every possibility for us to physically meet in a shared space and celebrate something that can still be described as a cosmopolitan spirit needs to be valued and utilized.” Amid so many crises, pavilions remind us that architecture is more than shelter or style—it is a vessel for connection, a space for learning, and a rehearsal for futures we must build together.We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the Expo Osaka 2025.

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    Cite: Ghisleni, Camilla. "On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions"30 May 2025. ArchDaily.Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否
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    On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions
    On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal ExhibitionsSave this picture!Czech Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka / Apropos Architects Image © boysplayniceWhat can a pavilion’s architecture reveal about its country? At major World Expos, national pavilions are designed to answer this question, transforming into spaces laden with symbolism. Though temporary, these structures are rich in meaning, functioning as architectural expressions of political identity. Their forms and materials encapsulate national ambitions. Expo Osaka 2025, the latest chapter in this ongoing narrative, showcases how nations increasingly use built space to construct global images of themselves—sustainable, technological, culturally distinct, and geopolitically relevant. this picture!Over the decades, these pavilions have evolved into meticulously curated narratives where architecture, politics, and culture intersect to shape national identity. At Osaka 2025, this symbolic and diplomatic function becomes even more pronounced. Pavilions communicate not only who a nation is, but who it aspires to be. The environmental agenda, for example, has become a compelling vector of soft power. Japan’s pavilion exemplifies this shift, employing local wood, parametric design, and natural ventilation not just for function, but as metaphors of circularity and harmony with nature.this picture!Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are embracing immersive technologies—augmented reality, responsive facades, and AI—to reframe their narratives. No longer defined solely by oil economies, they seek to position themselves as innovation-driven futurescapes. In this context, national identity is staged like a multisensory installation. Materials, sounds, aromas, lighting, and spatial choreography become tools for storytelling—none of them neutral, all of them charged with intent. Related Article Are World's Fairs a Thing of the Past? The Role that Architecture Played on One of History's Biggest Stages Architecture as a Political StatementPavilions transcend cultural or technological display to become instruments of political messaging. Architectural choices convey nuanced—or at times overt—signals about values, ambitions, and worldviews. Denmark’s Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion, with open ramps and fluid circulation, subtly suggests democratic transparency and inclusion, while Russia’s monumental spiral structure evokes nationalism and technological command. Here, architecture becomes a codified discourse: every curve, void, and surface reads like a political sign.this picture!This language continues at Osaka 2025. Israel’s pavilion, inspired by the ecological resilience of deserts, presents a narrative of innovation and perseverance amid adversity—an architectural response to both climate challenges and regional geopolitics. Bahrain’s contribution, by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, focuses on the adaptability of maritime cultures. South Korea’s high-tech, futuristic pavilion reinforces its position as a rising digital powerhouse.In some instances, however, absence speaks just as loudly. In previous editions, countries like North Korea and Syria have boycotted the Expo as a form of political protest. These silent gestures are part of the same strategic vocabulary, where presence, form, and even withdrawal shape the geopolitical stage set by architecture.this picture!Sustainability on DisplayAmid the global climate crisis, national pavilions have also become key arenas for environmental diplomacy. Sustainability—once a peripheral concern—is now central to the architectural narrative of Expos. It’s no longer only about meeting green standards, but about crafting a spatial language that embodies ecological responsibility. This shift also challenges the very notion of ephemerality: where temporariness once defined these structures, reuse, intelligent disassembly, and material reintegration now drive their conception.This ecological turn is particularly evident at Expo Osaka 2025. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the event encourages models of regenerative, cooperative, and resilient living. Sweden’s and Germany’s pavilions are designed for a second life, to be repurposed as schools or community centers. The U.S. pavilion, designed by Trahan Architects, incorporates steel, fabric, and HVAC components repurposed from Tokyo 2020 Olympics structures—materials slated for further reuse across Japan. In this framework, the Expo becomes a laboratory of environmental geopolitics, where sustainability itself is a form of soft power.this picture!Technological Spectacle as a National StrategyIn contemporary Universal Exhibitions, technology is no longer displayed as an end in itself but has become a narrative and experiential medium. Immersive installations, sensory interfaces, and AI-driven storytelling transform pavilions into interactive ecosystems, where visitors are both spectators and agents. This shift signals a significant change: it is no longer just about showcasing innovation, but about embedding technology into the dramaturgy of space. Architecture, in this context, ceases to be a static backdrop and merges with experience design, dissolving the boundaries between the built and the digital. Moreover, the way each country orchestrates these elements reveals its ability to envision desirable futures—and to position itself as a protagonist in the global technological transformation.this picture!At Expo Osaka 2025, this race for technological affirmation takes clear shape in pavilions such as that of the United Arab Emirates, which offers an interactive journey through environments responsive to human presence, narrative artificial intelligence, and real-time sensors that react to visitors’ actions—demonstrating a sophisticated technical mastery with implications across multiple spheres. In a similar vein, the Uzbekistan Pavilion stands out with an exhibition focused on empowerment, highlighting the country’s openness to innovation and its commitment to preparing for the future.Yet this immersion presents a growing tension: how to balance technological spectacle with architectural integrity. In some cases, architecture risks being overshadowed by its digital overlay, losing spatial coherence. The most compelling pavilions are those that fuse form, function, and innovation into a seamless whole, where technology becomes not an add-on, but an intrinsic architectural language.this picture!Intercultural Collaborations: The True LegacyWhile Universal Exhibitions are organized around national representation, they have also emerged as vital platforms for cultural exchange. Increasingly, national pavilions are designed by multicultural teams, resulting in more nuanced, inclusive, and inventive expressions of identity, not as a fixed essence, but as something fluid and co-constructed.this picture!At Osaka 2025, this collaborative ethos is exemplified by pavilions such as Switzerland’s, designed by an international team, and Indonesia’s, which brings together local architects and foreign consultants. These collaborations offer more than design efficiency—they signal gestures of quiet diplomacy. In a climate of resurgent nationalism, such exchanges underscore that innovation thrives through openness and dialogue. Each pavilion becomes a space of mutual learning, expanding the very meaning of global belonging.this picture!Ultimately, the lasting value of Expos may not lie in reinforcing national brands, but in fostering encounters—shared spaces where ideas, technologies, and cultures converge to respond to urgent global challenges. As architect Manuel Herz, designer of the Swiss Pavilion, puts it: “In a moment of global tension, every possibility for us to physically meet in a shared space and celebrate something that can still be described as a cosmopolitan spirit needs to be valued and utilized.” Amid so many crises, pavilions remind us that architecture is more than shelter or style—it is a vessel for connection, a space for learning, and a rehearsal for futures we must build together.We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the Expo Osaka 2025. Image gallerySee allShow less About this authorCamilla GhisleniAuthor••• Cite: Ghisleni, Camilla. "On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions"30 May 2025. ArchDaily.Accessed . < ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream #designing #national #pavilions #power #identity
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    On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions
    On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal ExhibitionsSave this picture!Czech Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka / Apropos Architects Image © boysplayniceWhat can a pavilion’s architecture reveal about its country? At major World Expos, national pavilions are designed to answer this question, transforming into spaces laden with symbolism. Though temporary, these structures are rich in meaning, functioning as architectural expressions of political identity. Their forms and materials encapsulate national ambitions. Expo Osaka 2025, the latest chapter in this ongoing narrative, showcases how nations increasingly use built space to construct global images of themselves—sustainable, technological, culturally distinct, and geopolitically relevant. Save this picture!Over the decades, these pavilions have evolved into meticulously curated narratives where architecture, politics, and culture intersect to shape national identity. At Osaka 2025, this symbolic and diplomatic function becomes even more pronounced. Pavilions communicate not only who a nation is, but who it aspires to be. The environmental agenda, for example, has become a compelling vector of soft power. Japan’s pavilion exemplifies this shift, employing local wood, parametric design, and natural ventilation not just for function, but as metaphors of circularity and harmony with nature.Save this picture!Meanwhile, countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are embracing immersive technologies—augmented reality, responsive facades, and AI—to reframe their narratives. No longer defined solely by oil economies, they seek to position themselves as innovation-driven futurescapes. In this context, national identity is staged like a multisensory installation. Materials, sounds, aromas, lighting, and spatial choreography become tools for storytelling—none of them neutral, all of them charged with intent. Related Article Are World's Fairs a Thing of the Past? The Role that Architecture Played on One of History's Biggest Stages Architecture as a Political StatementPavilions transcend cultural or technological display to become instruments of political messaging. Architectural choices convey nuanced—or at times overt—signals about values, ambitions, and worldviews. Denmark’s Expo 2020 Dubai pavilion, with open ramps and fluid circulation, subtly suggests democratic transparency and inclusion, while Russia’s monumental spiral structure evokes nationalism and technological command. Here, architecture becomes a codified discourse: every curve, void, and surface reads like a political sign.Save this picture!This language continues at Osaka 2025. Israel’s pavilion, inspired by the ecological resilience of deserts, presents a narrative of innovation and perseverance amid adversity—an architectural response to both climate challenges and regional geopolitics. Bahrain’s contribution, by Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, focuses on the adaptability of maritime cultures. South Korea’s high-tech, futuristic pavilion reinforces its position as a rising digital powerhouse.In some instances, however, absence speaks just as loudly. In previous editions, countries like North Korea and Syria have boycotted the Expo as a form of political protest. These silent gestures are part of the same strategic vocabulary, where presence, form, and even withdrawal shape the geopolitical stage set by architecture.Save this picture!Sustainability on DisplayAmid the global climate crisis, national pavilions have also become key arenas for environmental diplomacy. Sustainability—once a peripheral concern—is now central to the architectural narrative of Expos. It’s no longer only about meeting green standards, but about crafting a spatial language that embodies ecological responsibility. This shift also challenges the very notion of ephemerality: where temporariness once defined these structures, reuse, intelligent disassembly, and material reintegration now drive their conception.This ecological turn is particularly evident at Expo Osaka 2025. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the event encourages models of regenerative, cooperative, and resilient living. Sweden’s and Germany’s pavilions are designed for a second life, to be repurposed as schools or community centers. The U.S. pavilion, designed by Trahan Architects, incorporates steel, fabric, and HVAC components repurposed from Tokyo 2020 Olympics structures—materials slated for further reuse across Japan. In this framework, the Expo becomes a laboratory of environmental geopolitics, where sustainability itself is a form of soft power.Save this picture!Technological Spectacle as a National StrategyIn contemporary Universal Exhibitions, technology is no longer displayed as an end in itself but has become a narrative and experiential medium. Immersive installations, sensory interfaces, and AI-driven storytelling transform pavilions into interactive ecosystems, where visitors are both spectators and agents. This shift signals a significant change: it is no longer just about showcasing innovation, but about embedding technology into the dramaturgy of space. Architecture, in this context, ceases to be a static backdrop and merges with experience design, dissolving the boundaries between the built and the digital. Moreover, the way each country orchestrates these elements reveals its ability to envision desirable futures—and to position itself as a protagonist in the global technological transformation.Save this picture!At Expo Osaka 2025, this race for technological affirmation takes clear shape in pavilions such as that of the United Arab Emirates, which offers an interactive journey through environments responsive to human presence, narrative artificial intelligence, and real-time sensors that react to visitors’ actions—demonstrating a sophisticated technical mastery with implications across multiple spheres. In a similar vein, the Uzbekistan Pavilion stands out with an exhibition focused on empowerment, highlighting the country’s openness to innovation and its commitment to preparing for the future.Yet this immersion presents a growing tension: how to balance technological spectacle with architectural integrity. In some cases, architecture risks being overshadowed by its digital overlay, losing spatial coherence. The most compelling pavilions are those that fuse form, function, and innovation into a seamless whole, where technology becomes not an add-on, but an intrinsic architectural language.Save this picture!Intercultural Collaborations: The True LegacyWhile Universal Exhibitions are organized around national representation, they have also emerged as vital platforms for cultural exchange. Increasingly, national pavilions are designed by multicultural teams, resulting in more nuanced, inclusive, and inventive expressions of identity, not as a fixed essence, but as something fluid and co-constructed.Save this picture!At Osaka 2025, this collaborative ethos is exemplified by pavilions such as Switzerland’s, designed by an international team, and Indonesia’s, which brings together local architects and foreign consultants. These collaborations offer more than design efficiency—they signal gestures of quiet diplomacy. In a climate of resurgent nationalism, such exchanges underscore that innovation thrives through openness and dialogue. Each pavilion becomes a space of mutual learning, expanding the very meaning of global belonging.Save this picture!Ultimately, the lasting value of Expos may not lie in reinforcing national brands, but in fostering encounters—shared spaces where ideas, technologies, and cultures converge to respond to urgent global challenges. As architect Manuel Herz, designer of the Swiss Pavilion, puts it: “In a moment of global tension, every possibility for us to physically meet in a shared space and celebrate something that can still be described as a cosmopolitan spirit needs to be valued and utilized.” Amid so many crises, pavilions remind us that architecture is more than shelter or style—it is a vessel for connection, a space for learning, and a rehearsal for futures we must build together.We invite you to check out ArchDaily's comprehensive coverage of the Expo Osaka 2025. Image gallerySee allShow less About this authorCamilla GhisleniAuthor••• Cite: Ghisleni, Camilla. "On Designing National Pavilions: Power and Identity at Universal Exhibitions" [Projetando Pavilhões Nacionais: Poder e Identidade nas Exposições Universais] 30 May 2025. ArchDaily. (Trans. Simões, Diogo) Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1030539/on-designing-national-pavilions-power-and-identity-at-universal-exhibitions&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save世界上最受欢迎的建筑网站现已推出你的母语版本!想浏览ArchDaily中国吗?是否 You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream
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