Voices from the Road: Descriptions of a Sense of Presence in Intercultural and International Encounters Gary Fontaine, Ph. D. School of Communications University of Hawaii Organizational Management & Organizational Development program Fielding Graduate Institute This paper explores further the state of consciousness referred to as a "sense of presence" by complementing earlier quantitative work on presence in intercultural/international encounters with descriptive accounts of the experiences by the participants, themselves. These descriptions illustrate previously established factors of the state, including: being present in the immediate place and time; having a broad awareness of everything around them: experiencing vividness, realness and being very alive; and responsiveness the situation. Additional descriptions illustrate other important aspects of presence. The conclusion stresses the need to better understand the conditions that affect presence whether encounters are face-to-face, mediated or virtual. Paper presented at the "28th International Congress of Psychology" in Beijing, China, August 2004 Phone (808) ; Home Page www2.hawaii.edu/~fontaine/garyspag.html

Presence in f2f, online and in virtual environments Presence & Presencing Senge et al. (2004) Virtual Presence Ditlea (1990) Sense of Presence Lombard & Ditton (1997) Remote Presence Uttal (1989) Sense of Presence Fontaine (1989 & 1993) Multiple Presence Lipnack & Stamps (2000) Telepresence Lombard & Ditton (1997) User Presence Riva et al. (2002)

A Sense of Presence

The Challenges of New People, Cultures, Places & Technologies Getting the job done by dealing effectively with diversity & change Maintaining motivation Coping with “ ecoshock ”

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