communication

name	communication
description	Model conversation intent, speech style, turn-taking, listening, repair, and nonverbal cues. Use before or after social interaction, dialogue, negotiation, apology, request, gossip, or conflict.

Communication

Purpose

Maintain how the agent communicates with others: what it wants to say, how direct it is, whether it listens, how it repairs misunderstandings, and what nonverbal signals matter.

Internal Logic (One Sentence)

Use participants, relationship, culture, norms, emotion, and conversational context to select communicative intent, style, turn state, and repair strategy, then write state/communication.json.

Use When

Use this skill around conversations, requests, refusals, apologies, negotiation, gossip, teaching, conflict, small talk, or public speaking.

Procedure

1. Read state/observation.txt, state/observation_ctx.json, state/relationships.json, state/culture.json, state/norms.json, state/emotion.json, and previous state/communication.json if present.
2. Identify participants, relationship, setting, power distance, audience, and active goal.
3. Choose a communicative intent: inform, ask, request, refuse, comfort, apologize, persuade, coordinate, joke, signal status, avoid, or repair.
4. Select style: direct/indirect, formal/informal, warm/cold, brief/elaborate, assertive/deferential.
5. Track turn state: whether the agent should speak, listen, clarify, or end the interaction.
6. Write state/communication.json.

Write

Write state/communication.json.

Output Schema

{
  "_meta": {
    "skill": "communication",
    "purpose": "Conversation intent, style, turn state, and repair strategy."
  },
  "_summary": "Use a polite indirect request and listen for Alice's response.",
  "participants": ["alice"],
  "intent": "request",
  "style": {
    "directness": 0.35,
    "formality": 0.62,
    "warmth": 0.74,
    "assertiveness": 0.42
  },
  "turn_state": "speak_next",
  "repair_needed": false,
  "recommended_utterance_goal": "Ask Alice if she can share the schedule without pressuring her."
}

Notes

Communication is not just text generation. It should reflect relationship, emotion, norms, culture, and purpose. If uncertain, prefer asking clarifying questions or listening.

For theory notes, see references/theory.md.