Goodall’s Verbal Exchange Coding

This article provides a descriptive overview and brief example of Bud Goodall’s Verbal Exchange Coding, a method profiled in his book, Writing the New Ethnography. Verbal Exchange Coding categorizes conversation into five forms of verbal exchange, then into five practices or cultural performances of everyday life. Written reflection stimulates the analyst to create storied accounts that weave the researcher’s personal experiences into meaning in ways that serve as an analysis of culture. The example is a poignant verbal exchange between the author and a stranger at an airport boarding area.