At the InterGedi2026 conference in Zaragoza, Krystyna Warchał presented the results of a case study on recontextualisation processes in video-recorded festival science shows. In her presentation Recontextualisation through dialogue: The role(s) of a science show host, she addressed the following questions: How do the host’s turns shape the event to make the content comprehensible, engaging, and relevant to the audience? How do various semiotic modes contribute to this effect?

The study was based on transcripts and video recordings of six host-moderated events from the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Silesian Science Festival Katowice (Śląski Festiwal Nauki Katowice), made available to online audiences via the Festival’s YouTube channel. The dataset was selected based on event type (dialogue-based), host (three science journalists, each moderating two events), disciplinary diversity (chemistry, applied arts, medical sciences, economic geography, computer sciences, biology), and time frame. The analysis focused on rhetorical goals, pragmatic strategies, and (to a limited extent) multimodal resources.

The findings show that the host’s rhetorical work focuses on structuring the event, supporting the guest, ensuring audience understanding, creating rapport by introducing familiar context, and building positive attitudes towards science.

While the guest remains the primary epistemic authority, the hosts act as facilitators who shape what is communicated and how it is conveyed. They also demonstrate flexibility in responding to the complexity of the topic, the guest’s communication style, and challenges in the interaction, for example, when perspectives or values need to be negotiated.

The findings also suggest that non-verbal modes help frame the event as a natural conversation. These modes are consistently oriented towards the guest, reinforcing their role as the main source of knowledge.