English language help

[Zappo]

I'm writing my thesis on the topic of videoconferencing, and I'm defining a model for videocommunication systems. I've got several models, and one of these uses four entities:

- the guy who speaks (speaker).
- the blokes who listen and stay silent (listeners).
- the dude who moderates (moderator, see a trend?).
- and, occasionally, the folk who, virtually speaking, raises his hand, gets a nod from the moderator, speaks for a while, and then shuts up again. So this is a listener who, for a while, stops being a listener and becomes... something else (cue ominous theme).

Something else what? How do you call this last person?

Help me! The only appropriate term which I can figure is bugger, but I have the creeping feeling that the commission wouldn't like it.

 

[Desdichado]

Participant? or is that too generic a term?

 

[johnsemlak]

respondent?

 

[Dingleberry]

Participant and contributor come to mind.

 

[diaglo]

facilitator - the guy who drives the conversation back onto topic when it stalls or gets waylaid by a hijiack.


edit: as for someone asking a general question or even a specific question of the panel. my own personal favorite is: Charlie Brown.... the guy who comes from the Peanut Gallery to throw a curveball (a bizarre almost unanswerable question), a softball (a very easy question), or rotten egg/tomato (a refute to everything the panel has said b/c this person has done a study and wants everyone to know)

 

[Wild Gazebo]

I might just redefine things:

Moderator
Guest Speaker and or Panel Speaker (people supposed to be speaking)
Audience Member (Listener)
Speaker (a vocal Audience Member)

I'm not sure if you were refering to a panel member or an audience member in your example.

Other than that Respondant sounds the most pertinent.

 

[Umbran]

I'd go with Speaker, Moderator, Audience, and Audience Participant.

 

[Zappo]

Some good suggestions here. I especially like Umbran's, as it emphasizes the fact that the guy-who-speaks-for-a-while is actually just a member of the audience with temporary extra privileges. I'm still thinking about it though; I'm using some English terms but the thesis is in Italian, so I've got to pick something that doesn't mess up Italian grammar too bad. Thanks guys!

 

[Angcuru]

Grand High King of the Gazebo!

 

[diaglo]

i edited my above post.