What makes a 'getting acquainted' a recognizable conversational activity, and how are interpersonal relationships established in a first conversation? This book presents a theoretical framework for the study of relationship management in conversation and an empirical study of a corpus of initial interactions. It provides detailed descriptions of the sequential resources unacquainted interlocutors use in order to: - generate self-presentation - introduce topics - establish common contextual resources It is argued that these sequential patterns embody conventionalized procedures for establishing an interpersonal relationship involving some degree of: - solidarity (mutual rights and obligations) - familiarity (mutual knowledge of personal background) - mutual affect (emotional commitment) The sequential analysis is based on a conversation analytic approach, while the interpretive framework consists of pragmatic theories of politeness, conversational style and common ground.