Symbolism and Hesitation: Guideline for Merging Teleoperation with Multiple Users

This paper examines how coordination emerges when multiple users share control of a cybernetic avatar under constrained nonverbal channels. Across three observational studies in stylized testbeds, we identify two recurring regularities: the Maxim of Symbolization, whereby users compress task-relevant intentions into compact, reusable signals, and the Maxim of Hesitation, whereby users avoid direct overrides and often prefer indirect or delayed correction, especially with unfamiliar partners. Rather than claiming ecological representativeness of the tasks, we use these studies to derive design implications for multi-user teleoperation and cybernetic avatar systems. We conclude by specifying the boundary conditions under which these implications are most likely to apply.