From the social constructivist perspective, this paper examines speech style shifts in academic consultation sessions between professors and students in Japanese universities and demonstrates that politeness is an interactional achievement. The paper attempts to show how what has previously been described as a display of discernment can be reanalyzed as an active co-construction in the sequential organization of talk. Appended is: Transcription Conventions. (Contains 1 table and 4 footnotes.) [This document is also available as a CD.]