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Introducing The Academic Discipline Of Agricultural Communications To The United Kingdom, Jefferson D. Miller, Sara Maples Bell, Jill Rucker, Emily Buck, Anika Parks

Journal of Applied Communications

Though the academic discipline of agricultural communications is well established in the United States, it does not have a significant presence in the United Kingdom. This is the case in spite of the fact that the profession of agricultural communications is well-established across the country. As administrators at U.K. institutions consider adding curriculum in this discipline, it is important for them to have an understanding of the competencies employers would expect of agricultural communications graduates, as well as an understanding of what students would expect to learn. Empirical data describing such perceptions could further the conceptualization and development of the …

An Evaluation Of Agricultural Communications Faculty Members’ Mentoring Experiences, Taylor K. Ruth, Ricky W. Telg, Lisa K. Lundy

Journal of Applied Communications

Agricultural communications programs are expected to grow and emerge over the next decade. For these programs to find success, faculty leading them will need to be properly supported through effective mentoring. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current mentoring of agricultural communications faculty across the country. In November 2019, an online survey instrument was distributed to a census of members of the Society of Agricultural Communications Scholars listserv. Survey respondents reported mentoring was not formally required, and most of the respondents received informal mentoring. Mentors were most frequently non-agricultural communications faculty in the respondents’ respective department or …

Student Emotional Responses To Different Communication Situations, Rachel E. Hendrix, Carley C. Morrison

Journal of Applied Communications

Communication and emotion are closely linked. Emotions experienced while communicating with others can affect one’s message both verbally and nonverbally. This study asked participants to identify the emotions they experienced when communicating with groups of different sizes. These emotions were drawn from, and displayed upon, the Circumplex Model of Affect, a figure developed by Posner, Russell, and Peterson (2005). This model divides 16 emotions into quadrants that lie along two axes: pleasantness and emotional arousal. Results show that as audience size increases, speakers’ emotions become more unpleasant, more highly aroused, and more variable overall. Prior research indicates that these negative …

Technically Speaking: Technical Skills Needed For Agricultural Communication Baccalaureate Graduates, Arthur Leal, Kati M. Lawson, Ricky W. Telg, Joy N. Rumble, Nicole Lamee Perez Stedman, Debbie Treise

Journal of Applied Communications

Technically Speaking: Technical Skills Needed for Agricultural Communication Baccalaureate Graduates

Abstract

The purpose of this national study was to assess the perceived importance of 57 technical skills identified in previous literature, and to determine entry-level, agricultural communication graduates’ ability to perform those technical skills as perceived by agricultural communication graduates, communication industry professionals, and agricultural communication faculty members. Participants from the three evaluation groups (n = 193) identified three of the most important technical skills needed by agricultural communication graduates. These skills were communicating in written form, concise and clear writing, and communicating verbally. Graduates placed a higher importance …