Communication Commons^™

Novice Competitors And Public Address Preparation, Jessica Samens

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

In a time when forensics is trying to maintain traditions while not getting stuck in a performance rut, teaching incoming students competition norms can be a very sticky situation. The community is being constantly criticized for crediting students who follow the spoken and unspoken rules of competition. This can leave little room for individuality and can also make it very difficult to prepare incoming students for competition. Prepping new students in college events becomes a balancing act, trying to teach events, norms, and policies in a short amount of time to help prepare the student to be "tournament ready." While …

Playing It Safe As Pedagogy: Finding The Conventional Wisdom In Convention, Dawn Lowry

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

As forensic educators, I know we are supposed to love all events equally, but one event escapes my comprehension. Rhetorical criticism is like rhythmic gymnastics to me; I can appreciate its verbal dexterity but I always feel like I am missing something. So when a successful coach of the event let me in on a secret, I was grateful. Explain the tenets so people feel like they understand something; don’t shy away from complicated terminology but relate it to concrete examples easily grasped. Explanation through comparison a la Aristotle, this made sense. Yet when I suggested this technique to a …

Arrangement: Understanding The Ubiquity Of Problem, Cause, Solution In The Persuasive Speech, Matthew Warner

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

There is, in certain Christian circles, an old joke. In a Sun-day morning Sunday School class the teacher asks the following question: "What has short fur, a long bushy tail, climbs trees, and collects nuts?" The students immediately answer: "Jesus!"

Of course, this answer is ridiculous. Immediately following the question the class may think "squirrel!" or perhaps – the creative ones, "chipmunk!" However, before they can convince themselves to speak up and correctly answer the question, they think of the context. This is church; the answer must be "Jesus!"

Now, this paper is about Individual Events Competition, more specifically, "Arrangement: …

Escaping The "Uncanny Valley": Humanizing Forensic Address Through Public Narrative, R. Randolph Richardson

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The negative reaction of sports writers to Tiger Woods' February 19, 2010 comeback press conference echoed three terms: "insincere," "coached" and "robotic." In fact, the latter criticism caught on with the online public to the extent that a "Tiger Woods is a Robot" fan page is featured on Facebook, while an episode of "Tiger Woods Robot Theatre" can be viewed on Youtube. Tiger's press conference media accounts, a performance analysis of Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, and an overview of the latest business presentational texts suggest that nothing will disengage an audience more quickly than a robotic delivery style. Perhaps …

Rhetorical Criticism In The Classroom Vs. In Competition: A Consideration Of The Impact Of Context On Student Scholarship, Richard E. Paine

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

A battle has long waged in forensics between those who would define it as an "educational activity" and those who see it first and foremost as a "competitive game." Others have asserted that this dichotomy is a false one, and responded to the question by conflating the two concepts, arguing that competition automatically produces learning while learning paves the road to success. This paper argues that both of these perspectives are flawed, and asserts instead the image of a continuum of choice which is anchored at one end by "pure competition" and at the other by "pure learning." This view …

Table Of Contents For The 2010 National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Table of contents for Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference on Individual Events 2010.

Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference On Individual Events 2010, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Fifth NDC-IE was hosted two years later in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the summer of 2010. A total of 90 participants presented papers discussing public speaking events, limited preparation events, oral interpretation events, forensic leadership issues, forensics and service learning and tournament assessment.

Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Fourth NDC-IE conference occurred eleven years later in Peoria, Illinois. It was hosted by Bradley University in the summer of 2008. This NDC-IE included the largest attendance ever with a total of 93 participants. The topics discussed included: research, the role of a DOF, growth of programs, ethics in forensics, tournament administration, education/competitive duality, growth of the activity and debate and IE relationships.

Conference Proceedings: Third National Developmental Conference On Individual Events: Addressing Individual Events, Nfa Lincoln-Douglas Debate, & Npda Parliamentary Debate, Rice University, Houston, Texas, August 13-16, 1997, Shawnalee A. Whitney

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Third NDC-IE conference occurred seven years later in Houston, Texas. It was hosted by Rice University and Tyler Junior College in the summer of 1997. A total of 40 participants met and addressed key issues such as judge training and tournament management. In addition, this NDC-IE was also marked by timely discussion of NPDA and NFA-LD.

Conference Proceedings Of The Second National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Larry Schnoor, Vicki Karns

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

The Second NDC-IE conference occurred two years later in Mankato, Minnesota in the summer of 1990. A total of 81 participants met to discuss topics such as new coaches, judge training, recruitment, community college programs, the AFA-NIET qualification process and ethical uses of evidence.

Volume 57, Number 1, Spring 2020 Speaker And Gavel

Speaker & Gavel

Complete digitized issue (Volume 57, issue 1, Spring 2020) of Speaker & Gavel.

Walmart's Opioid Stewardship Initiative Rhetorically Constructed As An Act Of Corporate Social Responsibility, Rachel Kaplan

Speaker & Gavel

Walmart is the largest publicly owned retailer in the world (Fishman, 2008). Walmart operates in a contested rhetorical environment because of an aggressive pricing strategy, low-paying wages, and discrimination claims made by women. This paper argues Walmart created several Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs to help improve corporate image and reputation. CSR encourages companies to consider a triple bottom line: people, the environment and profit. Consumers who practice socially responsible consumption choose to support companies they perceive give back to the community, participate in CSR initiatives to help people, and incorporate sustainable practices into the lifecycle of their products. This …

Exploring The Impacts Of An Open Door Policy And A Mindfulness Room At The Intercollegiate Speech (Individual Events) Tournament, C. Austin Mcdonald Ii, Samantha Burke

Speaker & Gavel

Two distinct tournament features were offered at a regional intercollegiate individual events swing: 1.) an open door policy for all competition rounds and 2.) a mindfulness room for students. A 16-item survey (with both qualitative and quantitative prompts) was administered at the conclusion of the swing to gain a sense of participants’ perceptions of past tournament experiences and experiences with the newly implemented features. Seventy-one (n=71) respondents participated (competitors, coaches, tournament staff, and hired judges). Analysis of the data revealed: 40% of participants had felt the need to leave a round in the past (a disproportionate 80% of which were …

When A Global Pandemic Gives You Lemons You Dig Deep And Find A Way To Make Lemonade Better, Todd Holm

Speaker & Gavel

So far, the year 2020 has been fraught with obstacles. Australian brush fires burned over 18 million hectares of land, thousands of buildings, and killed hundreds of people. Indonesia, Japan, Puerto Rico, and parts of the continental US saw massive flooding. The Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupted and caused the evacuation of more than 300,000 people. There have been 45 earthquakes over 6 magnitudes in Turkey, The Caribbean, China, Iran, Russia, Philippines, India, and other countries. Algae blooms in Antarctica have caused the snow to turn green, and there are literally swarms of locus in parts India, Asia, and …

Speaker And Gavel Call For Submissions: Forensics Administration And Practice In The Age Of Covid-19, Stephanie Wideman

Speaker & Gavel

Speaker and Gavel invites authors to submit manuscripts for an upcoming special edition focused on scholarship, pedagogy, research, competition, and administration in competitive and non-competitive speech and debate practices within and post the global Covid-19 pandemic. We welcome submissions from forensic coaches, communication scholars, and students (undergraduate and graduate).

Front Matter

Speaker & Gavel

Front matter and table of contents for volume 57, issue 1 of Speaker & Gavel.

Painted Nails: The Gender(Ed) Performance Of Queer Sexuality, Justin Rudnick

Communication Studies Department Publications

In this essay, I interrogate my own experiences performing my queer identity through my painted nails. I attest to the ways queer bodies might performatively challenge and/or reinforce rigid norms of sexuality through mundane performances of (gendered) identity. To accomplish this, I engage in an autoethnographic exploration of queer performativity. I recount and analyze a series of anecdotes that illustrate how performances of queer identity in everyday life are accomplished—and policed—in mundane situations. In turn, I reflexively investigate the ways in which these performances situate me within a nexus of aesthetic, embodied, and ethical social interaction and performative resistance. I …

Expectation Versus Reality: Star Trek, Nyota Uhura, And The Female Role, Cecelia Otto-Griffiths

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In a media saturated world, there is an abundance of stereotypes perpetuated for women. Since the late 1960’s, however, Star Trek has been one example of how television and film can challenge stereotypes and what is considered normal. This study sought to understand the extent of change in how women’s physical and role representations are presented through the artifact of Lt. Uhura in the 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the 2016 film Star Trek: Beyond. Using feminist theory as a lens to conduct a content analysis of these films, this study used frequently identified “feminine” characteristics in …

Assessing Competitive Oral Interpretation Speakers: What We Expect Students To Learn, Kelsey Johnson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Forensic coaches believe and argue oral interpretation events are educational in nature and provide robust learning opportunities for the competitors who participate in oral interpretation. However, while many scholars claim oral interpretation events are educational, learning outcomes (LOs) do not exist to measure what is learned. Therefore, to measure if oral interpretation competitors are learning, I led focus groups consisting of North Dakota speech coaches to determine what we can expect competitors to learn by participating in the oral interpretation events sanctioned by the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA). Using thematic analysis of the focus groups, I illuminated …

Understanding Communication Dynamics In Group Home Setting, Jacinta O. Anyanwu

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Purpose: Limited research has examined the communicative interaction patterns within group home settings between adults with developmental disabilities and their non-disabled direct care staff. There is evidence from studies that improving the communication pattern of caregivers will eventually lead to better interaction with residents. An approach that might clarify this issue is to have direct care staff who currently work in group homes describe their interaction with their residents. This study evaluated the communication pattern of direct care staff and their residents in group home settings by looking at the types of instructions that direct care staff use on a …

Voices Of First-Generation Students: An Examination Of First-Generation Stories On Collegiate Websites, Jillian Schemenauer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This qualitative research analyzed how four-year, public institutions represent first-generation students that attend their colleges, on their websites, and what those first-generation students share about their experiences. Twenty-nine institutions that were a part of a recognized list of colleges that have exemplary first-generation programs were utilized for this study. A critical analysis was performed to discuss and evaluate the themes that were discovered from fifty different first-generation student stories. Results indicated that first-generation students’ stories shared on collegiate websites shared similar experiences, with emerging themes being: Aspirations, family connections, engagement, and mindset. A summary of the themes, limitations, future research, …

Overcoming Tools Of Oppression: Plain Language And Human-Centered Design For Social Justice, Michela Sims

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Technical communication audiences are increasingly international and intercultural. Some of these audiences may be vulnerable and suffering trauma following violations of their human rights and dignity. In such cases, technical documents can serve to reinforce the oppression experienced by these audiences. Technical communicators must adapt and create methods to communicate ethically and responsibly with these audiences through a social justice lens. This thesis utilizes adapted plain language guidelines from plainlanguage.gov combined with human-centered design (“HCD”) guiding principles to perform a qualitative document analysis of technical government forms. The findings of this analysis demonstrate a need for continued integration of plain …

Social Justice Scholarship Informing Visual Communication Practices, Alicia Campbell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

My discussion hinges on the groundwork of social justice as integral to the field of technical and professional communication (TPC) with an understanding of the importance of visual communication; ultimately, I seek to understand the intersections of Social Justice and Visual Communication within the field of Technical Communication. Based on this research, I develop a heuristic that allows technical communicators to critically analyze their visual communication efforts, specifically infographics, for advocacy/social justice.

The Moderating Influence Of The Strength Of Racial Identity On The Relationship Between Teacher-Student Racial Similarity-Dissimilarity And Classroom Engagement, Md Enamul Kabir

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research, titled ‘The moderating influence of the strength of racial identity on the relationship between teacher-student racial similarity-dissimilarity and classroom engagement’, was conducted by Md Enamul Kabir, a graduate student in the Department of Communication Studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato as a requirement for completing a Master of Arts degree in August 2020. The purpose of this quantitative study was to understand how the strength of racial identity moderates the effects of the teacher-student racial similarity and dissimilarity on the engaging behavior of students with their instructors in United States classrooms. This study questioned the prevalent assumption that …

Exploring Artificial Intelligence-Mediated Communication (Aimc) As A Sub-Field Of Communication Studies. A Textual Examination, Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

From the book "Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication," written by John Durham Peters, we understand a notion about developing one’s destiny; people have the freedom to choose multiple paths to follow (Peters, 2012). If we reject this idea, it is also easy for people to come up with distinct explanations. Even though the meaning of the same issues might vary subject to who is interpreting them, the primary concepts can be interpreted as more or less the same. If we study these two--"artificial intelligence" and "communication"- simultaneously, we can assume some characteristics. Thus, this …

The Impact Of United States Of America College Education On The Japanese Students’ Keigo Toward Their Senpai, Manami Matsuoka

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of the study is to research whether studying abroad experiences in the United States of America affect keigo usage of Japanese college students toward senpai. 58 Japanese college students in Japan and the United States of America completed a 25-item survey. Honorifics usage of both Japanese college students in Japan and international Japanese students in the United States were tested. The Results revealed that study abroad experiences influenced/changed international Japanese students’ original communication style and keigo usage toward senpai.

Intercultural Communication Apprehension: A Multidimensional Perspective Of Communication Between International And Domestic Students, Christina Van Essen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This research looks at different factors influencing international students’ level of intercultural communication apprehension (ICA), the difference in the level of international students’ (participants) ICA experienced towards domestic and international students, and lastly the influence of this ICA on the social connectedness participants experience while living in the United States. Findings show that participants’ comfort in using English, and their cultural sensitivity had a significant influence on ICA when all variables were considered. Findings also show that participants are more apprehensive in communicating with American students as compared to international students. The combination of ICA towards American and international students …

Using Bourdieu In Communication And Forensics Research, Stephen P. Hagan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

As norms in the forensics community are often unspoken and have few identifiable starting points, habitus and Bourdieu seems an apt place to begin an analysis. Further, such analysis can serve as a potential case study for broader applications of Bourdieu to communication studies. Thus, my goal is to provide an overview of Bourdieu’s work through his interconnecting ideas of habitus, field, and cultural capital and use those concepts to discuss college forensics as a case study of how communicative norms and attitudes are shaped in small collective social structures such as forensics. Building from that application, I explore ways …

What We Value: Trends In Value Appeals Of Interstate Oratory Contest Final Round Speeches, Carson Kay, Eric Mishne

National Forensic Journal

Value appeals are crucial to persuasion. However, we wonder if forensic educators prioritize certain values. This content analysis examines the value appeals in the introductions of the three highest-placing persuasive speeches (N = 56) from the 1996-2016 Interstate Oratory Contests. Our two-decade comparison reveals that the diversity of values to which the finalists appealed decreased in the last decade. Drawing upon the Interstate Oratorical Association's historical context, Rokeach's (1973) value appeals, and Social Judgment Theory, we explain this trend and explore practical implications regarding exclusivity and judge bias, as well as methodological implications for future content analyses of value appeals.

1940 - 1949: Understanding The Interstate Oratorical Contest During And After World War Ii, Richard E. Paine

National Forensic Journal

The 1940s began shortly after the first salvos of World War II were fired. That war dominated the decade-for millions of lives touched or ended by the war, for those faced with the task of rebuilding when it ended, and even for the Interstate Oratorical Association. This paper examines the impact of the decade on the speeches presented at IOC and looks at patterns which appeared in the topics chosen, structures used, styles employed, and choice of supporting materials on which speakers relied. Attention is also paid to such logistical aspects of the contest as the tournament's continuing use of …