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Communication Central

How communication with others--and ourselves--leads to success.
by Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.
Bakari Akil II, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of communication at Florida State College of Jacksonville. See full bio

Communication Central

February 4, 2010

The Power of Positive Immersion – Is your Environment Right for You?

Daniel Coyle, author of the Talent Code, went on a quest to find out why some people seem to develop massive levels of talent while others do not. His major thesis was... Read More

December 31, 2009

365 Day Project – Explode Your Potential - Goals & New Years Resolutions

In further discussing goals, I would like to discuss Dan Ariely (behavioral economist) and Yale professor, Jiwoong Shin's, work. Their study, Door Game, points out a major factor in the pursuit of goals. In this study participants were given 100... Read More

December 5, 2009

Unavoidable Persuasion - Almost!

As I entered the hallway that leads to my office, I saw him sitting there. He hadn't been present in class for a few weeks, but here he was waiting for me before my office hours began. I entered my office, placed my gear down and sat down behind my desk. He followed me and... Read More

November 28, 2009

Crowds & Behavior - Why did I do that?

I recently read an old article, by Tom Wolfe, about two studies that dealt with animals and overcrowding. The first was John Calhoun's study of... Read More

November 15, 2009

Making Success Unconscious

We slapped hands, as is customary before a grappling session. His demeanor was calm and he gave no indication when we were talking earlier that he was ultra-aggressive. We postured for a brief second, sizing each other up. Without warning he leapt into the air.... Read More

November 9, 2009

How the Navy Seals Increased Passing Rates

It was 10 PM, pitch black and I was in the middle of the woods in North Carolina. My job was simple. I had to erect a 30 foot antennae that would be used to gather radio transmissions so our artillery platoon could conduct fire missions. I had been dropped off by a Humvee along with... Read More

October 31, 2009

Who is setting your Agenda?

 

In the 1970's, Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw set out to understand how news organizations affect what people view as their most pressing civic issues. In their study they examined local (Chapel Hill, N.C.) newspapers and news broadcasts and then asked residents to list what issues they were most concerned about.

What they found was telling.

  Read More

October 24, 2009

Media, The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis and Staying in the Loop

The Knowledge Gap Hypothesis is an idea put forth by scholars Tichenor, Olien and Donahue. They claimed that as media and the channels through which they are delivered evolve, an increasing gap in knowledge develops between ‘elites' and the ‘less fortunate.' Those who have access to this media due to their social or economic position have a higher quality of information available to them. As a result, they are able to... Read More

October 17, 2009

Nicolas Cage, Predicting the Future and Why Problem Solving Can Fail

Nicolas Cage has starred in two movies, Knowing and Next, where he played characters that could predict future events. In both cases, that ability hurt his characters more than it helped. -- However, the real focus of this writing and not a movie character, John Naisbitt, has also Read More

October 10, 2009

To improve performance, you may want to get an audience or compete

Norman Triplett Ph.D., believed by many to be the pioneer of sports social psychology, discovered that "competition" affects "performance." Bluntly, you perform at a higher level when other people are present. He discovered that... Read More

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