Communication Central

How communication with others--and ourselves--leads to success.

Bakari Akil II, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of communication at Florida State College of Jacksonville. See full bio

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.

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

October 3, 2009

The Power of a Promise - Use it to your advantage!

We all know the importance of a pledge, but awareness of how much power our promises have on our psyche and behavior can serve us in many constructive ways. Not only can we protect ourselves from people or groups who would take advantage of our willingness to commit, we can also... Read More

September 25, 2009

Public Speaking: When Running Is Not an Option

Roger's palms are dripping, his breath is hurried and his heart feels as if it is thumping in his chest. He feels a sense of danger but doesn't know what to do. He has a case of the ‘butterflies' and it has his stomach tied in knots. Roger has heard of the term ‘knees knocking' but now it has special significance. Running is not an option, neither is fighting, so what will Roger do and how can he lessen these feelings in the future? Read More

September 19, 2009

How a simple scientific questionnaire can change your life!

If you've ever been to a mall, you may have been involved in the following scenario. A person with a clipboard has locked their eyes on you. They shout out a pleasantry followed by a plea to fill out their survey. "It will take just a moment," they say as they move in your direction. You look down, speed up and shift lanes. If you had a... Read More

September 13, 2009

The Theory of Social Validation

No matter the field, if we look to progress, we have to depend on people to say we are not only capable but the exact person to fulfill a need. To go a step further, we need gatekeepers to say this. Hence, no matter how long we have studied, practiced or otherwise prepared if we haven't received the proper social validation...

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