Examines audience reactions to informative public speakers' use of self-disparaging humor. Concludes that speakers using such humor may be perceived as more humorous, but also run the risk of reducing their perceived competence, having the audience associate with them less, and producing speeches that are rated as less interesting. (MM)

Reviews specific examples of cliched anecdotes from recent publications intended for student use, warning that these reflect poorly on the field. Calls for more qualitative research to validate the principles espoused in business communication literature. (RAE)

Investigates how, prior to actual communication activities or assignments, instructors can manipulate situational factors to moderate situational anxiety and avoidance. Reports that anxiety and avoidance can be moderated by manipulating context, motivation, and acquaintance factors. (MM)

Analyzes the status of the audience as a theoretical construct. Argues against the usefulness of a unified conception of audience effects. Develops an epistemological framework for reconstructive theorizations of the concrete structures and practices studied as audience issues. (MS)

Examines arguments used in three United Nations Security Council debates which contradict the conclusion that different nations use different argumentative forms and think differently. Finds that the nature of data and the relative emphasis on principle as a negotiating strategy were more characteristic factors. (MS)

Examines how police officers socially construct a sense of organizational drama when they label, valorize, and narrate their work experience. Demonstrates the importance of dramaturgical approaches to the study of organizational communication. (MS)

Article provides a brief overview of sociolinguistics for educational researchers, describes the relevance of sociolinguistics for understanding classroom discourse, and suggests ways to measure the adequacy of sociolinguistic studies. (RB)

Offers a retrospective view of organizational factors affecting the redesign of the Midwest Bell Telephone Bill. Shows how financial considerations, organizational time frame, and employee training and experience influenced the bill's development process. (MM)

Describes feminist scholarship as a pluralistic, activist form of scholarship, which sees gender as the primary category of social organization. Claims that until recently, feminist scholarship has contributed little to the field of communication research, and that it is needed in order to give a voice to women's concerns. (MM)

Reports three studies designed to (1) validate the conceptualization of relational communication advanced by J. K. Burgoon and J. L. Hale, which identifies 12 conceptually distinct but interrelated message themes central to defining interpersonal relationships, and (2) produce a reliable measurement instrument. Presents reliability and validity…

Enhances the grammatical and formal features of drama through the application of Kenneth Burke's "principle of perfection" and nine "indexes of dramatic intensity" to study the tragic-symbol preaching of Rev. Jerry Falwell. Finds that Falwell's televised discourses represent remarkably "perfected" and strong dramas.…

A study assessed whether business communication classes prepare students adequately for tasks requiring skills in persuasive discourse. According to the survey, business students need more instruction than they currently receive in the techniques of persuasive writing. (SRT)

Indicates that, of the 11 types of regrettable messages that people reported, most (1) were said to those with whom they had a close relationship, (2) resulted from unchecked drives or feelings, and (3) were recognized and regretted immediately. (JD)

The first study indicates that (1) both messages and message sources differed significantly as a function of the sophistication of the strategies employed by the message source and (2) female sources were more positively evaluated than male sources. The second study reveals that evaluations of comforting messages varied as a direct, linear…

Finds significant differences in communication between superiors, subordinates, clients, practitioners and patients. Suggests that future training of health care professionals include a focus on superior subordinate communication. (MS)