Adrian's Communication Resources Page

The primary purpose of this page is to support Brent Adrian's, Business Communication, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Oral Communication courses at Central Community College-Grand Island

Communication Assessment Standards
Saturday, August 17, 2002 12:14 p.m.
What does it take for a paper or speech to pass the Communications Assessment Committee? Most student materials that fail the assessment procedure do so because of weak or no outside source material(s). Students are encouraged to use the list at this website as a check-off list to ensure that their work gets the highest instructor grade possible. Pay particular to the use and proper citation of source material(s).

Efforts for English only
Friday, August 9, 2002 10:03 a.m.
Racism accusations are flying in Merrick County, Nebraska, as people take sides on a county-level English only requirement. As indicated earlier on this blog, there has been a 362.8% increase in Spanish speakers in the state.

Language Barrier Affects Businesses
Wednesday, August 7, 2002 09:06 p.m.
Nebraska experienced a 362.8% increase in Spanish speaking residents between 1990 and 2000 according to the US Census. Read about how this significant demographic change impacts the state and the country.

Survey finds rudeness is getting worse
Thursday, August 1, 2002 12:32 p.m.
People think most other people are rude.

Geneseo woman gets caught up in news vending machine
Thursday, August 1, 2002 12:30 p.m.
The excuse here? It was against company policy to let the woman out!

Interpersonal Communication
Thursday, August 1, 2002 12:29 p.m.
Here are my typical lecture notes on interpersonal communication.

Overcoming Negativity in the workplace
Thursday, August 1, 2002 12:27 p.m.
This article discusses recognizing and overcoming negative behavior and difficult personalities at work.

You can't trust anyone with your SS# and birthdate information!
Tuesday, July 30, 2002 12:02 a.m.
Yep. All you need to break into just about anybody's student loan information and more is their SS# and birthdate. It is so easy to get, too. How often do you give this information out?

This Modern World by Tom Tomorrow
Monday, July 29, 2002 11:53 p.m.
I want to say I told you so. This blog, maintained by a reasonably popular cartoonist, has been following the assaults and violations on privacy in the USA. One can go back through my postings, including the archives, and see my rantings on the subject. But now we have stores gladly turning over records of our purchases when we use our special store cards - you know the kind that get you store and gas discounts. An algorithm can be used to determine if your purchases match those of suspected and confirmed terrorists. (Soon, you can bet, they will be used to match people with other catagories of supposed no-gooders.) According to one source, nearly every American citizen has already been rated by the federal government!

Prentiss Riddle: language
Monday, July 29, 2002 11:54 a.m.
This is a blog on language. The blogger is an Esperanto user, so you get to read a lot about constructed languages. Klingon happens to be a constructed language.

Women's better emotional recall explained
Friday, July 26, 2002 05:53 p.m.
Here is yet another example of how women and men are different. I appears that the brains of women and men "experience and encode emotional memories in completely different ways."

Email behavior in the workplace
Friday, July 26, 2002 12:25 a.m.
Discover the results of Vault.com's study about email behavior at work. This really is an understudied area. Business Communication students are always welcome to do a report about email behavior!

Progress Sheet for Business Communication (Learning Center Version)
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 03:09 p.m.
An online version of the revised Progress Sheet for ENGL 123 - Business Communication can be found here. You will find that the tests are worth less, and the writing is emphasized.

Point. Click. Think?
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 01:53 p.m.
It seemed no one ever questioned my browsing for hours in the Hastings College Library or the Memphis State University (now U of M) Library. I'd make photocopies of stuff needed for papers or to read later. I'd cite the material in a paper. Wow, do the same thing on the web these days and you become a shallow thinker. Does anyone really believed I read all of Maslow's Motivation and Personality? No. Just because something is different and new doesn't make it traumatic. There have always been (and always will be) students that just skim the surface.

Cell phone jerks
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 01:51 p.m.
The US is a immature cell phone culture. Until we mature, we'll have to put up with the The Drama Queen, The Dealmaker, The Spy, The Hipster, and The Addict. For those of you in an English Comp class, this is a reasonable example of a classification essay.

Good Documents
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 12:10 p.m.
This web-site covers the creation of good business documents for a web environment.

Language and Nonverbal Communication Lecture Notes
Tuesday, July 16, 2002 02:13 p.m.
One can find my typical lecture notes covered today in Oral Communication at this site.

Progress Sheet for Public Speaking Learning Center Version
Thursday, July 11, 2002 03:16 p.m.
Here is a copy of the Progess Sheet for the Public Speaking Learning Center course.

Socioeconomic Status
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 12:10 a.m.
This page discusses socioeconomic status (SES) as discussed in the Oral Communication class recently.

Free Pop-Up Ad Stopper from Panicware
Thursday, July 4, 2002 11:13 a.m.
Tired of all the pop-up ads you get online? I am. But Panicware's Pop-Up stopper has cut nearly all my unwanted ads from coming up. (Classmates.com is about the only window that sneeks by.) The main Panicware page is at http://panicware.com/

The Adrianized Model of Intrapersonal Communication
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:53 a.m.
This is the model being used to discuss intrapersonal communication in the Oral Communication class.

Communication Skills
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:51 a.m.
Students in an Oral Communication course were asked to list what they consider "communication skills" using existing knowledge and their textbook. This exercise is in conjuction with discussion of the Adrianized Model of Intrapersonal Communication.

Definitions and Models of Communication Lecture
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:49 a.m.
This is a version of the lecture material on definitions and models of communication given on the second day of the Oral Communication class.

Block Game Summary
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:47 a.m.
Here are the usual results of the communication block game played during the first day of the Oral Communication class.

Stories on Plagiarism
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:45 a.m.
"Plagiarize" according to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. Read on for stories about people that plagiarize.

Communication Assessment Standards
Thursday, July 4, 2002 10:43 a.m.
What does it take for a paper or speech to pass the Communications Assessment Committee? Most student materials that fail the assessment procedure do so because of weak or no outside source material(s). Students are encouraged to use the list at this website as a check-off list to ensure that their work gets the highest instructor grade possible. Pay particular to the use and proper citation of source material(s).

Study Guide - SPCH 140: Oral Communication
Monday, July 1, 2002 06:14 p.m.
Here are the key components of the SPCH 140 - Oral Communication Study Guide for the July/August Summer Session.
Email Entry Selection List
SmartGroups.com for Oral Communication
Informative Speech
Persuasive Speech with Visual Aids
Online Practice Chapter Quizzes

Avoid Politically Correct Language!
Wednesday, June 26, 2002 06:42 p.m.
These URLs lead to websites that may help you understand why politically correct language should be avoided: http://adoption.about.com/library/weekly/aa010801a.htm http://www.blind.net/bpg00005.htm http://www.ourcivilisation.com/pc.htm

Library items need returned
Tuesday, June 25, 2002 05:41 p.m.
Students! The ladies in the library would like me to remind you to return all your checked out materials. Specifically, some vertical file items need returned.

New Hires Learn Politeness Matters
Monday, June 24, 2002 01:44 p.m.
Many firms are finding that manners are not being taught in the home or in college. New hires get to work and wind up having to go to Manners Camp. In general, I think this article has a point but so much about this topic, and this article, has to do with which fork to use and such. Really, workplace manners go beyond a dinner with the boss.

Employers Crack Down On Candidates Who Lie
Monday, June 24, 2002 01:32 p.m.
Lie. Get hired. Get discovered. Get fired. As I read more and more about this issue, it seems that the actually research of job candidates takes place AFTER one has been hired.

Biologist's reading of lonely-hearts personal ads reveals what big-city women really want: Men with money
Monday, June 24, 2002 12:42 p.m.
Money hungry women live in San Fransisco, LA, Boston, Chicago, and Miami. Those that care about what is inside a man live in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Study finds guys hold the TV remote
Monday, June 24, 2002 12:32 p.m.
Big DUH!!! factor here, but someone had to study and publish it. Even when the woman of the house has selected the program, guys will sit and hold the remote.

Search Tools Chart
Monday, June 24, 2002 12:09 p.m.
This chart has links to many different search engines and related resources. It also has a basic instructions for each.

Oral Communication Email Entry Forms
Thursday, June 13, 2002 02:28 p.m.
Here are the email entry forms online for the Oral Communication class.

Interactive TV "spam" a taste of the future
Thursday, June 6, 2002 10:00 a.m.
What is an advert, and do I want one? It is bad enough that TiVo tracks viewer's TV habits, but now they want to zap you with extended ads. ARG, may the consumer beware.

The Onion strikes again - Satire in US becomes news in China
Thursday, June 6, 2002 09:20 a.m.
The Onion is NOT an online newspaper for serious news readers. It may look like USA Today, but the content is more like MAD Magazine. A news correspondent in China found out the hard way.

Test Taking Strategies
Thursday, June 6, 2002 06:32 p.m.
Having trouble taking tests? The sites below discuss common study and test taking skills for multiple-choice, true-false, and other testing formats:
Test Taking Skills provides an overview of basic test taking skills. Objective Test Taking discusses strategies for taking several types of tests. THE BASIC RULES FOR TAKING A MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST discusses just that! Multiple Choice Tests discusses how to take multiple choice tests If you are having trouble taking True/False Tests click on this site.

Small Group Communication: Groupthink
Thursday, June 6, 2002 11:52 a.m.
This material from the Allyn & Bacon website defines and discusses Groupthink in a manner similar to my lecture material. Small Group Communication is being discussed, or will soon be discussed, in all three lecture classes.

JAMA: Don't believe everything you read
Thursday, June 6, 2002 11:38 a.m.
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- "One of the world's leading medical journals has put itself and its competitors under the microscope with research showing that published studies are sometimes misleading and frequently fail to mention weaknesses." How could it be said better?

Language & Verbal Communication
Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:54 a.m.
One can find my typical lecture notes covered today in Oral Communication at this site.

Overview: Informative Speaking
Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:48 a.m.
Today the Public Speaking class discussed informative speaking. This lecture will continue on Tuesday and end with a library tour at College Park. The material at Overview: Informative Speaking from CSU covers my standard lecture material rather well.

Topics for Informative and Persuasive Speeches
Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:36 a.m.
Need a topic for a speech? These speech topics were developed by students in Oral Communication and Public Speaking classes at Central Community College for informative and persuasive speech assignments.

Monroe's Motivated Sequence: Guidelines for structuring short papers and speeches
Thursday, May 30, 2002 11:23 a.m.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence was originally developed as an organizational structure for speeches. However, it works perfectly well for structuring written material. The AIDA pattern (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a common organizational method for persuasive letters in business.

Philip Zimbardo's Web Page
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 05:02 p.m.
Interested in Zimbardo's work on conformity such as the Prison Experiment? Click here to visit Zimbardo's "Web Presence."

Conformity in My English Class
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 05:00 p.m.
This essay, by Tammy Goerl, details how she became a conformist in her English class. Obedience to authority and conformity are still alive and well!

Perception Lecture Notes
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 04:32 p.m.
Here are the lecture notes for the Oral Communication class realted to perception and communication. This material is covered in Chapters 2 and 3.
Perception & Communication - This page describes and defines Active Perception
Attribution Error defines and a discusses how attribution theory relates to our perception of others - and ourselves.
The Self & Communication provides links to pages related to specific materials used in class related to values and attitudes.
Socioeconomic Status and Self-Perception discusses how SES may influence self-concept.
Perception & Optical Illusions has the optical illusions discussed in class.

The Enron Ethics Manual
Thursday, May 23, 2002 04:32 p.m.
Veiw portions of the Enron Ethics Manual here. A link to a longer download is available.

Business Communication Lecture Notes
Thursday, May 23, 2002 04:00 p.m.
Business Communication students in the lecture/NEB II class examined a video on "Ethics and Success in Business" in Thursday's class. Students broke into groups and discussed the concepts in the video.
Other topics from Chapter 1 of the text included Language & Verbal Communication. Links to the material discussed can be found at that site. NOTE: some of the links have died.

Practice Chapter 4 test for Bus Com
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 05:36 p.m.
Here is a practice version - very close to the real thing - for Inventory 1 over Chapter 4.

SPCH 140 - Oral Communication - Study Guide Materials
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 12:31 p.m.
Citation Worksheet
Email Entry Selection List
Informative Speech
Persuasive Speech with Visual Aids
Online Practice Chapter Quizzes

ENGL 123 - Business Communication Lecture/NEB II Study Guide
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 12:22 p.m.
Evaluation and Expectations of Students
Tentative Schedule of Events/Study Guide
Online Practice Chapter Quizzes
Progress Sheet

Citation Worksheet links
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 10:30 a.m.
Students can select any of the Citation Worksheet forms. Citation Worksheet 1
Citation Worksheet 2
Citation Worksheet 3
Citation Worksheet 4

Definitions and Models of Communication Lecture
Wednesday, May 22, 2002 10:05 a.m.
This is a version of the lecture material on definitions and models of communication.

Stories on Plagiarism
Tuesday, May 21, 2002 05:40 p.m.
Using material without giving credit to the source is a no-no! This page has several stories about plagiarism, and about the people that should have known better.

Likes and Dislikes of Speeches according to Public Speaking Students
Tuesday, May 21, 2002 05:26 p.m.
Students in the Public Speaking and Oral Communication lecture classes veiwed several speeches and commented about what was good and not so good about the speeches. Here are their comments on what makes a speech good...or not!

Block Game Summary
Tuesday, May 21, 2002 05:13 p.m.
Here is a summary of the first day "Block Game" played as a communication simulation activity in the lecture courses.

Learning Center Packets and Study Guide Links
Sunday, May 19, 2002 11:41 a.m.
Learning Center Students can find online versions of their studyguides and course packets at the links below. The online versions of the course materials are constantly updated, clarified and corrected.
SPCH 111: Public Speaking - Learning Center Version
ENGL 123 - Business Communication - Learning Center Version
SPCH 139 - Interpersonal Communication - Learning Center Version

Transcript Can Show �XF" Grade, Signifying Academic Dishonesty
Wednesday, May 15, 2002 12:49 p.m.
Fighting back against cheaters on tests and plagiarists is getting serious. Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, now has an XF grade to put on transcripts to show failure due to academic dishonesty. Such students might get jobs at Enron, but they will be hard pressed to get jobs in many desireable fields. In a recent meeting with area law enforcement officers, many indicated that such information would probably lead to the hiring of someone else.

Communication Assessment Standards
Tuesday, May 14, 2002 08:24 a.m.
What will your English or Speech instructor expect from you this semester? Check this page out to find the standard assessment criteria for Communication classes at CCC.

Survey finds few in U.S. understand science
Sunday, May 12, 2002 11:44 a.m.
For years my favorite question on this yearly quiz has been T F The earliest humans lived at the same time as the dinosaurs. This year more than half gave an answer that suggests they believe that Dino was the family pet for many prehistoric families. The belief in pseudoscience is also popular. Next time an instructor is discussing critical thinking...Listen up!

Worker Loyalty May Be Overlooked
Sunday, May 12, 2002 11:24 a.m.
"Loyalty should be initiated by the employer." Employers need to create an environment that fosters growth, satisfaction and loyalty. The payoff is greater productivity and less turnover. And high-spirited, jargon-laced rhetoric in the company rag doesn't cut it either.

What Does Google Say About You?
Sunday, May 12, 2002 11:17 a.m.
"Googling" is a term destined for the slang dictionaries. Defined by the Washington Post as "looking up a new acquaintance on Google before going out on a date." Googling is probably definable in much broader terms as this article points out. What can be found out about you simply by putting your name in Google's search engine?

Diversity task force studies Nebraska juries
Tuesday, April 30, 2002 02:04 p.m.
This Omaha World Herald article discusses a current problem with Nebraska juries - they are made up primarily of well-to-do whites. The ethnic make up of Nebraska has changed significantly recently, but many jury lists are up to a decade old. Furthermore, the lists are made from voter registration and driver's license lists that do a poor job of getting a representative selection of people living in Nebraska.

Managing Job Satisfaction
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:29 p.m.
What is job satisfaction and why is it important? This page discusses the important components of a satisfying job. As a manager, how might you use this information to create more satisfying relationships in the workplace?

The Demographics of Tomorrow's Workplace
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:25 p.m.
This 30 page paper in PDF format, by Martha Farnsworth Riche, provides a very well documented analysis of the workplace of the future.

Workplace Demographics
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:23 p.m.
Get ready for a drastically changed workplace! The International Association of Career Management Professionals details many of the changes that can be expected. How might this impact your interpersonal relationships at work?

You Have Found The Prisoners' Dilemma
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:18 p.m.
Play Prisoner's Dilemma and see how it relates to conflict resolution and GRIT as discussed in lecture.

Sources of Interpersonal Conflict
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:16 p.m.
Conflict can be defined as "the interaction of interdependent people over real or falsely perceived incompatible goals and/or interference from each other in achieving goals" (Hocker & Wilmot, 1991). Situations that create conflict in the lives community college students are discussed at this site.

Interpersonal Communication lecture notes
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:15 p.m.
Materials related to the interpersonal and small group communication topics being covered in lecture can be found here.

Juries may be too big to reach consensus
Friday, April 26, 2002 12:11 p.m.
Researchers have found that the best size for a small group is about seven people. Juries, typically made up of 12 people, result in a few people that dominate, and some that never say a word. Interesting article in terms of small group communication.

Course Extension Request Form
Thursday, April 25, 2002 01:42 p.m.
Learning Center Students who wish to request an extension can use the form here.

'Star Wars' could turn space into a wasteland
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 12:13 p.m.
Many companies rely on low earth orbit satellites for communications devices and services. When this article mentions peaceful space uses would be impacted by a war in space, it doesn't go far enough. Next time someone asks you about space-based missile defense systems think about this article. Worse yet, a few satellites full of gravel launched as terrorist weapons would do a real number on this country's communication technologies.

Disinformation on Wall Street
Friday, April 12, 2002 11:26 a.m.
As Tom states on his weblog at http://thismodernworld.com here is "Further proof that our entire economy is run pretty much like a 1950's Las Vegas casino." It really is all about money. I guess that those students that justify plagiarism and cheating as an efficient way to get ahead really do have solid employment future. Next time I go job hunting, I may just have to add "Never caught plagiarizing" to the bullets under Education. What does it matter, doesn't everyone lie on their resume?

Prepaid lattes may come with a Starbucks reward
Friday, April 12, 2002 10:44 a.m.
One can't even buy a cup of coffee these days without personal information being collected. At least Starbucks is willing to give you a free cup of Joe when you use their data-collecting debit card. Just think, in a few years people may be like a Fed Ex package - your significant other, boss, children, parents, exes, and your exes' attorneys may be able to track your movments using Adrian's TrekTek Snoop Systems. Just pay the monthly, affordable subscription and TrekTek's unique ferret technology will provide every creditcard, debitcard, account logon, movie rental, grocery purchase and cellphone call made by the individual you are interested in. Even a complete map showing the route most likely taken over a period of time would be provided.

Seeking Profits, Internet Companies Alter Privacy Policy
Thursday, April 11, 2002 11:21 a.m.
This NYT article indicates Yahoo has changed its privacy policy. Users of Yahoo services - like YahooGroups - have about 60 days to tell Yahoo not to sell your information call, write, email, or otherwise bother you. Well, this is the price one pays for "free" service.

Survey: Many students say cheating's OK
Monday, April 8, 2002 12:11 p.m.
Says one Enron-qualified student, "What's important is getting ahead," says Newhall. "The better grades you have, the better school you get into, the better you're going to do in life. And if you learn to cut corners to do that, you're going to be saving yourself time and energy. In the real world, that's what's going to be going on. The better you do, that's what shows. It's not how moral you were in getting there." Sounds like the ends justify the means. When does it stop?

Teoma: Search with Authority
Friday, April 5, 2002 02:56 p.m.
This search engine does a wonderful job of narrowing a search down to more credible sites. One gets more .edu and .org hits with fewer generic .coms than Google. Try it!

Plagiarist just caught!
Friday, April 5, 2002 11:51 a.m.
This paper, word for word, was just turned into one of our ENGL 100 - Expository Writing instructors.

TV viewing linked to adult violence
Thursday, April 4, 2002 10:52 p.m.
Modelling theory is the monkey see - monkey do communication theory. This study is yet another piece of evidence suggesting that television leads to increased violence among viewers. I've been trying to get that Vulcan Nerve Pinch down for years.

The Internet Archive: Building an Internet Library
Thursday, April 4, 2002 12:18 a.m.
The Wayback Machine archives old versions of Webpages. You can visit the web of several years ago. Very interesting project.

People say you're rude.
Wednesday, April 3, 2002 10:35 a.m.
"Poor customer service has become so rampant that nearly half of those surveyed said they have walked out of a store in the past year because of it." No kidding! This article details how Americans feel they live in a rude world, and that rudeness is on the increase. Many examples of customer service rudeness are due to poor training and a "just follow the rules or be fired" mentality. BTW - it is all because of rock & roll according to a woman from Texas.

Monroe's Motivated Sequence
Friday, March 29, 2002 02:27 p.m.
Monroe's Motivated Sequence was originally developed as an organizational structure for speeches. However, it works perfectly well for structuring written material. The AIDA pattern (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) is a common organizational method for persuasive letters in business.

Just following orders!
Wednesday, March 27, 2002 11:52 a.m.
The headline reads, "Geneseo woman gets caught up in news vending machine," and some Wal-Mart minion didn't have enough sense to drop two quarters into the machine and immediately free the poor hostage. The in-duh-vidual working for Wal-Mart claimed they had to leave the machines alone per company policy. Get real!

Google Image Search
Monday, March 25, 2002 02:19 p.m.
Looking for a picture, image or drawing? Try Google's Image Search. I got pretty decent results with my search related to the central nervous system in humans. I got even better results looking for the starship Enterprise.

Ungraded Group Speech About Visual Aids
Monday, March 25, 2002 02:16 p.m.
This is the class activity being done in Oral Communication this week.

Bus Com Research topic
Friday, March 22, 2002 11:51 a.m.
One of the potential topics for the Business Communication Research Report is researching the need for more Hispanic Child Care in a local community. This article from the Grand Island newspaper discusses such a need.

Maslow's Need Hierarchy
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 09:52 p.m.
Many of my classes are studying Maslow's Need Hierarchy and related motivation theories. This page has several links regarding Maslow.

Plagiarism case bedevils Kansas school
Tuesday, March 19, 2002 07:49 p.m.
What happens when a school tolerates plagiarism? Disrespect, that's what! This on-going story started when the school board of Piper, Kansas, overrode the decision of a biology teacher to give zeros to 28 students caught using uncredited material from the Internet. Now even graduates from past years are having trouble getting a job. Sports opponents have signs saying "Cheaters." And, K-State has indicated that they expect Piper High graduates to abide by the university's honor code. Teachers are quitting, admins are playing dodgeball, and a recall petition is in the works for the school board. Gee, might have been easier to do what should have been done in the first place - flunk 'em. Hmmm, perhaps Piper, Kansas, is good breeding ground for future Enron executives.

Zip Code Demographics: What marketers know based on where you live
Friday, March 15, 2002 10:21 a.m.
Demographics can be defined as verifiable facts about people, such as age, sex, occupation, and organizational membership. The three sites at the URLs below let you input a ZIP code to find out specific demographic information about people in that ZIP code.

Revised ENGL 123 Unit 1 Study Guide
Thursday, March 14, 2002 11:47 a.m.
Oops! The ENGL 123 Unit 1 study guides are missing important information in Week 3...The test! Here is a revised study guide that includes the Chapter 1 test.

The Enron Ethics Manual
Wednesday, March 13, 2002 11:39 p.m.
Enron's "Code of Ethics" manual. If you are bored and looking for laughs during break, you can read all 64 pages. The Smoking Gun has 6 pages pre-selected for easy viewing.

Business Research Report Hints and Examples
Tuesday, March 12, 2002 10:29 p.m.
Business Communication students can find materials useful to the development of their Unit 3 Business Research Report at this site. Links include a fake research report, some real world examples, and sections that this instructor likes to see in the report.

Team picks white man mascot to make point
Monday, March 11, 2002 07:57 p.m.
If you don't have an opinion on sports teams naming their mascots after Native Americans, you might now. An enterprising group of students in Colorado has decided to name their team "The Fighting Whities." (My brother Brian, once a student in Colorado, was on a team called "One White Guy." And, yes, he was it.) These students, of course, don't mean any disrespect; they only intend to generate attention regarding the issue. Makes sense as they could have selected from Crushing Crackers, Hammerin' Honkies, or just plain ol' White Trash.

Frederick Douglass Theme Analysis - Email Entry #5 - Oral Communication
Monday, March 11, 2002 10:46 a.m.
This assignment did not get put in many of the Oral Comunication study guide packets handed out during the first week of class - here is Email Entry #5.

Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" 5 July 1852
Monday, March 11, 2002 10:44 a.m.
Here is a transcript of the speech we wathced in the Oral Communication class this week. This speech is used for the completion of Email Entry #5 in the SPCH 140 course.

Library Hours during Spring Break
Monday, March 11, 2002 10:28 a.m.
Library hours for Spring Break are posted here.

A language lesson from Warren Buffett
Sunday, March 10, 2002 01:41 p.m.
Buried in the Sunday Omaha World Herald article about Bershire Hathaway's 2001 performance is this little ditty about language from Buffett: PRO FORMA Bad terminology is the enemy of good thinking. When companies or investment professionals use terms such as "EBITDA" and "pro forma," they want you to unthinkingly accept concepts that are dangerously flawed. (In golf, my score is frequently below par on a pro forma basis: I have firm plans to "restructure" my putting stroke and therefore only count the swings I take before reaching the green.)

Endangered Languages
Friday, March 8, 2002 11:00 p.m.
The lead for this story states, "Some linguists predict that by the end of this century half of the languages now spoken in the world will be extinct. In this hour, we'll look at the world's endangered and dying languages. How is a culture shaped by its language? Does it really matter if we all speak the same language one day?" This is certainly worth listening to. I wrote a paper on just this subject in graduate school. The subject is certainly creeping into communication texts. Just think what the world would be like if everyone spoke American English and behaved like the typical US citizen. We are about 5% of the world's population, but use about 60% of the world's resources...

ENGL 123: Business Communication - Unit 2 - Basic Business Correspondence Study Guide
Friday, March 8, 2002 10:38 p.m.
Here is a direct link to Unit 2 Study Guide for Business Communication on Basic Business Correspondence.

SPCH 140 - Oral Communication Public Communication Unit Study Guide for Weeks 7 through 12
Friday, March 8, 2002 10:36 p.m.
Here is a direct link to the Public Communication Unit for the Oral Communication classes.

SPCH 111 Public Speaking Unit 2 Study Guide - lecture class
Friday, March 8, 2002 10:32 p.m.
Here is a direct link to the lecture Public Speaking Unit 2 - Informing and Small-group Presentations, Week 9 - Week 13 study guide.

Dictionary of Management Jargon
Friday, March 8, 2002 10:31 a.m.
What did the boss just say? This dictionary of managment jargon helps you decode the bosses language. "Payroll orphans"? means "Employees that were fired," as in "We created several payroll orphans in the last layoff."

SPCH 140 Intrapersonal Unit Practice Exam
Thursday, March 7, 2002 04:09 p.m.
Better late than never! But if I don't post this now, I'll never find the URL next semester.

Tone in Business Writing
Wednesday, March 6, 2002 09:21 p.m.
This page discusses the important considerations related to tone in business communication and provides several related links.

The Earlybird: Today's headlines
Monday, March 4, 2002 10:31 p.m.
Get your morning news fix from the The Earlybird. As I recall, a print version of this was used for years in Washington to get VIPs up to speed. Visit www.govexec.com for more.

Major News Search Engine
Monday, March 4, 2002 10:11 p.m.
If you have a current events topic, try the search engines available at this site. Here's what they have to say: "If you are still looking for news using "normal" search engines, stop doing it! You'll find the services below to be a much better way to search for the latest news stories from hundreds of sources on the web. These services provide exceptionally good results for current event searching, because they crawl only news sites and revisit these sites several times per day. Thus, the results are usually focused and timely." The selection looked good!

Debate opens anew on language and its effect on cognition
Friday, March 1, 2002 11:23 a.m.
This article discusses the latest in the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis debate. Researchers are finding interesting support for the hypo with promises of more to come!

Racism And Power In The South
Friday, March 1, 2002 10:34 a.m.
This guy in Georgia says he had "no idea" a noose was a racial symbol. "Just never entered my mind. Just never occurred to me." Which probably accounts for why about 20 where found at Georgia Power. It's the 21st Century, but we still have clear cases of outright racism - disguised as ignorance - taking place in this country.

Six Themes of African-American Rhetoric
Friday, March 1, 2002 12:47 a.m.
Most public speeches by African - Americans deal with basic human rights expected as American citizens. Hawthorne (1972) identified six common themes in the rhetoric of African - Americans: politics, housing, employment, education, public accommodations, and self-pride.

Nebraska Road and Weather Conditions
Friday, March 1, 2002 12:41 a.m.
Several links to different webpages that have weather and road conditions in Nebraska can be found on this page.

Campus Closing Memo
Friday, March 1, 2002 12:38 a.m.
In the event that it becomes necessary to close the CCC-GI campus or start late due to bad weather conditions, the information will be available through the sources indicated on this page.

Consumer Rumors, Part 1
Thursday, February 28, 2002 11:21 a.m.
In several classes, I've shown the tape I call "Black rumors." This article discusses several of those rumors and the related rumors that circulate in the white community. The study of these rumors and how they travel has become quite an interesting area of research.

CCC's Reynold's Library Tour
Wednesday, February 27, 2002 11:27 p.m.
This is a reminder that all of my lecture classes that meet Thursday, 28 February, and Friday, 1 March, are touring the library at College Park. Please meet at the library at your regular class time.

Remembering Jim Crow
Wednesday, February 27, 2002 02:09 p.m.
What happened after slavery ended in this country? In many parts of the South, codes of conduct and laws continued to deprive blacks of their civil rights.

Online Quizzes for Public Speaking - Lecture
Wednesday, February 27, 2002 11:52 a.m.
Here is the link for the online quizzes for Public Speaking - Lecture.

Argument in Business Writing
Monday, February 25, 2002 11:12 p.m.
Toulmin is not lost on business communicators. Read about how to use Toulmin's Argumentation Model in Business Communication.

Rhetorical Terms: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos; Toulmin System
Monday, February 25, 2002 11:04 p.m.
Ethos, logos, and pathos can be clearly linked to the Toulmin Model of Argumentation. Whereas this page doesn't fully develop the connection, one can place ethos/claim, logos/evidence, and pathos/warrant at the same places on the argumentation delta. This material is being discussed this week in the Oral Communication class.

Is Weblog Technology Here to Stay or Just Another Fad?
Monday, February 25, 2002 10:55 p.m.
Interesting article on the future of Weblogs. Unfortunately, this article entirely misses the use of Weblogs for education. This is a NYT article, you have to register to read, but it is free.

The Toulmin Project Home Page
Monday, February 25, 2002 12:18 p.m.
The Toulmin Model of Argumentation is discussed and described several different ways on this page. This is a very complete webpage courtesy of UNL.

Forms of Proof: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
Monday, February 25, 2002 11:42 a.m.
Read up on the three types of proof established by the ancient Greeks. Ethos, logos and pathos are important for communicators.

The Video Surveillance Debate
Monday, February 25, 2002 10:57 a.m.
Cameras are every where. We are told that they are to catch criminals, terrorists, etc. But do they really? Are you confortable being watched constantly? The audio version of this story indicates the average citizen in London is caught on camera over 300 times! Are the people watching you really using this equipment to combat evil? Are they taking a bite out of crime? Copies of Orwell's 1984 are cheap, perhaps it is a good day to reread it.

Speech shocks Plantation High students, parents
Monday, February 25, 2002 10:44 a.m.
What was this school board member thinking? Speakers that make poor decisions like this lead others to implement speech codes and other rules. What do you think, did this speaker behave ethically?

Frederick Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" 5 July 1852
Friday, February 22, 2002 02:13 p.m.
As the page states: "Occasion: Meeting sponsored by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society, Rochester Hall, Rochester, N.Y. To illustrate the full shame of slavery, Douglass delivered a speech that took aim at the pieties of the nation -- the cherished memories of its revolution, its principles of liberty, and its moral and religious foundation. The Fourth of July, a day celebrating freedom, was used by Douglass to remind his audience of liberty's unfinished business."

Email Entry #2- Douglass Theme Analysis
Friday, February 22, 2002 02:10 p.m.
Here is the second email entry of the lecture Public Speaking class.

Plagiarism and the Web
Friday, February 22, 2002 02:08 p.m.
This page is designed to educate teachers about plagiarism and the availability of papers on the web. For those of you that are interested, all the Internet "Paper Mills" are listed here.

Archival Debates from 1984-1996
Wednesday, February 20, 2002 12:05 p.m.
Online video and transcripts of presidential debates can be found on this CNN website. Pick your opponents and evaluate the nonverbal behavior. Lots of fun!

The First 1988 Presidential Debate
Wednesday, February 20, 2002 11:52 a.m.
In the Oral Communication classes, we've been discussing the September 25, 1988, George Bush vs. Michael Dukakis debate. Here is a transcript of that debate.

Bush blunder drives down yen
Wednesday, February 20, 2002 11:33 a.m.
Oooooooppppps! The power of language?

Sources of Interpersonal Conflict
Sunday, February 17, 2002 11:34 a.m.
This page provides definitions and potential sources of conflict.

Small Group Communication Lecture Notes
Sunday, February 17, 2002 11:32 a.m.
Here are my standard lecture notes related to small group communication being covered in Business Communication Chapter 2.

Many Faces, Many Voices
Tuesday, February 12, 2002 02:45 p.m.
Kathy Rowlands turned up this useful source on diversity. This page provides definitions for many terms discussed in class. It also explores diversity in terms of work, church and school. The identity profile, which you need to login for, appears very interesting in terms of intrapersonal communication.

Overview: The Gender Equation
Tuesday, February 12, 2002 02:39 p.m.
56% of college students are women! Many men are not graduating or are simply not going to college. This suggests significant changes not only for colleges, but also for the workplace. People with degrees are more likely to get supervisory positions. This suggests the glass ceiling is beginning to crack.

Gender gap is far from academic for colleges
Tuesday, February 12, 2002 02:36 p.m.
This article has numerous statistics related to the changing demographics on college campuses.

Enron and the Media or How to Buy Good News
Friday, February 8, 2002 08:01 p.m.
This audio-article from National Public Radio (NPR) discloses how Enron (that is E for evil, not ethics) gave reporters and journalists money to "serve" on advisory committees, assist in the preparation of speeches, and the like. Of course, the media-minions deny that their objectivity was ever endangered. Last week in several classes, we discussed barriers to critical thinking in terms of SELF-INTEREST. These reporters claim their self-interest was never a problem when it came to reporting about Enron and the company that was literally giving them tens of thousands of dollars for doing virtually nothing. No wonder my gas bill was so high last winter!

Teacher resigns over plagiarism fight
Thursday, February 7, 2002 02:58 p.m.
This CNN article discusses plagiarism in terms of a general decrease in integrity and ethics in this country.

Giant Food officials apologize for sign: Black History Month ad angers customer
Wednesday, February 6, 2002 10:09 p.m.
Stereotyping at work.

Bush's Sickening Super Bowl Propaganda
Wednesday, February 6, 2002 10:36 a.m.
I like this article because of the discussion regarding military metaphors:

"Beyond the usual martial metaphors of the game itself (avoiding the blitz by throwing the long bomb from a shotgun formation while the offensive line kills them in the trenches), the National Football League's premier game has gone out of its way in the past to promote and glorify the nation's military."

Language & Verbal Communication
Tuesday, February 5, 2002 12:34 p.m.
This page covers the general lecture material related to language and verbal communication being covered in several of my classes this week and next.

Email Entry Form Links
Saturday, February 2, 2002 10:42 p.m.
Frustrated with Email or YahooGroups? Use the appropriate form to submit your email entry without any hassle.

Options for Completing Speech Assignments in Videotape Public Speaking Course
Wednesday, January 30, 2002 11:12 p.m.
Distance learning students taking the Videotape version of Public Speaking should access this page for clarification on how to complete the speech assignments.

The Self & Communication
Wednesday, January 30, 2002 10:50 p.m.
Chapter 3 Oral Communication Lecture notes can be found at this site. The material covers values, attitudes, beliefs, and gender communication. Business Communication students would benefit from reading some of the material.

Six Themes of African-American Rhetoric
Tuesday, January 29, 2002 11:16 p.m.
Most public speeches by African - Americans deal with basic human rights expected as American citizens. Hawthorne (1972) identified six common themes in the rhetoric of African - Americans: politics, housing, employment, education, public accommodations, and self-pride.

Perception & Communication Lecture Notes
Tuesday, January 29, 2002 10:51 p.m.
Here are the lecture notes related to the Chapter 2 material in Oral Communication. This section of the notes covers active perception, listening, critical thinging, and links to attribution error at http://expage.com/attribution

Yahoo!Groups Links to Communication Courses
Tuesday, January 29, 2002 12:25 p.m.
Direct links to Yahoo!Groups message boards used in class can be found at this site.

Communication Skills
Tuesday, January 29, 2002 12:10 p.m.
Here is a list of about three dozen communication skills as indicated by an oral communication class.

Socioeconomic Status
Monday, January 28, 2002 11:18 a.m.
Socioeconomic Status is defined by Kornblum (1997)as "A broad social-class ranking based on occupational status, family prestige, educational attainment, and earned income." One's SES has a significant impact on self-image, self-esteem, and self-perception as it relates to intrapersonal communication.

Inventory Sheet #2 for the Public Speaking Videotape course available online
Saturday, January 26, 2002 10:32 p.m.
The second test for the Public Speaking videotape course, Iventory Sheet 2, is available online. All tests are also available in the learning centers.

ENGL 123 - Business Communication Inventory Sheet #1 available online
Saturday, January 26, 2002 10:26 p.m.
The third week ENGL 123 - Business Communication test over Chapter 1, Inventory Sheet #1, is available online by following this link. All chapter tests are available in the learning centers for distance learning students. All chapter tests are available for lecture student in the Academic Success, Room 451 of the GI Campus.

ENGL 123 - Bus Comm Unit 1 Study Guide Part 2
Thursday, January 24, 2002 08:51 p.m.
Here is the link to the last three weeks of the UNIT 1 study guide for ENGL 123 - Business Communication that was not duplicated in the packets.

Definitions and Models of Communication Lecture
Wednesday, January 23, 2002 10:12 a.m.

SPCH 111 - Public Speaking Videotape/Going the Distance Inventory 1 - take it online!
Monday, January 21, 2002 05:32 p.m.
SPCH 111 - Public Speaking Videotape/Going the Distance students can take Inventory 1 online! Just click on the link above and go take the test when you are ready.

Inventory Sheet 4 - Online Testing for Business Communication Learning Center Students
Monday, January 21, 2002 05:25 p.m.
ENGL 123 -Business Communication Distance Learning/Learning Center students can take the first exam (Inventory 4 over Chapter 4 in Week 2 of the study guide) online! Simply click on the link above and go to the online test when you are ready.

Likes and Dislikes of Speeches according to Public Speaking Students
Monday, January 21, 2002 05:20 p.m.
Public Speaking students watched three taped speeches of self-introduction. After independently evaluating the speeches, students broke up into groups and created lists of the effective and ineffective elements of the speeches. This page reflects the results of the group activity.

Week 2 Lecture Class Activity
Monday, January 21, 2002 10:39 a.m.
During the second week of class, most lecture classes engage in a communication activity played with children's blocks. This page describes the activity and the results of the block game.

Read about Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Memphis Commercial Appeal
Monday, January 21, 2002 07:28 a.m.
King was shot at a Memphis Hotel in 1968. You can read about King's life and take an interactive tour of the National Civil Rights Museum established at the site where King was assissinated.

Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism:
Sunday, January 20, 2002 06:52 p.m.
The Duke University library has put together citation materials to help students cite sources, create bibliographies, avoid plagiarism and generally write better. They provide examples of MLA, APA, Turabian, and Chicago methods of style.

Short Paper Format and Guidelines
Friday, January 18, 2002 02:25 p.m.
Here are the guidelines for Short Papers in the Business Communication and Interpersonal Communication courses.

Sample Short Paper for ENGL 123 - Business Communication
Friday, January 18, 2002 02:20 p.m.
Here is an example of a short paper by Deanne Jones on Privacy. Some of the original formating - mainly paragraph tabs - was lost when the text was converted to a webpage, but this is an excellent example of my expectations of a short paper in the Business Communication class.

Stories on Plagiarism
Friday, January 18, 2002 02:12 p.m.
Might as well start calling it e-cheating. Here are links to stories about plagiarism, how to avoid it, and how to catch it.

Yahoo!Groups is sooo slow!
Friday, January 18, 2002 02:03 p.m.
Yahoo!Groups seems to be having trouble adding people to the mailing list in a timely fashion. It appears that one gets an immediate "Welcome to..." message, but the person hasn't really been added yet to the list! I recommend waiting to send a test message for at least 24 hours. I'm currently entering registered students to speed things up, so don't be surprised if you are told you are already on the list.

Invalid Login Error during initial sign up to WebCentral?
Thursday, January 17, 2002 05:36 p.m.
MIS personnel (computer people) at CCC tell me that many registered students' names and ID#s have not been uploaded to the WebCentral database. These names may not be loaded until early next week. Therefore, LEARNING CENTER STUDENTS are encouraged to use an alternative email account such as Hotmail, Excite, Yahoo, etc. Please make sure your name is clearly indicated in the email address if you do so.

Initial login problems with WebCentral?
Wednesday, January 16, 2002 07:33 a.m.
WebCentral requires a seven (7) digit student ID# for the initial login. Most student ID cards have six (6) digits. A zero (0) needs added to the beginning of the number to make it long enough for login purposes.

Interpersonal Communication Learning Center Study Guide
Tuesday, January 15, 2002 08:58 p.m.
The one-credit, learning center version of Interpersonal Communication can be found by following this link. Students needed an extra elective credit or a Personal Development PDv credit should consider taking this course. NO TESTS!

SPCH 111 - Public Speaking Videotape/Distance Learning Course Materials
Tuesday, January 15, 2002 08:47 p.m.
The online version of course materials for the videotape/distance learning version of SPCH 111 - Public Speaking can be found here.

ENGL 123 - Business Communication Study Guide
Tuesday, January 15, 2002 08:02 p.m.
The online version of the Business Communication course packet is here. The lecture and distance learning course materials are the same this semester! Both sections will be using the same Yahoo!Groups listserv and other online materials.

Oral Communication Study Guide - Spring 2002
Monday, January 14, 2002 12:34 a.m.
The online version of the Spring 2002 Oral Communication course can be found here.

Fall 2001 Archived Entries
Friday, January 4, 2002 02:54 p.m.
Postings for Fall 2001 & previous semesters can be found by following this link.

Central Community College's Reynolds Library Tour
Friday, January 4, 2002 02:48 p.m.
CCC's Reynolds Library online tour introduces you to the staff, hours, collection, and more. Take a few minutes to peruse what is available.

Diversity Resources

Six Themes of African-American Rhetoric

American Demographics
DiversityInc.com

The many building blocks of Diversity:

Diversity Dictionary

Diversity Central

Database of Internet Resources

MultiCultural Review

Adrian's Communication Resources Page

The primary purpose of this page is to support Brent Adrian's, Business Communication, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication, and Oral Communication courses at Central Community College-Grand Island

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