We’ve all heard these stories before; beloved movie stars and athletes fall from grace by having an extra-marital affair and are consequently thrust into the media’s spotlight. These stories can last for weeks as the nation hear about the subsequential divorces, love children and all the drama inbetween. These bad boys of the entertainment industry include Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and now Dan Marino.
For those of you who don’t know, Dan Marino was the Miami Dolphin’s quarterback from 1983 to 1999. When he retired, Marino held almost every major NFL passing record. During his 17 seasons with the Dolphins, he lead the team to the playoffs 10 times. His accomplishments on the field were honored in 2005 when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, Marino works as an analyst on CBS’s Sunday pregame show The NFL Today.
In the coming weeks, my partner Marissa Minter and I will be examining Dan Marino’s public relations efforts in response to this scandal.
When analyzing how Dan Marino used social media during this time, Marissa and I noticed an interesting strategy. He didn’t use it at all.
On his main Facebook page, Dan Marino posts to his 22,384 followers on a regular basis. Since the event, Dan Marino has never made a reference to the scandal or responded to any comments about the scandal. He has been silent on the matter.
On this Facebook page, viewers can read all about Dan Marino’s history. Under the “Personal Life” section, there is a short 42-word blurb about the event, but that’s it.
It seems to us that Dan Marino decided to fly under the radar, and it worked. By the middle of February, most news organizations moved past Marino’s infidelity and discovered new topics. The Miami Herald even published a column encouraging the public to forgive Marino. You can read it here:
Why did the public move on so quickly? What did Marino do differently from Tiger and Arnold? Stay tuned for the answers to these questions and many more.
The public relations programming race has begun, and our team is well on our way! Since we began, we have:
Created a mission statement
Documented the company’s history
Examined Baylor Flower’s current public relations efforts through Storify
Performed a SWOT analysis
Devised an action plan
Our main goal of this project is to increase awareness about Baylor Flowers among Baylor students and their parents.
Over the course of this project, we seek to showcase the company with attractive promotional materials, to increase social media outreach and to implement promotions to bring in new customers. To do this, my team decided to divide our responsibilities based on our individual strengths.
Charlie is our main team writer, and he is responsible for a personal biography, a fact sheet and a backgrounder.
Katy serves as our main graphic designer and photographer. She is focusing on creating a new Valentine’s Day look book for the company.
I am the videographer for our team, so I will be creating a short video about Baylor Flowers. I also have some experience in graphic design, so I will be creating a general brochure about the company’s products.
For the video, Kathy Dove, the owner of Baylor Flowers, wants to showcase the process of creating and delivering a flower arrangement, beginning with an order being taken on the phone and ending with the order being delivered to the customer. This video will allow the customers to see the vast amount of work involved in creating a bouquet. I will probably shoot the footage next week and edit the project using Final Cut Pro.
We have also split the management of Baylor Flower’s social media outreach. While Katy and Charlie manage the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, I am in charge of creating Baylor Flower’s Pinterest account. I started the account Sunday, and we now have 17 boards, 679 pins, 25 following and two followers. Along with pinning all of Baylor Flower’s products, I am also creating boards about wedding ideas, gift suggestions, cards, balloons, Baylor University and flower quotes. While the account is still needs work, I know Mrs. Dove is pleased with the progress.
In a recent email, she said, “I just checked out Pinterest. Wow! Way to go! I love the flower quotes.” Please visit the Pinterest page at http://www.pinterest.com/baylorflowers, and let me know if you have any suggestions!
Our group also is working on three main promotions.
Name of the Day– The Name of the Day promotion allows individuals to receive a free flower. Every day, Baylor Flowers will choose a name of either a boy or a girl. If a customer has that specific name, he or she will win a free flower. A purchase at the store is appreciated and welcome, but not required.
Framing Flowers for Philanthropy (name still in progress)- This promotion will bring in fraternity and sorority members for a contest. Teams of two will create an elaborate bouquet that represents their organization’s philanthropy. After the bouquets have been created, Baylor Flowers will post photos of the bouquets on Facebook. The group that receives the most likes will win $200 for its philanthropy.
Mother’s Day Writing Contest– This promotion allows families to write a short essay about why their mother deserves flowers for Mother’s Day. The first place winner will receive a free bouquet, second place will receive 50 percent off and third place will receive 25 percent off.
In the coming weeks, our group still needs to write a news release, produce a hypothetical budget, establish a Hootsuite account, create a questionnaire, develop a timeline and generate a Wix site to showcase our work. While we still have a ways to go, we are excited to run the race using our best possible form. Then, when we cross the finish line, we will know we have run the race well.
My last semester as a Baylor student has finally arrived. However, before I can walk across the graduation stage in May, I have to take a few tests, write a few papers and finish a few projects. Out of all my projects this semester, my most important and time-intensive assignment is creating a public relations campaign for Baylor Flowers. Along with my partners, I will help increase awareness about BaylorFlowers within both the Baylor and Waco communities. I’ll be working with these guys, Charlie Foster and Katy Cranfill.
Together, we’ll examine Baylor Flowers’ current situation, create public relations materials and expand Baylor Flowers’ social media impact. At this point in time, Baylor Flowers’ public relations efforts are minimal. Concerning social media, the company has:
While the company has these sites, it needs help to make them the more effective. The website gives the company’s clients a general understanding of the types of products the store offers. However, it looks slightly unorganized.
The company uses its Facebook page as a means to promote its products, and the owner tries to posts to this page a few times a week. While the company has a Twitter account, it has been inactive since 2011. Across these sites, there is no consistent theme. The logo is only present on the website, and it is fairly small. As this semester progresses, we plan to help Baylor Flowers with these sites as well as help the company establish Pinterest and Instagram accounts.
During the regular year, Baylor Flowers places two advertisements in the Lariat, once during Homecoming and once during Parents Weekend. The company also advertises through local radio stations and Baylor Athletics. We are encouraging the company to advertise more during the year, especially before graduation and Mother’s Day in May.
Baylor Flowers’ not have any current promotions. We have discussed implementing a “Name of the Day” promotion as well as a “Greek” promotion. However, both are still in the early stages.
As the semester progresses, my team’s main goal will be to create more awareness about the company within the Baylor community. Along with creating and implementing promotions, we will also create a brochure and lookbook to portray the company in a positive light. We are excited to work with Baylor Flowers, and we hope we can help improve its current public relations efforts.
When we were children, we were taught that there are two parts to everything: good or bad, right or wrong, left or right. However, as we reach adulthood, we realize that things are not always black or white and that our decisions usually reside within an unknown gray zone.
In the movie, Water for Elephants, Hollywood examines this gray zone by telling the story of August, Marlena, and Jacob. Here is the preview so you can get a quick feel for the general idea of the movie.
At the beginning of the movie, a young, homeless Jacob joins the circus, run by ring-master August and his lovely wife Marlena. As the movie progresses, Jacob and Marlena slowly fall in love, and they eventually run away together. According to the black and white version of life, Jacob and Marlena are in the wrong as Marlena has committed adultery against her husband. However, its not this simple. To completely understand the situation, I decided to examine the feelings of desire versus the feelings of obligation from both Marlena’s and Jacob’s point of view.
First lets look at Marlena.
In this clip, Marlena tells her history to Jacob, explaining how she and August came to be.
The Great Depression was not an easy time for women. Many struggled to support themselves and often turned to marriage as a viable alternative, and some were even forced to enter the job market. According to Marcellus (2006), “The number of female workers who were married grew dramatically between 1920 and 1940, with 23 percent of the female labor force married in 1920 and over 35 percent married in 1940 (p. 54).” To Marlena, August offered both options. He was her knight in shining armor. After bouncing around through the foster care system, August offered Marlena both the covenant of marriage and the opportunity to make her a “star attraction” in his business. For once, someone took notice of Marlena.
However, as time moves forward, Marlena sees a different side of her husband. August is a man of power who desires to control everything including his workers, the animals, and his wife. According to Shirley (2007), there are five types of psychological abuse including threats to physical health, control over physical freedoms, general destabilization (intimidating, isolation, etc.), dominating-controlling (jealousy, suspicion, verbal abuse, inferior treatment), and ineptitude (rigid gender roles). August encapsulates every one of these behaviors. He also resorts to physical violence when he is angry including beating animals and throwing people off moving trains.
When Jacob joins the circus, Marlena witnesses a different type of man. Compared to her husband’s rough hand, Jacob is gentle, especially with the animals. He first gains Marlena’s attention when he puts down her house that August wanted to “run into the ground.” Jacob was more concerned about the animal than his own wellbeing. Jacob has a softer voice compared to August, showing that he is less controlling. All of his actions are done slowly, without anger. His physical actions run antithetically to those of August. The only time you hear Jacob raise his voice is when he is trying to protect Marlena, compared to yelling at her. After Jacob and Marlena share their first kiss, Jacob respects her wishes by not following her as she leaves. He is allowing her to make her own decisions compared to controlling her.
Now Marlena is caught between her obligation to her husband and her desire to be with Jacob. On one hand, her husband rescued her from her old life, and she is committed to him by the bond of marriage. On the other hand, he is abusive and controlling. In a way, Jacob is her new rescuer, saving her from a life with August. However, leaving August for Jacob goes against the covenant of marriage. According to Fife (2008), infidelity has been reported to be the most difficult relationship issue to treat in marriage counseling. If Marlena chooses to be with Jacob, she is basically throwing away her marriage.
Now, lets look at Jacob.
After his parents die unexpectedly, Jacob is homeless and broke. One night, he sees a train passing and decides to jump on board. Little did he know, this train would affect the rest of his life. Once on board, he meets August, the mob boss of the circus and is given the job as the circus vet. Just as August rescued Marlena, he has now also rescued Jacob.
To Jacob, Marlena represents light in a dark world. Her platinum blonde hair and her pale skin make her appear bright and innocent. In almost every scene, she is wearing brighter clothing than everyone else that makes her stand out. She also has a very soft voice, making her appear weak and vulnerable. As the movie progresses, Jacob becomes more and more protective of Marlena, and he even attacks August after August hits her.
Now Jacob is caught between his obligation to August as his employer and her desire to be with Marlena. On one hand, August has given him a job and place to sleep. On the other hand, August does not appreciate Marlena like Jacob knows he would.
So what is the right path here? Should Jacob and Marlena respect their commitment to August or should they embrace true love? What would you do? What qualifies as the “right” choice?
In the end, Marlena and Jacob run away together, but they are found quickly by August’s men. The next day, several of the animals are let out of their cages during a performance, causing pandemonium. During this scene, August tries to kill Jacob, but Marlena attacks him. Shifting his attention to Marlena, August pins her under a pole and begins to suffocate her. However, Rosie, the circus’ abnormally intelligent elephant, strikes August with a pole, killing him. Now free of their obligation, Marlena and Jacob live happily ever after.
As this movie clearly shows, not everything is one way or the other and decisions can have many factors. I believe that while we should try to uphold the expectations of society, we ultimately must look after ourselves.
Fife, S. T., Weeks, G. R., & Gambescia, N. (2008). Treating Infidelity: Considering Narratives of Attachment. Family Journal, 16(4), 293-299.
Marcellus, J. (2006). These Working Wives: Representation of the “Two-Job” Woman Between the World Wars. American Journalism, 23(3), 53-78.
Shirley, J. A., Powers, W. G., & Sawyer, C. R. (2007). Psychologically Abusive Relationships and Self-Disclosure Orientations. Human Communication, 10(3), 289-301.
America has always been referred to as the “Melting Pot” of the world. However, since September 11, 2001, it seems that our nation has become more segregated and disconnected. If we look at our society and culture, we see examples of this everywhere.
Think about the Travon Martin case. A few months ago, no one outside of his immediate circle knew his name. Now, he is a national figure representing racism and stereotyping. On February 26, 2012, Martin was walking home after buying some Skittles and Arizona Tea from a convenience store. He decided to take a short cut through a residential neighborhood when George Zimmerman spotted him. No one knows exactly what happened next, but Martin was shot and killed. He was 17 and unarmed. After a national outcry, Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder while he maintains self-defense. We hear of tragic stories like this all the time. So why has this story attracted national attention? Many people believe that this incident was a direct result of racial stereotyping as Martin was an African American and Zimmerman is a Hispanic American.
We also see examples of racial stereotyping on reality television. On the hit show Survivor, Cook Island’s, the executives decided to divide contestants based on their “race-ethnicity.” Communication scientists Mary Bresnahan and Carmen Lee decided to investigate to see if dividing contestants by race would activate viewers’ racial stereotypes. Before they began their study, Bresnahan and Lee defined the stereotypes of each race-ethnicity category (Bresnahan and Lee, 2011).
According to Bresnahan and Lee (2011):
Asian Americans were seen as intelligent, industrious, and competent.
Hispanic Americans were seen as lazy, deceptive, clannish, and untrustworthy.
African Americans were seen as lazy, aggressive, incompetent, and defensive.
European Americans were seen as intelligent, motivated, and productive.
Bresnahan and Lee (2011) also found that “Viewers endorsed negative stereotypes about competence and liking based on images of race-ethnicity that they saw in the video. These results suggest that race-ethnic stereotypes were activated by media exposure to images of race-ethnic teams on Survivor” (p. 74). However, contrary to the stereotype, the Asian American team was seen as the least competent.
So when did things begin to change? When did we go from the “Melting Pot” to a racial segregated nation? According to Phil Fitzsimmons (2011), American developed the theme of “otherness” after September 11. During the aftermath, President Bush made many speeches in which he tended to refer to the attackers as the “evil others”.
In an essay by Milly Williamson and Gholam Khiabany (2011), the writers talk about the effect of racism in Europe. It says, “As the economic downturn, the regressive attacks on public spending and the increasing gap between rich and poor eat away at the existing legitimacy of the state, the image of a ‘great nation under threat’ has been nurtured in the media and in the political sphere in order to attach the public to a new authoritarian state, by providing an anti-Islamic ‘common purpose’” (p. 176).
In the same way as England’s leaders tried to unite their country, President Bush tried to draw us together as a nation to fight off this “common purpose” or this “other evil”. However, he might have unintentionally pushed us apart. Many Americans began to feel uneasy around people who looked like this “other evil” even though they had no justification for their fear. As time went on, I believe people became more fearful of anyone who wasn’t like them, anyone who could be seen as an “other”.
This phenomenon of “otherness” is examined in the movie Crash, a post-9/11 film about characters that struggle to overcome their racial preconceptions in their daily lives. Here is the preview so you can get a quick feel for the general theme of the movie.
When watching this movie, I decided to examine the character Anthony, played by Chris Ludacris Bridges, to see how he society has affected both his verbal and nonverbal communication.
Throughout most of the movie, Anthony’s nonverbal behaviors are usually related to power. When he walks, he has his shoulders back and head up. He wants people to believe that he doesn’t care what they think. In his mind, he has the power over himself, and no one can tell him what to do. He also uses gestures to emphasis his point of view. Then, he turns away to shut down communication before the other person has a chance to refute. When he speaks, everything is articulate and short. He uses turn-maintain cues such as a lack of eye contact and a continuous flow of words to ensure that his friend doesn’t have the chance to counter his arguments. He always has to be right.
Anthony also rarely touches anyone. You see him touch victims when he is robbing them, but he does not openly engage in interacting with “other” people. However, he does establish immediacy with his black friend by leaning forward towards him when he is speaking. This shows that he feels closer to someone who looks like him and considers him one of his own. Time also has an effect on Anthony. He doesn’t like to be dependent on others, and he wants instant gratification. One example of this is when Anthony becomes frustrated because he had to wait for his meal at a restaurant. Throughout the movie, you also see Anthony hijack three cars as a way to make some quick money. He doesn’t think about life in the long run, but instead he lives in the moment. Because of his view of time, he only has one substantial relationship. He doesn’t care about making people happy and forming relationships as it’s all about him.
Anthony remains this way until another black man, Cameron, gives him a reality check. When Anthony decides to hijack his car, Cameron fights back. Cameron and Anthony end up fighting in Cameron’s car, and the police start following them. After a brief chase, Cameron and Anthony are cornered in a drive way. Instead of surrendering Anthony, Cameron gets out of car and starts acting like the stereotypical black thug. He screams at the officers and insists that they cannot tell him what to do. He refuses to calm down and is almost shot. In the end, an officer allows him off with a warning. During this scene, the police are unaware that Anthony is in the car watching. When Cameron returns to the car, Anthony is shrunk down out of view of the police officers. This is the first time that you see Anthony in an inferior position. He looks at Cameron with wide eyes, filled with wonder and confusion. He has no idea why Cameron would do something like that for him. When Anthony leaves the car later, Cameron looks at him and says, “You’re an embarrassment” (Haggis, 2004). Anthony then gives this look.
This is one of the few times that Anthony makes eye contact with anyone. This is his way of showing Cameron respect, and you can also see that he feels ashamed. He then gets out of the car slowly, showing that even his view on time has changed. He is no longer only concerned with himself. Later in the movie, he saves the lives of several Asian immigrants, instead of selling them into slavery. Not only is he giving up his quick money ways, but he is also giving up his stereotype. Throughout the movie, Anthony constantly complains about how others view him. However, his actions always confirmed their views. For the first time, Anthony is not living up to their views that others hold of him.
I think Anthony’s ethnic identity plays a large rule in the way he interacts with others. While he never says this, I think Anthony feels disadvantaged as a black man. In order to make up for this, he rebels against those whom he believes oppress him. He only interacts with people from other cultures when it is convenient for him. He wants to show that no one has power over him, and that he can get anything he wants, even if it’s through force. From the movie, you can gather than Anthony is not a rich man. He makes enough money to get by, but never enough to have a comfortable life. I think this is what causes him to hijack cars. It is the only way that he knows how to make quick, easy money. At the beginning of the movie, Anthony’s view of himself is consistent with others’ perceptions. Anthony loves that he has the power to inspire fear in others. On the flip side, people are afraid of him because he looks dangerous. Anthony is taking advantage of people’s stereotypical views and using them as justification to rob them, in effect confirming their stereotypes. It isn’t until the end of the movie that Anthony realizes that he could be more.
Society’s view of this character is slowly changing. For many decades, the black man has been portrayed as lazy, aggressive, incompetent, and defensive (Bresnahan and Lee, 2011). Media has portrayed men like Anthony as dangerous by casting black men as murderers and rapist in movies and television shows. However, I think this view is starting to shift. Inspirational leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Barak Obama are changing this stereotype. Personally, I might have been afraid of Anthony at the beginning of the movie because of the way he acted. However, once he stopped carrying all the anger and hatred of others, I think I would feel much more comfortable around him.
At the start of the movie, Anthony has a high level of both ethnocentrism and xenophobia. He views everything from his point of view without considering the ideas of others. For example, at one point, his friend wants to ride the bus. However, Anthony refuses and explains that the reason buses have large windows is to exploit the oppressed who are forced to ride it. Even though this is not the purpose of the windows, Anthony only sees the world from his perspective and his culture. He then judges people who are not like him. Anthony also hates people from other cultures. He constantly uses derogatory phrases to describe these people. When he sees a white woman become scared in his presence, he decides to pay her back by robbing her. When he runs over a “Chinaman”, he would rather just keep driving than help him out from under the car. At one point, Anthony becomes angry at his friend for stealing something. When his friend calls him a hypocrite, Anthony defends himself saying that he only steals from people of other races and that black people only steal from each other because they are afraid of white people. This continues to show how he is only concerned with his view of the world.
As I watched the movie, I realized that we all have a desire to be in control of our lives. While we can’t control others’ perceptions of us, we can control our actions. As I examined Anthony, I also realized some things about myself. I think I live up to the expectations of others just as Anthony does. My parents expect for me to make good grades in school, so I make sure I study hard. My boyfriend expects for me to be a doting girlfriend, so I make sure I show him I care. My roommate expects me to respect our home, so I make sure I keep it clean. In Anthony’s case, people expected him to be a thug, so he robbed people. It wasn’t until someone expected more of him that Anthony was able to defy his stereotype. I think we need positive people in our lives to help us in the right direction. Anthony and I are very different in that sense. I have grown up with a blessed lifestyle. In the movie, there is no mention of Anthony’s parents, and then his best friend dies. We can’t control the cards we are dealt, but I have certain received a better hand. If I could talk to Anthony, I would tell him to not judge other people so quickly. Just because someone has a certain skin color doesn’t mean they are snobbish, lazy, or incompetent. We are all just people.
As America moves towards the future, our racial stereotypes will continue to have a major effect on our nation. In order to come together, we must stop seeing each other as white or black and begin seeing each other as individuals with dreams, ambitions, and stories. After all, we are all just people.
Bresnahan, M. J., & Lee, C. (2011). Activating Racial Stereotypes on Survivor: Cook Islands. Howard Journal Of Communications, 22(1), 64-82. doi:10.1080/10646175.2011.546746
Fitzsimmons, P. (2011). Little White Lies: 9/11 and the Recasting of Evil through Metaphor. At The Interface / Probing The Boundaries, 633-17.
Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion Picture].United States of America: Lions Gate Entertainment.
Williamson, M., & Khiabany, G. (2011). State, culture and anti-Muslim racism. Global Media & Communication, 7(3), 175-179. doi:10.1177/1742766511427436
When I think of this professor, the words boring, monotone, and confusing come to mind. In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ben Stein plays an economics professor who seems to be oblivious to the chasm existing between himself and his students. So in order to escape this dreary lecture, Ferris decides to skip school and pursue more exciting escapades. I personally believe that education is important. A good teacher can influence who we are, who we will become, and the ultimate direction of our lives. Unfortunately, many teachers, like Farris’, fall short when communicating with their students. While their verbal message is appropriate, their nonverbal messages can shut down communication and the entire learning process. If teachers can be open, be a storyteller, be responsive and assertive, and be aware of their subconscious, they can send more effect messages to the students, gaining better understanding and relationships.
1. Be Open
One way that teachers can more actively engage their students is by changing their body posture. By presenting information with an open body position, the audience is more interactive and more easily persuaded (McGinley et al., 1975). If you present information with a closed body posture, it can act as a barrier between the sender and the receiver. McGinley et al. (1975) says, “The analyses of variance data showed that as opposed to the communicator with closed body position, the communicator with open body position: (a) effected more addressee opinion change and (b) was rated by the addressee as being more active (p. 690).” If teachers can present information with an open body position, students are more likely to accept the message from the teacher.
2. Be a Storyteller
In a study by Myers et al. (2009), researchers looked at the relationship between instructor immediacy and student participation. As defined by the researchers, the degree of immediacy is formed by looking at an instructor’s credibility, attractiveness, and homophily or how similar the instructor is to the student (p. 124-125). The study revealed that teachers who are considered to have social attractiveness, physically attractiveness, background homophily, and attitude homophily tend to be more immediate with their students (Myers et al., 2009).
One way to make yourself more relatable and socially attractive is by telling your personal life stories. Myers et al. (2009) said, “Not only do instructors use self disclosure to clarify content, provide relative examples, and promote discussion, they also employ it as a way to relate to students by sharing information about their personal lives, their educational experiences, and their personal opinions (p. 130).” By sharing your life experiences with students, you become more relatable, and students feel like they can identify with you more. Then, they become more inclined to participate in class.
3. Be Responsive AND Assertive
Sometimes, teachers believe they can’t be friends with their students because they might be seen as a push over. However, as stated above, establishing immediacy is an important aspect to increase class participation and active learning. So where is the line?
In an article by Thomas et al. (1994), researchers discovered that assertiveness was as highly associated with immediacy as was responsiveness (p. 111). So in order to be immediate, teachers need to befriend their students while also maintaining their position of authority. To display the responsive side, teachers need to lean forward and look their students in the eye. To show the assertive side, teachers need to show their confidence by having their shoulders back and head raised. This allows the students to see their teacher as a role model and mentor.
4. Be Aware of the Subconscious
We’ve always heard the phrase, “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” However, in reality, our physical level of attractiveness can have a tremendous effect on how others perceive us, especially in the classroom. According to Richmond et al. (2012), teachers are subconsciously bias towards more attractive students. Teachers tended to reward those students with better grades, more personal interactions, and trust (Richmond et al., 2012). If teachers are more aware of their subconscious disposition to favor more attractive students, they can work to ensure that our actions are equal among all students.
Learning is supposed to be an active and engaging process. Since we spend more than a quarter of our lives in the educational system, we should have teachers with whom we can relate and respect while still participating in the learning process. Teachers who send closed-off messages can also close off the learning process. If all teachers were like Ferris Bueller’s, I think I’d skip school too.
Sources
McGinley, H., LeFevre, R., & McGinley, P. (1975). The Influence of a Communicator’s Body Position on Opinion Change in Others. Journal Of Personality & Social Psychology, 31(4), 686-690.
Myers, S. A., Horan, S. M., Kennedy-Lightsey, C. D., Madlock, P. E., Sidelinger, R. J., Byrnes, K., & … Mansson, D. H. (2009). The Relationship Between College Students’ Self-Reports of Class Participation and Perceived Instructor Impressions. Communication Research Reports, 26(2), 123-133. doi:10.1080/08824090902861580
Richmond, V. P., McCroskey, J. C., & Hickson, III, M.L. (2012). Nonverbal behavior in interpersonal relations ( 7th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Thomas, C. E., Richmond, V. P., & McCroskey, J. C. (1994). The Association Between Immediacy and Socio-Communicative Style. Communication Research Reports, 11(1), 107-114.
If you are like most people, the exercise above can be not only challenging but frustrating. While it seems like a simple task, this test is designed to assay the innermost workings of our mind. In our brain, we have a thin vertical ridge that separates the left and right hemispheres (Pink, 2005). During this exercise, the left side of your brain is working to recognize the written word. However, the right side of your brain is focusing on the color. These simultaneous responses of the different sides of the brain force the viewer to slow down and focus in order to arrive at the correct answer.
While the two sides of our brain appear identical, they serve different purposes as far as their functions. The left side of the brain controls speech and also works to process information in a sequential, logical order. On the other side, the right deals with our emotions and focuses on a holistic perspective of the world (Mikkelson et. al, 2006).
Our society has long been dominated by L-Directed Thinking with the most beneficial careers requiring logic and analytical skills. Accountants, doctors, and lawyers dominate our world by excelling at academic achievement tests such as the GMAT, MCAT, and LSAT (Pink, 2005). However Pink (2005) says, “The SAT-ocracy is now in its dying days…today, we’re moving into an era in which R-Directed Thinking will increasingly determine who gets ahead (p. 30).”
When I first read Pink’s article, I was surprised but intrigued. In our culture, we are obsessed with our worldly possessions. We always want bigger and better. With all the competition in our economy, it isn’t enough for companies to have a functioning product. It must also be aesthetically pleasing.
As a public relations student, this was encouraging. With so many jobs being outsourced, the public relations field remains more stable due to its innovative and creative aspects. According to Hailey, Cox, and Loader (2010), “Employees who habitually develop innovative products and solutions and can demonstrate that value to the company may have the best chance of either making their jobs valuable to moving into positions with higher degrees of protection (p. 135).”
After reading Pink’s article, I decided to find out if I was more left or right brain dominant. Below are my results.
Right Brain/ Left Brain Quiz
The higher of these two numbers below indicates which side of your brain has dominance in your life. Realising your right brain/left brain tendency will help you interact with and to understand others.
Left Brain Dominance:
(11)
Right Brain Dominance:
(7)
Initially, I was surprised that I was more left brain dominant. I’ve always love working with graphics and pictures, and logic and reasoning were never my strong suit. However, the more I thought about it, I realized that my left brain dominance has been ingrained within me since childhood. My father is a doctor, my mother is a physical therapist, and my brother is an engineer. In our family, we approach life in a sequential, analytical way. With my genetics, I have always been gifted when it comes to school, and I have excelled at the left brain dominated standardized tests. When my family has a problem, we dissect it until we find an answer. We all carry detailed calendars that dictate our actions throughout the day as well. It’s who we are.
According to Mikkelson, Farinelli, and La Valley (2006), “Nonverbal communication is the primary vehicle for the expression of emotions (p. 428).” Since emotions are controlled by the right part of the brain, my left brain dominance presents more of a challenge in interpreting the nonverbal messages of others. R-Directed Thinkers tend to have an easier time expressing their emotions, but L-Directed Thinkers are said to have more emotional control, meaning the ability to regulate our emotional and nonverbal displays (Mikkelson et. al, 2006). While I might have a harder time reading the messages of others, I can better control my own nonverbal communication due to my left brain dominance.
By knowing my brain dominance, I can better communicate with my peers, friends, and family. Recognizing the different brain types of people allows me to be more understanding and accepting of different opinions and perspectives. My approach to life also allows me to present my thoughts in a step-by-step, organized manner. As a communicator, my left brain dominance lets me be more clear and concise with my messages.
In our rapidly changing world, we have no choice but to be adaptable. R-Directed Thinkers might have an advantage in the coming years, but L-Directed Thinkers aren’t out of the race yet. There is a widespread misconception that creativity is something elite and sacred. In reality, it is a normal mental process that can flourish with effort and practice (Burroughs et. al, 2011). The economy is much like natural selection. We must adapt in order to survive. So its time for all the lefties to put on their thinking caps.
References
Burroughs, J., Dahl, D., Moreau, C., Chattopadhyay, A., & Gorn, G. (2011). Facilitating and Rewarding Creativity During New Product Development. Journal Of Marketing, 75(4), 53-67. doi:10.1509/jmkg.75.4.53
Hailey, D., Cox, M., & Loader, E. (2010). Relationship between Innovation and Professional Communication in the “Creative” Economy. Journal Of Technical Writing & Communication, 40(2), 125-141. doi:10.2190/TW.40.2.b
Mikkelson, A. C., Farinelli, L., & La Valley, A. G. (2006). The Influences of Brain Dominance and Biological Sex on Emotional Expressivity, Sensitivity, and Control. Communication Quarterly, 54(4), 427-446.
Pink, D. H. (2005). A whole new mind. New York: Penguin Group.
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Through My Eyes... Written By Ali Croom 
Written
on February 12, 2013