We are living in a macro-environment that is fast paced, chaotic, ambiguous, and fluid, driven by unprecedented reach and access. There is a demand for ‘instant’ communication and being ‘on’ 24x7. Tessa Sterkenburg noted, “Our technological innovations that set out to make things more efficient, have also provided us with the ability to communicate in far easier and quicker ways, without so much effort. We can now communicate in a socially acceptable way without adding much context, writing micro headlines on micro billboards, but truthfully we are accelerating confusion and misunderstanding.” This can lead to higher incidents of miscommunication, misinterpretation and misinformation.

Elsbeth Johnson, Ph.D. noted, “If external ambiguity is the new normal, internal ambiguity is the new enemy.” In other words, as the world becomes more difficult to understand and predict, there is a greater need for shared clarity in organizations.” Duke Corporate Education recently polled 130 different leaders across a wide range of sectors and disciplines and 49% said focusing on communicating with clarity was their top priority.

A recent Forbes poll revealed that 50% of employees think their organizations are held back by a lack of transparency. Transparency builds trust, and fosters a type of comfort that allows employees to communicate effectively and feel a higher level of organizational identity.

We need less noise, more context, more clarity and transparency, and some certainty that our messages are effective. We’d like our messages to end up with the right person for the right purpose and understood as we intended.

Join us on March 28, 2020 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick as we explore the themes of clarity and transparency in all communication forms. We welcome academic papers, posters, thematic presentation panels, conversation circles, hands-on workshops and demonstrations, and, of course, fun and games of any creative sort. The NJCA values participation of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty scholars, and practitioners whose ideas and applications span wide-ranging topics and contexts of communication. 

Submissions:

Proposal submitters are expected (if scheduled) to register and attend the conference. If a submitted paper has multiple authors, please indicate at the time of submission which author(s) will present the paper at the conference.

All submissions must include this statement of professional responsibility (on the submission’s cover page and in the body of the email): In submitting the attached panel/paper proposal, I/we agree to present at the 2020 NJCA conference if it is accepted. I/we further recognize that all who attend and present at NJCA must register and pay the required fees.

Submissions are to be emailed to Teaching Professor Richard Dool at richard.dool@rutgers.edu. In addition to the statement of professional responsibility provided above, please include this information in the email’s body:

• Name(s) of presenter(s)
• Title of paper/panel/poster/session
• Abstract
• 3-5 keywords/phrases
• Student status if relevant (graduate or undergraduate)
• School affiliation and department
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• Email address

Papers should be 25 double-spaced pages or less. They may be completed papers or summaries of in-progress work. Provide a running head (partial title) for identification.

Posters should be able to stand or be laid on a table for display. They should be no less than 28” by 38” and contain no more than 200 words. The poster should tell a story that is self-explanatory through images. The images should show a relationship between each other. To submit for inclusion in the conference’s poster session, provide one paragraph with a 100-word summary (in addition to the informational items listed above).

All other panels, roundtables, workshops, and other session formats should include the session title, thematic summary, presenters’ names (and brief individual abstracts if appropriate), and a statement of justification (i.e., the value of this session).

Submissions must be sent by Monday, January 27, 2020
to Teaching Professor Richard Dool, Rutgers University at richard.dool@rutgers.edu.