The article traces ideas of improvisation in Quintilian’s rhetorical work, presents an interdisciplinary literature review of improvisation studies, and surveys modern disciplines that teach improvisation, all with the goal of implementing these ideas into a first-year, college-writing pedagogy.

55 resources, the authors report studying 54, and the bibliography identifies 62. It seems odd in such a meticulous study that the sources of the data are not exact.

Tiffany Rousculp's Rhetoric of Respect: Recogniz ing Change at a Community Writing Center (2014) is an important book for writing center studies.Not only does Rousculp draw our attention to widely-growing though seldom-recognized community writing centers, but she also helps us see the positioning involved in making these centers sites of social change.This positioning she calls a "rhetoric of respect," or "a different type of relationship, one that is grounded in perception of worth, in esteem for another-as well as for the self" (pp.24-25).Using ecocomposition theory to recognize change, Rousculp contributes to a deeper understanding of micro-changes that emerge and are sustained over time through conditions of flexibility, self-awareness, uncertainty, failure, collaboration, and relationship.These conditions characterize many campus and community writing centers and can be cultivated to greater degrees .when we recognize their purposeful impact for our everyday, local work.Through metaphors of ecocompositionorganism, environment, relationship, place, web-Rousculp identifies and shows the importance of attending to moments of transformation for

This review playfully approaches Rickert’s book through the lens of sonic rhetorical studies, focusing on the parts that seems most useful to scholars in this area. Naturally, then, it is presented as an exercise in practicing sonic rhetoric, with a dynamic, loose conversation between two sound scholars enlivened with a number of musical and sonic clips that exemplify the spoken parts of the review. The review is presented through multiple playback options to make it easier to digest in small chunks, but those sections are fluid, and the experience makes most sense when heard all together.

Research problem: The project management of virtual teams differs from that of traditional ones. Traditional project risks, such as complexity, the uncertainty of factors influencing the project, and the high interdependency of project tasks must be managed alongside changed temporal, geographic, and cultural dimensions. Only a few studies have investigated the effect of critical technological issues, such as wrong tool selection or limited internet access on performance as well as team and team member satisfaction in virtual work settings. Research questions: How do critical technology-related issues concerning the selection and use of web-based tools influence the performance and satisfaction of virtual project teams? Literature review: Instead of categorizing virtual teams as a type of team that contrasts with traditional or face-to-face teams, the focus has shifted to virtualness as a characteristic present in all teams. Project teamwork is often integrated in university degree programs in order to prepare students appropriately for real-life projects. While these student teams are often not geographically spread across countries, they have a high degree of virtualness because of their diverse team composition, the necessity for working at different places, and the limited face-to-face meeting opportunities. Performance, effectiveness, and satisfaction are central issues in the evaluation and measurement of project teams: Team performance is often evaluated on the basis of acceptance of a specified output by a customer. Through specific mediating processes, team performance can alternatively be assessed by inquiring the team's perception on their performance. Effectiveness can be defined as the achievement of clear goals and objectives and it is often related to the team's performance. Finally, satisfaction can be defined as having three dimensions-satisfaction with the team, the satisfaction of meeting customer needs, and general satisfaction with extrinsic rewards and work. Technology use is substantial for distributed teamwork and can be assessed by the extent to which it supports communication, collaboration, and project-management tasks. Methodology: Fifteen teams were observed and interviewed over a two-year period. The resulting data were analyzed using a Grounded Theory approach, which revealed how the selection and use of tools for communication, collaboration, and project management in the different project activities influenced the team's performance. Results and conclusions: Our results contribute to practice by providing a number of guidelines for the management of virtual teams as well as knowledge required by companies wishing to launch projects with virtual teams. Differing performances of teams can, in many cases, be attributed to such conditions as: internet availability and bandwidth; lack of training for certain tools; the selection and appropriate use of tools; integrated tool support for task management; as well as the promotion of transparency about progress made. It was found that restrictions in internet access of even a single member within a team limited the team's technological choices, which affected the team's performance.

This study explores a comprehensive sample of experimental and quasi-experimental research within five leading technical communication journals over a 20-year period. Exploratory studies can overview how a method has evolved within a field, highlighting how it has advanced understanding of communication and identifying areas for further inquiry. Research questions: (1) How has experimental research in technical communication journals developed over the 20-year period? Specifically, how much is being published, which journals publish experiments, what topics are being explored, and what fields are informing this research? (2) What content characterizes experimental research in technical communication? Specifically, how explicit are the research questions/hypotheses, are the results of pilot studies reported, what are the sample sizes and populations used, and what measures do researchers use? (3) Who publishes experimental research in technical communication? Specifically, which authors and affiliates are most associated with experimental research, and how does the sample's gender and authorship distribution compare to existing research? Literature review: We first address how scholars have assessed research in technical communication and how these findings implicate experimental research. We then review features of other exploratory studies that inform this study's design. Methodology: We conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of 137 experiments, a comprehensive sample identified from a corpus of 2,118 refereed papers published from 1992 to 2011. We coded 14 variables related to the causal relationships that the experiments addressed and who produced the research. We subjected the data to multiple statistical measures, including contingency table analysis and correspondence analysis. Results and conclusions: Over the 20 years, the journals published experimental research at a consistent rate. This could indicate that these methods have a stable presence in the field, or a discouraging sign that output is not on the rise despite calls from leading scholars. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (TPC) emerged as a strong producer of experiments, publishing 45% of the sample. TPC was also associated with most recent experiments, assuming this role from Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, which was associated with early experiments. In addition, TPC, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, and Technical Communication correlated with experiments on collaboration, pedagogy, and intercultural communication, respectively. The results also revealed that recent experiments reported significantly more explicit research question/hypotheses and pilot studies, an encouraging sign for the quality of future experiments. Finally, Spyridakis published the most experiments over the past 20 years, and researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Twente were the top affiliates associated with output. The configuration of both of these institutions' programs, which seem to align with a traditional science model, might suggest how the evolution of technical communication programs impacts the type of research that its affiliates produce. Our results are limited by the small, though comprehensive, sample and the exploratory natures of measures like correspondence analysis. Future research could use the proposed framework to investigate the evolution of other research methods in technical communication, strengthening our body of knowledge.

Research problem: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two types of motivational elements-verification steps and personal stories-in an instruction manual for a cell phone targeted at senior users (between 60 and 70 years). Research questions: What are the effects of adding verification steps and personal stories to an instruction manual on: (1) Seniors' confidence in being able to work with a cell phone? (2) Seniors' motivation to work with a cell phone? (3) Seniors' effectiveness and efficiency in performing tasks, and their satisfaction with the cell phone and the instruction manual (usability)? Literature review: To optimize products and services for older users, the literature suggests that two specific motivational elements may be beneficial: (1) verification steps, which provide information at the end of procedures to allow users to check if these procedures were performed correctly. These appear to users as part of conventional procedural information in user instructions and (2) personal stories, which are anecdotes or testimonials that describe how a fictitious user succeeded in completing a procedure. Methodology: We conducted a quantitative experiment in which 59 seniors between 60 and 70 years of age participated. They performed a number of tasks with a cell phone, using a version of the instruction manual with added verification steps, or a version with additional personal stories, or a control version without motivational elements. We measured participants' confidence, their motivation, and usability by asking them to answer several questionnaires and by measuring task performance. Results and conclusions: Results support the use of verification steps or personal stories as motivational elements in user instructions as they can positively affect confidence, motivation, and usability, especially when senior users encounter setbacks.

Research problem: No study has observed the argumentative choices and appeals used by professional designers to support their claims as they engage in decision-making sessions. In particular, we do not know how user-derived data are applied by professional designers in their decision-making arguments. Research questions: (1) What kinds of evidence and appeals do advocates of user-centered design use when supporting claims within design decision-making sessions? (2) How do evidence and appeals used by professional designers compare to evidence and appeals used by previously studied novice designers? Literature review: Previous research of user-centered design that also incorporates data-driven personas has concluded that while some observed groups dedicated to user-centered design see personas as a way to further improve upon user-centered design methods, personas rarely become an integrated part of the design process and are often not incorporated in recommended ways. Prior research of decision-making within the design process has concluded that decision-making is a highly variable, but often deeply collaborative activity that can be assessed through a variety of argumentative lenses, including the Toulmin model of argument. Methodology: In this case study, a one-week, onsite exploratory observation was conducted in the workplace of professional designers. All meetings were recorded and subsequently transcribed. Postobservation interviews were also conducted with the participants. A discourse-based analysis was conducted on the transcriptions to identify the various types of rhetorical appeals and evidence used by the designers during their decision-making meetings. Results and conclusions: This onsite observation found that this particular group of designers supported about 50% of their claims with evidence, with 5.1% of the evidence in support of a claim referencing user data, and 33.4% of evidence in support of a claim referencing the designer's own opinion. These results suggest, among other things, that personas (the key user-centered design tool used by the observed group) are perhaps not necessarily a helpful rhetorical tool for persuasion in decision-making meetings, that designers who conduct user research are more likely to reference user data in support of claims, that these designers might have a broad notion of what constitutes user data, and that prior experience can serve as a powerful persuasive force. In addition, appeals to user data were the least common type of appeal employed by the novice and professional designers. However, this exploratory study is limited by the condensed observation time and its single group of designers. Future studies may use the methodology established here to explore the uses of evidence of additional groups.

Research problem: The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of national culture and medium type on first impression bias reduction in the context of job interview and performance appraisals. Research questions: (1) Does the evaluators' national culture affect first impression bias reduction? (2) Which medium type (text or multimedia) is more effective in reducing first impression bias? and (3) Does medium effect in reducing first impression bias vary with national culture? Literature review: The purpose of the literature review is to examine the current literature in the areas of national culture, medium type and first impression bias reduction, especially in a communication context. Researchers reviewed the discussions on first impression formation, and national culture theories, and the Media Richness Theory. For media, multimedia type was found to reduce first impression bias more than text medium type. For national culture, the literature review suggested that national culture dimensions (such as collectivism, assertiveness, and uncertainty avoidance) could possibly affect first impression bias reduction. Methodology: The researchers conducted a quantitative experiment with 407 students from a US university and a Chinese university, who majored in business-related disciplines. Researchers requested the treatment group participants to access performance bias cue. The participants then performed an initial appraisal of a manager based on Denison's leadership index. The participants then viewed the job interview of the manager, via different media, and performed the appraisal again. The performance appraisal data were collected via a website. The researchers used Analysis of Variance to analyze the data. Results and discussion: This study found that for our participants, national culture reduces first impression bias more than media. It identified that first impression bias reduction in US participants is significantly greater than that in Chinese participants, independent of media used. Regardless of national culture of media users, this study found that users using text medium were able to reduce first impression bias significantly more than users using multimedia. The implications of this study are that to reduce first impression bias in cross-cultural settings, managers and employees must adapt the channels and effort allocation for communication to national culture. Managers and researchers must understand that national culture is more important than media in reducing first impression bias. The limitations of the study were the use of student participants, and absence of national culture dimensions measurement. The study was conducted in only two national cultures. Future research could use employees as participants, measure national culture dimensions, and replicate the study in various national cultures.

Reviewed are: Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing, by Peter Elbow, Reviewed by Patrick Sullivan, and by Annie Del Principe and Holly Hassel, with a Response from Peter Elbow From Form to Meaning: Freshman Composition and the Long Sixties, 1957–1974, by David Flitalicing, Reviewed by Chris Warnick Agency in the Age of Peer Production, by Quentin D. Vieregge, Kyle D. Stedman, Taylor Joy Mitchell, and Joseph M. Moxley, Reviewed by Sean Barnette Agents of Integration: Understanding Transfer as a Rhetorical Act, by Rebecca S. Nowacek, Reviewed by Deanna Mascle How to Write a Sentence and How to Read One, by Stanley Fish; Several Short Sentences about Writing, by Verlyn Klinkenborg, Reviewed by Peter Wayne Moe

Book Review| December 01 2013 Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film. By Kendall R. Phillips. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2012; pp. xii + 215. $29.95 paper. Claire Sisco King Claire Sisco King Vanderbilt University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (4): 798–801. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0798 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Claire Sisco King; Dark Directions: Romero, Craven, Carpenter, and the Modern Horror Film. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2013; 16 (4): 798–801. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0798 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| December 01 2013 Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America. By Dave Tell. State College: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2013; pp. x + 226. $64.95 cloth. Daniel R. Mistich Daniel R. Mistich University of Georgia Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (4): 783–786. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0783 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Daniel R. Mistich; Confessional Crises and Cultural Politics in Twentieth-Century America. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2013; 16 (4): 783–786. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0783 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| December 01 2013 Washed in Blood: Male Sacrifice, Trauma, and the Cinema Washed in Blood: Male Sacrifice, Trauma, and the Cinema. By Claire Sisco King. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011; pp. x + 220. $72.00 cloth; $24.95 paper. Kendall R. Phillips Kendall R. Phillips Syracuse University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (4): 795–798. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0795 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Kendall R. Phillips; Washed in Blood: Male Sacrifice, Trauma, and the Cinema. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2013; 16 (4): 795–798. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0795 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| December 01 2013 Public Discourse in America: Conversation and Community in the Twenty-First Century Public Discourse in America: Conversation and Community in the Twenty-First Century. Edited by Judith Rodin and Stephen P. Steinberg. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003; pp. xv + 336. $24.95 paper. Samuel McCormick Samuel McCormick San Francisco State University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (4): 801–806. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0801 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Samuel McCormick; Public Discourse in America: Conversation and Community in the Twenty-First Century. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 December 2013; 16 (4): 801–806. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.4.0801 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Reviewed are: Networking Arguments: Rhetoric, Transnational Fitalicinism, and Public Policy Writing Rebecca Dingo Conversational Rhetoric: The Rise and Fall of a Women’s Tradition, 1600–1900 Jane Donawerth Fitalicinist Rhetorical Resilience Elizabeth A. Flynn, Patricia Sotirin, and Ann Brady, editors Writing a Progressive Past: Women Teaching and Writing in the Progressive Era— Lisa Mastrangelo— Fitalicinist Rhetorical Practices: New Horizons for Rhetoric, Composition, and Literacy Studies Jacqueline Jones Royster and Gesa E. Kirsch

Book Review| November 01 2013 Review: Nathan Crick, Democracy and Rhetoric: John Dewey on the Arts of Becoming by Nathan Crick Nathan Crick, Democracy and Rhetoric: John Dewey on the Arts of Becoming. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2010. 225 pp. ISBN 978-1-57003-876-1 Rhetorica (2013) 31 (4): 450–453. https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.450 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Review: Nathan Crick, Democracy and Rhetoric: John Dewey on the Arts of Becoming by Nathan Crick. Rhetorica 1 November 2013; 31 (4): 450–453. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.450 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentRhetorica Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2013 by The International Society for the History of Rhetoric. All rights reserved.2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| November 01 2013 Review: A New History of the Sermon: The Nineteenth Century. Edited by Robert H. Ellison A New History of the Sermon: The Nineteenth Century. Edited by Robert H. Ellison. Boston & Leiden: Brill, 2010. xiv + 571. ISBN 978-9-00418-572-2 Rhetorica (2013) 31 (4): 447–450. https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.447 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Review: A New History of the Sermon: The Nineteenth Century. Edited by Robert H. Ellison. Rhetorica 1 November 2013; 31 (4): 447–450. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.447 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentRhetorica Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2013 by The International Society for the History of Rhetoric. All rights reserved.2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| November 01 2013 Review: Le poète irrévérencieux. Modèles hellénistiques et réalités romaines by Le poète irrévérencieux Le poète irrévérencieux. Modèles hellénistiques et réalités romaines, textes réunis par Bénédicte Delignon & Yves Roman, CEROR 32, CERGR, Lyon, 2009, 432 p. Rhetorica (2013) 31 (4): 454–456. https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.454 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Review: Le poète irrévérencieux. Modèles hellénistiques et réalités romaines by Le poète irrévérencieux. Rhetorica 1 November 2013; 31 (4): 454–456. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.454 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentRhetorica Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2013 by The International Society for the History of Rhetoric. All rights reserved.2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| November 01 2013 Review: Françoise Laurent, Pour Dieu et pour le roi. Rhétorique et idéologie dans l'Histoire des ducs de Normandie de Benoît de Sainte-Maure by Françoise Laurent Françoise Laurent, Pour Dieu et pour le roi. Rhétorique et idéologie dans l'Histoire des ducs de Normandie de Benoît de Sainte-Maure (Essais sur le Moyen Âge 47), Paris: Honoré Champion éditeur, 2010. 388 pp. ISBN 978-2-74532-041-4 Rhetorica (2013) 31 (4): 456–460. https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.456 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Review: Françoise Laurent, Pour Dieu et pour le roi. Rhétorique et idéologie dans l'Histoire des ducs de Normandie de Benoît de Sainte-Maure by Françoise Laurent. Rhetorica 1 November 2013; 31 (4): 456–460. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/RH.2013.31.4.456 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentRhetorica Search This content is only available via PDF. © 2013 by The International Society for the History of Rhetoric. All rights reserved.2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

community literacy

Many science students believe that scientific writing is most impressive (and most professionally acceptable) when impersonal, dense, complex, and packed with jargon. In particular, they have the idea that legitimate scientific writing must suppress the subjectivity of the human voice. But science students can mature into excellent writers whose voices are clear, interesting, unburdensome, efficient, and accurate. To do this, they must abandon their ponderous scientific voices and use techniques that produce good style. When I teach for the Science Communication Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, I focus on helping students improve their scientific voice. I use workshop-style instruction, review of student writing, tutorial staff, and free online tutorials that I have developed. This article meditates upon the nature of good scientific voice as it analyzes examples of student writing to show improvements made through specific stylistic techniques.

Review of Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago. Vintage, 2011.

Review of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia, edited by Gabriella Gutiérrez y Muhs, Yolanda Flores Niemann, Carmen G. González and Angela P. Harris. Utah State UP, 2012.

Research problem: Indirect communication is prevalent in business communication practices. For information systems (IS) projects that require professionals from multiple disciplines to work together, the use of indirect communication may hinder successful design, implementation, and maintenance of these systems. Drawing on the Speech Act Theory (SAT), this study investigates how direct and indirect speech acts may influence language comprehension in the setting of communication problems inherent in IS projects. Research questions: (1) Do participating subjects, who are IS professionals, differ in their comprehension of indirect and direct speech acts? (2) Do participants display different attention processes in their comprehension of indirect and direct speech acts? (3) Do participants' attention processes influence their comprehension of indirect and direct speech acts? Literature review: We review two relevant areas of theory-polite speech acts in professional communication and SAT. First, a broad review that focuses on literature related to the use of polite speech acts in the workplace and in information system (IS) projects suggests the importance of investigating speech acts by professionals. In addition, the SAT provides the theoretical framework guiding this study and the development of hypotheses. Methodology: The current study uses a quantitative approach. A between-groups experiment design was employed to test how direct and indirect speech acts influence the language comprehension of participants. Forty-three IS professionals participated in the experiment. In addition, through the use of eye-tracking technology, this study captured the attention process and analyzed the relationship between attention and comprehension. Results and discussion: The results show that the directness of speech acts significantly influences participants' attention process, which, in turn, significantly affects their comprehension. In addition, the findings indicate that indirect speech acts, if employed by IS professionals to communicate with others, may easily be distorted or misunderstood. Professionals and managers of organizations should be aware that effective communication in interdisciplinary projects, such as IS development, is not easy, and that reliance on polite or indirect communication may inhibit the generation of valid information.

Research problem: Due to globalization and the increased availability of online collaboration tools, individuals are now likely to work together in settings where computers are their primary mode of communication. However, because communication characteristics are different in virtual team settings, especially when they are text based, communication problems, such as deception, arise. Recent research found that deceptive individuals in virtual teams can have a negative impact on group task performance, and it recognized that in addition to the communication medium, task and group characteristics, such as task complexity and group member experience, are important influences in these settings. However, the impacts of these additional influences have not been empirically examined. Research question: Does group members' experience with each other and task complexity affect their deception detection accuracy and task performance in a computer-mediated communication setting? Literature review: Previous literature has shown that deceivers are an important influence on computer-mediated groups. However, few studies have compared different group settings, and no studies have empirically tested the impact that task and group characteristics, such as task complexity and group member experience, have on these types of groups. Methodology: An experiment was designed to test the effect of group member experience and task complexity on computer-mediated groups facing deception. Two-hundred fifty-six undergraduates (256) were selected for the experiment. Results and conclusions: Quantitative analysis, which included multivariate analysis of variance, revealed that (a) groups performing a low-complexity task were better at detecting deception than were groups performing a high-complexity task, (b) groups with members who had experience with each other had higher task performance than did inexperienced groups, and (c) experienced groups did not have higher accuracy in detecting deception than did inexperienced groups. These results highlight the importance of understanding the different affects that task complexity and group member experience have on virtual teams facing deception, and they provide insight into what practices can help minimize the impact of interactive computer-mediated deception.

Book Review| September 01 2013 A Presidency Upstaged: The Public Leadership of George H. W. Bush A Presidency Upstaged: The Public Leadership of George H. W. Bush. By Lori Cox Han. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2011; pp. xi + 242. $40.00 cloth. Sara A. Mehltretter Drury Sara A. Mehltretter Drury Wabash College Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 617–620. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0617 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Sara A. Mehltretter Drury; A Presidency Upstaged: The Public Leadership of George H. W. Bush. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 617–620. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0617 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 Reclaiming the Rural: Essays on Literacy, Rhetoric, and Pedagogy Reclaiming the Rural: Essays on Literacy, Rhetoric, and Pedagogy. Edited by Kim Donehower, Charlotte Hogg, and Eileen E. Schell. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2012; pp. vii + 262. $35.00 paper. Jeff Motter Jeff Motter Appalachian State University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 613–617. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0613 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Jeff Motter; Reclaiming the Rural: Essays on Literacy, Rhetoric, and Pedagogy. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 613–617. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0613 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 Commonwealth Commonwealth. By Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009; pp. v + 434. $38.50 cloth; $21.95 paper. Isaac Clarke Holyoak Isaac Clarke Holyoak Texas A&M University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 607–610. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0607 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Isaac Clarke Holyoak; Commonwealth. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 607–610. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0607 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 Reading Embodied Citizenship: Disability, Narrative, and the Body Politic Reading Embodied Citizenship: Disability, Narrative, and the Body Politic. By Emily Russell. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011; pp. vii + 243. $44.95 cloth; $28.95 paper. Rachel D. Davidson Rachel D. Davidson University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 610–613. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0610 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Rachel D. Davidson; Reading Embodied Citizenship: Disability, Narrative, and the Body Politic. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 610–613. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0610 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 No Citizen Left Behind No Citizen Left Behind. By Meira Levinson. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012; pp. 388. $29.95 cloth. Brian Scott Amsden Brian Scott Amsden Indiana University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 603–607. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0603 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Brian Scott Amsden; No Citizen Left Behind. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 603–607. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0603 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 Prisoners of Conscience: Moral Vernaculars of Political Agency Prisoners of Conscience: Moral Vernaculars of Political Agency. By Gerard A. Hauser. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2012; pp. xvii + 283. $49.95 cloth. Michael Warren Tumolo Michael Warren Tumolo Duquesne University Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 591–594. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0591 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Michael Warren Tumolo; Prisoners of Conscience: Moral Vernaculars of Political Agency. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 591–594. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0591 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Book Review| September 01 2013 We Are the Union: Democratic Unionism and Dissent at Boeing We Are the Union: Democratic Unionism and Dissent at Boeing. By Dana L. Cloud. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2011; pp. xvi + 236. $55.00 cloth. Karma R. Chávez Karma R. Chávez University of Wisconsin, Madison Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Rhetoric and Public Affairs (2013) 16 (3): 597–600. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0597 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Twitter Permissions Search Site Citation Karma R. Chávez; We Are the Union: Democratic Unionism and Dissent at Boeing. Rhetoric and Public Affairs 1 September 2013; 16 (3): 597–600. doi: https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.16.3.0597 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveMichigan State University PressRhetoric and Public Affairs Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © 2013 Michigan State University Board of Trustees2013 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.