Business and Professional Communication Quarterly May 2025 Open Access

The Cure for Talking: Transactional Analysis and AI to Optimize Executive Communication

Lehlohonolo Makhabane Tabane University of the Witwatersrand

Abstract

This article presents “The Cure for Talking,” a pioneering conceptual framework that blends Transactional Analysis (TA) with Artificial Intelligence (AI), to produce a TA-AI Bot designed to optimize executive communication. Here, the medium of interest is written emails. The TA-AI Bot aims to change behavior through the reinforcement mechanism of repetition. The feedback system of the TA-AI Bot is designed to enhance users’ self-awareness and communication quality, that is, identification and shifting of ego states to approximate better communication; and recognition of rhetorical appeals that typify their exchanges with others. Validation of “The Cure for Talking” will require iterative research.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-05-28
DOI
10.1177/23294906251336720
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism argument artificial intelligence
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (0)

No articles in this index cite this work.

References (56) · 6 in this index

  1. Amos Z. (2022 November). 6 chatbot security measures to implement. Hackernoon. https://hackernoon.com/6-chatb…
  2. Anderson J. R. (2000)
    Learning and memory: An integrated approach
  3. Andrews (2025)
    Designing Business Communications in a Disrupted Workplace
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  4. APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018a April). affordance. American Psychological Association. https://dictiona…
  5. APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2018b April). Anna O. American Psychological Association. https://dictionary.a…
Show all 56 →
  1. APA Dictionary of Psychology. (2023 November). talking cure. American Psychological Association. https://dict…
  2. Bandura A. (1986)
    Social foundations of thought and action
  3. Bandura A. (1977)
    Social learning theory
  4. 10.4324/9781315518497-28
     ↗
  5. 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1957.11.2.293
     ↗
  6. Biggs A. Johnston S. Russell D. (2024). Leadership and communication: How to assess executive skills. Journal…
     ↗
  7. Coman et al. (2024)
    Perceptions of Professionalism and Authenticity in AI-Assisted Writing
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  8. Deci E. L. (2013)
    Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior
  9. Demir R. (2015). Strategic activity as bundled affordances. British Journal of Management 26 125–141. https:/…
     ↗
  10. DLabs.AI. (2024 January). 6 essential tips to enhance your chatbot security in 2024. https://dlabs.ai/blog/6-…
  11. Emerson M. S. (2024 January). 8 ways you can improve your communication skills. Harvard Division of Continuin…
  12. Eshed O. (2024 May). AI chatbot security explained. Layerx. https://layerxsecurity.com/learn/chatbot-security/
  13. Evans S. K. Pearce K. E. Vitak J. Treem J. W. (2017). Explicating affordances: A conceptual framework for und…
     ↗
  14. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199664054.003.0012
     ↗
  15. 10.1145/1541948.1541999
     ↗
  16. Gallagher (2017)
    Writing for Algorithmic Audiences
    Computers and Composition
  17. Geisler (2004)
    How ought we to understand the concept of rhetorical agency? Report from the ARS
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  18. Gibson J. J. (1977)
    The theory of affordances
  19. Grammarly for Business. (2024). 2024 state of business communication: AI’s potential to turn overload into im…
  20. Harris T. A. (1969)
    I’m okay you’re okay: A practical guide to transactional analysis
  21. Hartman J. L. McCambridge J. (2011). Optimizing millennials’ communication styles. Business Communication Qua…
     ↗
  22. Hickman A. Dvorak N. (2019 September). 7 expectations for transformational leaders. GALLUP.  https://www.gall…
  23. Hollins Martin C. J. (2011). Transactional analysis: A method of analysing communication. British Journal of …
     ↗
  24. 10.1007/s10734-019-00387-3
     ↗
  25. 10.4018/978-1-4666-4916-3.ch003
     ↗
  26. Kanade V. (2022 September). What is reinforcement learning? Working algorithms and uses. Spiceworks. https://…
  27. Kennedy K. (2017). The anxiety of automation: Attending to the deep history of automated entities. Writing Pr…
  28. Kotha. (2023 October). The future of secure conversations: AI chatbots and privacy. LinkedIn. https://www.lin…
  29. Lansat M. (2018 June). A detailed study of CEO habits found that leaders spend 24 percent of their time check…
  30. Lutzke J. (2009)
    The rhetorical triangle: Understanding and using logos, ethos, and pathos
  31. 10.17705/1jais.00176
     ↗
  32. 10.1186/1748-5908-6-42
     ↗
  33. Moll (2025)
    Weakness? What Weakness? Self-Reflection in Business Communication in a Digital…
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  34. Noon M. (2018). Pointless diversity training: Unconscious bias new racism and agency. Work Employment and Soc…
     ↗
  35. 10.3139/9783446431164
     ↗
  36. Phan (2024)
    Conceptual Framework for Teaching Business Writing via Social Media
    Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
  37. Plummer M. (2019 January). How to spend way less time on email every day. Harvard Business Review. https://hb…
  38. Reeves J. (2016). Automatic for the people: The automation of communicative labor. Communication and Critical…
     ↗
  39. 10.4324/9781315203645-11
     ↗
  40. 10.31004/joe.v6i1.2990
     ↗
  41. Sadun R. Fuller J. Hansen S. Neal PJ. (2022 July). The C-suite skills that matter most. Harvard Business Revi…
  42. 10.70064/mt.v3i1.966
     ↗
  43. Schrock A. R. (2015)
    Communicative affordances of mobile media: Portability, availability, locatability, and m…
    International journal of communication
  44. Skinner B. F. (1965)
    Science and human behavior
  45. Solomon C. (2003). Transactional analysis theory: The basics. Transactional Analysis Journal 33(1) 15–22. htt…
     ↗
  46. Southworth J. Migliaccio K. Glover J. Glover J. Reed D. McCarty C. Brendemuhl J. Thomas A. (2023). Developing…
     ↗
  47. 10.1108/JCOM-11-2019-0145
     ↗
  48. Vassilakopoulou P. Haug A. Salvesen L. M. Pappas I. O. (2023). Developing human/AI interactions for chat-base…
     ↗
  49. Vos J. van Rijn B. (2021). The evidence-based conceptual model of transactional analysis: A focused review of…
     ↗
  50. Zhang P. (2008). Motivational affordances: Reasons for ICT design and use. Communications of the ACM 51(11) 1…
     ↗
  51. 10.1016/0090-2616(85)90033-6
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 0 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. College Composition and Communication Sep 2025
    From Cheating to Cheat Codes: Integrating Generative AI Ethics into Collaborative Learning ↗
    Kristi Girdharry
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy argument collaborative writing writing centers artificial intelligence literacy studies
  2. Philosophy & Rhetoric May 2015
    Rhetoric and Ethics in the Cybernetic Age: The Transhuman Condition ↗
    Casey Boyle
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism argument qualitative research artificial intelligence disability studies editorial matter
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026
    Canon to Code: Rhetorical Rulemaking for Generative AI Content Audits and Governance ↗
    Miriam F. Williams
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism assessment technical communication artificial intelligence
  4. Computers and Composition Mar 2026
    Wicked modes in UX: Pedagogical considerations for data détournement ↗
    Morgan Banville; Leah Heilig; Madison Jones
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism writing pedagogy multimodality artificial intelligence
  5. Poroi Feb 2026
    Using Stasis Theory as a Heuristic for Examining Epistemological Dilemmas in a Post-Truth Landscape ↗
    Bruce Bowles
    classical rhetoric modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument