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BU experts continue the discussion about the 2012 presidential election. The conversation will be moderated by Thomas Fiedler, Dean of the College of Communication and Pulitzer Prize winning political journalist. Other speakers include Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations and History and expert in American diplomatic and military history, U.S. foreign policy, and security studies; Graham Wilson, Chair and Professor of Political Science and expert on American national politics, business, and finance; and Wesley Yin, Assistant Professor of Economics and expert on health insurance markets in developed and developing countries. Hosted by the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Communication, and the BU Alumni Association on May 3, 2012.

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BU’s Road to Washington: Conversations on the 2012 American Elections

With the selection of Howard Stern as a new panel member on America’s Got Talent, it made me realize that behind all his controversy, he’s doing something right. As a radio personality, talk show host, and prominent media figure, Howard Stern knows a few things about the world of communication. It makes sense considering he graduated magna cum laude with a communications degree from Boston University. Look past the many double d’s and hysterical parents circling Mr. Stern and you will find communication lessons we should all take into consideration. Here are the five things Howard Stern can teach you about communicating. 1. Shock & Awe If there’s one thing Howard Stern knows best it’s shock and awe. While you may not appreciate his choice of shocking methods, you must admit he knows how to grab your attention and hold it. If you subscribe to a more innocent form of shock and awe, you may be using milder techniques like dramatic stories or interesting facts placed neatly at the beginning of your speeches. There’s no doubt shock is an effective communication method for capturing attention, and Howard Stern wrote the book on it. 2. Know Who You Are If there is one thing that doesn’t sound natural in communication, it’s acting like someone you’re not. In fact, we have words for it — lying and fraud — just to name a few. When you’re not genuine, it’s heard in your voice and in your body language. Howard Stern doesn’t apologize for who he is. He accepts himself and owns it. 3. Stand Out When you think of Howard Stern, it doesn’t take long to create a mental image, does it? Sure much of his success did come from behind a microphone, but there’s no doubt his other media successes would not have been as great without his unique large curly hair and glasses look. You can see him coming from a mile away. Whether you’re on a date or giving a speech, standing out should be your priority as well. Maybe you choose to show up in a bolo tie to a room full of suits? Whatever your method of standing out, make sure your audience can pick you out of a crowd. 4. Give Them Something to Talk About Howard Stern knows the show doesn’t end after his time slot does. A majority of his audience usually finds something so unusual and unique in his program that they discuss it with their friends throughout the rest of the day. Stern realizes he is not just communicating with his listeners, he’s also communicating with everyone they interact with. If you want people to talk about you, you’ll need to give them something to talk about. 5. Make Them Remember You Everyday Stern gives his listeners a show they’ll never forget. Through unique guests and unusual conversations listeners are given a piece of a world that doesn’t exist except through his station. You should strive to do the same thing in your communication. This could be through the use of a wild stage prop or the simple act of buying a rose for your date from the relentless flower girl circling the restaurant. If you can give them something to remember you by, you’ll be a little piece of their history they hold onto for the rest of their life. Howard Stern may be known as a wild and undesirable figure, but don’t discount his skill because of a little controversy. The man does know how to communicate. I mean we’re talking about him after all, aren’t we?

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5 Things Howard Stern Can Teach You About Communicating

A survey from mobile phone news website Recombu shows that sexting is popular but sometimes complicated. People often mistakenly send sexts to the wrong people, or in some cases, the wrong partner. Sexting, sending sexually themed pictures or messages by cell phone, is popular with both men and women according to the survey of 2,000 adults. 48 percent of women and 45 percent of men admit that they have sexted, while a quarter of all men and 16 percent of women have accidentally sent a text to the wrong partner. The survey also showed that about 10 percent of both men and women have given their numbers out to non-partners after flirting. About 1 in 20 women and twice as many men have accidentally sent sexual messages to their partners when the message was meant for someone else. Recombu also provided some information about how people read and respond to texts. 12 percent of those surveyed said that they find texting easier than face-to-face discussion. Surprisingly, 80 percent of respondents noted that they count and care about the number of “x”s at the end of a sext. The survey shows some interesting ways that sexting has become a part of relationships and a tool for romantic and sexual communication.

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Sexting: Is it Getting You Into Trouble? [Infographic]

In the course of any argument or discussion, good communicators need to know how to avoid logical fallacies. Logical fallacies weaken an argument by treating a false assumption as fact, but because many speakers and writers don’t take the time to consider the basis of their arguments, logical fallacies are fairly common in politics, business and even in interpersonal communication. This infographic about rhetorical techniques and logical fallacies (aka rhetological fallacies) by Information is Beautiful can help you understand these concepts better. To understand logical fallacies, you should consider the six main categories of fallacy types: attacks, content manipulation, faulty deduction, inaccurate cause and effect, emotional appeals and mental appeals. While there are dozens of different fallacies, most of them fall into these six groups. Attacks include ad hominems, in which the speaker attacks the other speaker rather than the counterargument. Unfortunately, this type of argument can be effective, but pointing out the attack will undermine its effectiveness. Content manipulation is exactly what it sounds like: changing facts in order to suit the goals of an argument. The classic example is a confirmation bias. The speaker ignores facts that do not support or that directly oppose his argument. Faulty deduction mimics a logical argument, but makes an ultimately illogical conclusion. The speaker might assume that a small sample size represents a whole group or that a general rule applies to all individual circumstances. Some faulty deductions are hard to spot, but they undermine an argument just the same. Inaccurate or garbled cause and effect is somewhat similar to faulty deduction, but these arguments try to draw a clear link between an observation and an assumption when such a link isn’t necessarily there. An example is denying the antecedent. The speaker might say that “new refrigerators are cold, so the only way to get a cold refrigerator is to buy new.” This falsely assumes that there is one logical explanation for why a refrigerator would be cold–that is, it is a new refrigerator. All inaccurate cause and effect fallacies make a similar logical leap from a fact to a conclusion. Mental appeals include the appeal to authority, which politicians frequently use. Saying something like, “that man must be guilty, because the police arrested him,” would be an example of an appeal to authority. The speaker is not addressing the core argument of the man’s guilt. Instead, he’s implying that the authority has expert knowledge of the circumstances and therefore must be correct. Other mental appeals make similar jumps in logic. An appeal to probability, for instance, assumes the inevitability of an event or circumstance without any reasoning. In an appeal to tradition, the speaker opposes change simply because it is a departure from established practices. Appeals to the mind appear to make sense at first, but they’re easily eliminated through logical counterargument. Appeals to emotion are almost identical, but they focus on fear, love, hate and other strong emotions. An appeal to spite is a classic example. The speaker might say, “republicans hate the environment, so trusting a republican’s energy plan is ludicrous.” Usually, appeals to emotion are less overt, but they ignore the logical parts of an argument in favor of controlling the listener’s emotions. All of these types of fallacies can quickly weaken a strong argument. In order to communicate clearly, you should remember to avoid these fallacies and know how to spot them in opposing points of view.

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Rhetological Fallacies: Errors and Manipulations of Rhetoric and Logical Thinking

You may be surprised to find that many famous people in the entertainment, sports and political fields have more in common than a photogenic smile and a career spent in the public eye. Many of the people who manage to turn their time in the spotlight into successful careers have degrees in communication. Some of the names on the following list may surprise you, but on second thought, they shouldn’t. What better degree is there for a person whose career depends upon communicating effectively with the public? 1. John Quincy Adams served as the sixth president between the years 1825 and 1829. He was also a diplomat, a senator, and member of the House of Representatives. Although he was not popular enough as president to be elected for a second term, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest secretaries of state The United States has ever had. Communication degrees did not exist at the time, but rhetoric was already considered an important skill for those pursuing a secondary education. Adams taught the subject to students at his alma mater, Harvard. 2. David Boreanaz became famous playing the role of Angel in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the show’s spinoff, Angel. Currently, he is cast as an FBI agent on Bones. He is also a producer and director of note. Boreanaz got his communication degree from Ithaca College. 3. Mary Elizabeth “Liz” Sutherland Carpenter , who was often referred to as the funniest woman in politics during her long career, wore many hats. She was a journalist, an author, a popular public speaker, a feminist, a humorist, and a political adviser. She was also a journalism major who graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. 4. Brandi Denise Chastain is a professional soccer player with the California Storm and former midfielder for the U.S. women’s national soccer team. She earned her communication degree from Santa Clara University. 5. Constance Yu-Hwa Chung Povich , better known to viewers as simply Connie Chung, has earned the respect of the world of broadcast journalism as an anchor and reporter for virtually every major American news outlet. It all started with a journalism degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. 6. Stephen Tyrone Colbert hosts Comedy Central’s political satire, The Colbert Report and is a regular on the network’s Daily Show. His communication degree came from the Northwestern University School of Communication. 7. Robert Quinlan Costas , known to fans as Bob Costas, has been a popular sportscaster for three decades. Costas started out as a Communications & Rhetorical Studies major at Syracuse University. Although he never received his degree from Syracuse, once he had established himself as a sportscaster, he was granted an honorary degree in communications from S. I. Newhouse School of Communications. 8. James J. Gandolfini, Jr. brought the character of Tony Soprano, Mafia don, to life. In the process, he received critical acclaim and an Emmy award, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Gandolfini’s BA in communications came from Rutgers University. 9. Richard Andrew “Dick” Gephardt is a career politician who was the Representative from Missouri and became the House Majority Leader, then the House Minority Leader when political tides turned. He pursued the Democratic nomination for president twice. In Gephardt’s day, communication degrees were called speech degrees. His came from Northwestern University 10. John Gray is well known as the author of the book “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.” Gray used the book as a springboard for his career as an author, public speaker and relationship counselor. He has written a series of books expanding the ideas found in his first book and founded a training school for counselors who use his principles to work with couples. Gray’s Ph.D in communication came from Columbia Pacific University. 11. Marcia Gay Harden , known for playing elegant, composed women on the Broadway stage and on film, is the recipient of an Academy Award as well as a Tony Award. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. 12. Mark Harmon , the actor who became famous playing doctors on St. Elsewhere and Chicago Hope, currently stars as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in military detective series NCIS. He earned his degree in communications from UCLA. 13. Marg Helgenberger won an Academy Award for her portrayal of K.C. Koloski in the television series China Beach. She is also known for her portrayal of Catherine Willows on the groundbreaking crime drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Helgenberger originally studied to be a nurse but changed her mind, ending up in what is now the School of Communication at Northwestern University, where she received her bachelor’s degree. 14. Charlton Heston , who started out in life as John Charles Carter, is famous for playing larger-than-life men who found themselves faced with challenges and faced them with courage. He won an academy award for his portrayal of Ben-Hur. He was also a powerful political activist who took his own courageous stand against racism in the 1950s and 1960s. His training in the field of communications undoubtedly aided Heston in getting his Civil Rights message across to listeners. He earned his degree from the Northwestern University School of Communication. 15. William Motter Inge , Pulitzer prizewinning playwright and novelist known as the “Playwright of the Midwest,” got his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Drama from the University of Kansas. 16. Claudia Alta Taylor Johnson , more commonly known as Lady Bird Johnson, former first lady of the United States, used her position to make world a slightly better place. An intellectual and conservationist, Johnson earned bachelor’s degrees in both history and journalism from The University of Texas at Austin. 17. Edward James Koppel , known to late-night viewers of the news program Nightline as Ted Koppel, for 25 years, was the recipient of a Master of Arts Degree in Mass Communications Research and Political Science from Stanford University. 18. Brian Lamb , CEO of C-SPAN, put his communication degree from Purdue University to good use, communicating the ins and outs of politics to viewers more effectively than anyone before him had ever done. 19. Gary Larson , the cartoonist who created the quirky humor that infused the cartoon series The Far Side and sold more than 45 million copies of collections of the single single-panel cartoons has a Bachelor of Arts in communications from Washington State University. 20. Matthew Todd Lauer , known to viewers as Matt, is a broadcast journalist and host of The Today Show for more than two decades. He graduated from the School of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University. 21. Shelton Jackson Lee , who was given the affectionate nickname Spike by his mother, is as well known as a political activist as he is as an Academy Award-nominated director, producer, writer, and actor. Lee earned his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Morehouse College, then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. 22. David Michael Letterman , the comic host of television’s Late Show with David Letterman is also a producer. His communication degree came from Ball State University, where he has established a scholarship for average students such as he claims to have once been. 23.Donovan Jamal McNabb , former Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback earned a number of records during his professional football career. Before he was a professional quarterback, he was a college football player working on a Bachelor’s degree in communication from Syracuse University, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees. 24. Matthew David McConaughey made a name for himself playing likeable leading men in romantic comedies. He earned his communication degree from the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. 25. Nicholas Meyer is a modern-day Renaissance Man. He is a screenwriter, producer and director as well as best-selling author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay adaptation of his book “The Seven-Per-Cent Solution,” which raised eyebrows by having Sherlock Holmes seek the services of Sigmund Freud to help him overcome an addiction to cocaine in between solving a thorny mystery. He is the recipient of three Saturn Awards. It is no surprise that Meyer’s communication degree from the University of Iowa is in theater and filmmaking. 26. Daniel Irvin Rather, Jr. , known affectionately to generations of viewers as Dan, was the face of the e CBS Evening News, where he worked as anchor, for most of his career. After he left CBS due to a report during the 2008 presidential campaign that was later proven to be unverified, he went on to complete a number of journalistic projects before retiring for good. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Sam Houston State University. 27. Dave St. Peter , who has been with the Minnesota Twins for decades, became the president of the Major League Baseball team in 2009. Given the fact that his position keeps him squarely in the center of the public’s eye, it is no surprise that St. Peter holds a communication degree from the University of North Dakota. 28. Howard Allan Stern is best known as a radio personality, but he is also a television host, as well as a successful author and actor. Stern’s radio program has been on the air since 1985, and it continues to be heard all over the country on satellite radio. Although Stern’s controversial and outspoken approach led to him being fired early in his career and caught the unwanted attention of the FCC in the mid-2000s, Stern is no intellectual lightweight. He graduated magna cum laude from Boston University. Given his success in virtually every modern form of media, it is not surprising that his degree is in communications. 29. Curtis Edward Warner was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Warner was a two-time All-American when he played at Penn State University, where he got his bachelor’s degree in speech communication. Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, communication has been recognized as a crucial part of education. Over the last century, communications studies have evolved from a single course on rhetoric at many colleges and universities to encompass an entire field of study. Schools of communication are proudly numbered among the colleges at many top universities and often offer students not only the opportunity to study theory and learn by doing, but often the chance to conduct research in the field as well. There are few majors as dynamic and relevant to today’s world as communication.

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29 Famous People You Never Knew Had Communication Degrees

A study from the University of Bristol’s Intelligent Systems Laboratory indicates that posts from Twitter users can serve as an accurate indicator of overall public opinion. Researchers Thomas Lansdall-Welfare, Vasileios Lampos and Nello Cristianin monitored keywords in random tweets from July of 2009 to January of 2012, tracking 140-character messages from nearly 10 million users to monitor public moods in the UK. The resulting study, “Effects of the recession on public mood in the UK,” shows correlations between tweets and public opinion. The researchers, who presented their findings at the International Workshop on Social Media Applications in News and Entertainment, noted increases in sadness, anger and fear in summer of 2011 during the London riots. Negative tweets also rose sharply in October of 2010 when the UK government announced sweeping spending cuts. Interestingly, negative emotions dropped during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Researchers note that these events do not necessarily correlate with the full extent of Twitter users’ changes in tone and mood. While the goal of the study was to monitor Twitter users’ reaction to the recession, researchers did not intend to interpret the significance of specific events. Instead, they intended to show how Twitter’s micro-blogging format and widespread use makes it an accurate tool for monitoring overall public opinion. The researchers note that regular analysis of tweets could allow public officials to predict riots or to gauge the overall hostility of well-connected populations. There are certainly limitations to the study’s applications. Because the researchers used a “word mining” technique to collect their data, their results are less accurate. Some users might use trigger words ironically or sarcastically, which should not count towards an overall assessment of public opinion. The researchers note that their study’s accuracy would improve if they were able to pick through the results by hand. However, as the study looked at more than 484 million tweets, researchers could not have accurately sorted their results without severely diminishing their sample group. The study also has a more obvious skew: it focuses on Twitter users. Twitter users are more likely to be young and female than other social media websites’ users, so the user base’s opinion is less accurate than a general unbiased poll. As the study used basic keyword analysis to track joy, sadness, anger and fear, it also provides a very simplified picture of the UK population’s reactivity. Given Twitter’s 140-character limitations, some users might use more hyperbole in their online updates than they would in their day-to-day interactions, which would trigger an unrealistically dramatic change in the research data. Nevertheless, the research shows the feasibility of tracking public opinion through social media websites. Researchers could see Twitter users react in predictable ways to holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. They could also instantaneously monitor public opinion during major news events to see visible changes in public opinion. The team’s future work will focus on a comparison of traditional media and social media. This will likely mean a comparison of general public polls and the research data to test the accuracy of the data. Until the researchers can test the accuracy of the data, any detailed analysis of the team’s data is premature. The research might show an accurate assessment of Twitter users’ opinions, but those users are certainly biased. This is not to say that the study isn’t exciting–future research on how social media users show their moods could have numerous advantages for social media marketers, political analysts and other professionals. Still, it is important to note that this type of research makes quick headlines, but analysts should give attention to possible biases before reading too far into the data.

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Can Twitter Accurately Show Public Moods?