Congratulations to Dr. Carrisa Hoelscher. Her work is featured on the Mind’s Eye blog and will be included in the 2021 issue.
Hoelscher, director of graduate communication studies at Missouri State University, sets her target on competent communication to help others improve their skill. This includes finding ways to improve both effectiveness and appropriateness.
Read an excerpt:
When grave community issues creep up, task forces with agency representatives often come together. Each offers a different perspective, set of resources and ability to address the needs.
“These agencies are trying to make the world a better place,” Hoelscher said. “We’re seeing agencies having to collaborate more — to do more with less.”
For one study, she followed an interagency group as it developed and implemented a strategic plan to address substance abuse issues. She observed the meetings for more than three years, detecting and tracking tensions in the talk among collaborators. She also interviewed participants and collected documents to help categorize types of tensions and document the shifting meaning of these tensions for group members over time.
Congratulations, Dr. Hoelscher!