National Communication Association Conference ‘24
Communication for greater regard
NCA 2024 at New Orleans was another outstanding and significant event. As I have noted before, I enjoy attending conferences except flying to the venue!
But this flight was smooth with my book and two of my friends/colleagues. Although, we missed my connecting flight in Dallas; thankfully the flight attendant was so kind to put us on the next available flight to New Orleans. I arrived at the venue at about 11 pm on Wednesday night!
Now to the conference proper!
As usual, a day before I traveled, I went through the program schedule to select the panels or sessions I wanted to attend in addition to my presentation.
My presentations
Right from my first semester, I was advised to move forward with every project I proposed in my classes. I have adhered to the advice so far! So, I was privileged to present two of these class research projects.
The first paper in conjunction with my classmate/friend and my professor examined the paradoxical experiences of U.S migrants as they seek health information within the U.S. health system.
The second project in conjunction with a senior colleague examined how Nigerian graduates as newcomers in their organizations make sense of their work experiences. The latter project was recognized as a top student paper!
Sincerely humbled! These were my first NCA presentations too!
Interestingly both projects have been accepted in two communication journals- Communication Studies and Health Communication!
Here is also a short clip of my second presentation- https://youtu.be/-gOWcdIinDo?si=ay0hwTVF18MzXvXX
Apart from my presentation, I also attended very few other presentations. One that stood out was a paper panel on information seeking and uncertainty management. I will be utilizing both concepts for my dissertation, so it was insightful joining that 8 am session. (Sometimes soon, I will share my dissertation journey).
Volunteering
Apart from presenting and attending presentations, I volunteered twice at the conference. The first was on Thursday were I joined a group of graduate students at the Registration desk assisting attendees with the check-in process for registration or other events. My gratitude to NCA for a complimentary registration for all volunteers.
On Friday, I joined a focus group session with Macmillan Learning, a company that develops college learning materials, to discuss ideas on skills for success in public speaking and incorporating Artificial intelligence into our teaching. I will be teaching a new course next semester, so it was exhilarating hearing professors across the country share diverse teaching styles and methods such as how to encourage students to read and engage with assigned reading texts before classes.
Networking
Networking is a crucial part of conferences and I made some efforts. First, I went for the annual scholar office hour program where experienced scholars rub minds with beginners like me. I met two scholars studying health organizing and the immigrant population.
Usually, I go for this type of session with a research idea in mind to receive constructive feedback, so this time, I came along with my potential research program as I prepare for the job market next year. They offered incredible insights to expand my thinking and useful considerations as I form my research identity
Throughout the conference, I met a lot of familiar and new scholars (including Nigerians) doing similar and interesting work. I exchanged contacts with some hoping to continue our conversations.
And that was the NCA conference for me!
My next piece will focus on how my Spring 2024 semester went. Quite a packed one!
