Hear from the four regional communication associations: the Central States Communication Association, Eastern Communication Association, Southern States Communication Association, and Western States Communication Association about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their association and more.

Hear from three health communication scholars: Katharine J. Head, Christy J.W. Ledford, and Xiaoli Nan on how public health communication about the COVID-19 virus has changed from nearly a year ago and the insight that communication research can offer into public health communication strategies related to the vaccine. 

Hear from Professors Karen Kangas Dwyer, Pat Gehrke, Suzy Prentiss, and Joshua Westwick about issues related to communication apprehension, including speech anxiety, and how these issues affect both students and professionals.

Hear from Interpersonal Communication scholars Liesel Sharabi and Stephanie Tom Tong about the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our relationships, including the differences in our use of dating apps and the acceleration of romantic relationships.

In honor of Black History Month, hear from Professors Reynaldo Anderson and Lonny J. Avi Brooks about topics related to Afrofuturism, including definitions of Afrofuturism, examples of Afrofuturism, the importance of Afrofuturism today, and how Afrofuturism can be incorporated in the Communication classroom. 

Hear from four scholars of presidential rhetoric: Stephen Browne, Theon Hill, John Murphy, and Allison Prasch as they address some historical inaugural addresses, as well as President Biden’s recent address.

Hear from the project’s North Carolina State University principal investigators Drs. Victoria Gallagher, Derek Ham, and Keon Pettiway about the vMLK project which recreates one of Dr. King’s iconic speeches through digital technology.

Hear from Professors Jason Edward Black, Daniel A. Grano, and Abraham Khan on a variety of topics within sports communication, including the health risks associated with playing football, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic; issues with sports mascots, particularly the Washington football team’s recent name change; and political activism by athletes related to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hear from the two candidates running for NCA Second Vice President: Professor Walid Afifi of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Professor Bonnie Dow of Vanderbilt University. Afifi and Dow will each share their experience and vision for NCA.

Hear from NCA First Vice President David T. McMahan about some highlights of the upcoming NCA 106th Annual Convention as thousands of scholars will attend the fully virtual 2020 convention to engage in deep discussions on many topics related to communication.