Student Symposium on Clear Communication

October 5, 2023 
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Daniel Maddux - Keynote Speaker

Daniel Maddux says that the technical communication degree he earned from UHD led directly to his successful career as a technical communicator and business owner. After graduating from UHD in 2008, Daniel started his own business in 2010, and has since worked in fields from energy to health to technology. His work spans a broad range, from ensuring that organizations communicate in plain language to improving processes for Fortune 500 companies. Daniel resides with his wife in Phoenix, Arizona.

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What is the purpose of the event? 

The purpose of the Student Symposium on Clear Communication (SSCC) is to offer you, the student, an opportunity to share your work related to clear communication as it applies to your disciplines. If you are an undergraduate or graduate student, you can showcase your research and creative activities related to clear communication and improve your presentation skills for academic and career success. Only competitively selected projects will appear in the symposium. The symposium is organized and sponsored by the Institute of Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at UHD.

What is clear communication?

Clear communication is defined as communication that is understood on the first reading by the general public.
Effective Communicators:

• adapt communication to the needs of a specific audience to achieve different strategic goals,
• create readable, accurate, usable, and accessible products,
• use various concepts and theories of clear communication to maximize understanding, and
• clearly present results of research and creative projects that report findings on the efficacy of clear communication strategies.

Who can participate?

Individual students or a team of students from any discipline can present their research and creative works during the symposium. The symposium is open to both UHD students and those from other colleges and universities.

What are the benefits of participating in the symposium?

The symposium offers an opportunity for you to present professional quality work to the UHD community and beyond. It enriches your resume and allows you to build new connections with other students, faculty, and participating working professionals.

You will also have a chance to win one of two awards ($200 per project individual or collaborative) in the following categories:

• Best Research Project in Clear Communication
• Best Presentation on Products and Concepts in Clear Communication

Information for Student Presenters

Information for conference paper submissions, deadlines, and preliminary schedule.

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Acknowledgments: The symposium is organized and sponsored by the Institute of Plain English Research and Study (IPERS) and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Houston-Downtown.

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Symposium Chairs:

Dr. Ashleigh Petts, Assistant Professor, Technical Communication, Department of English
Dr. John Rountree, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies, Department of Arts and Communication
Dr. Natalia Matveeva, Professor, Communication Studies, Department of Arts and Communication

Sponsors and Contributors:

This program is made possible by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Plain English Research and Study at UHD. ;