{"id":3083,"date":"2012-08-07T13:23:59","date_gmt":"2012-08-07T13:23:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/?page_id=3083"},"modified":"2022-01-11T21:39:22","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T21:39:22","slug":"lapakko","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/lapakko\/","title":{"rendered":"Lapakko, David V"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being in the communication field, sometimes people ask me, \u201cCommunication: what\u2019s to know about that? I communicate all the time!\u201d\u00a0 Well, if simply talking is \u201ccommunicating,\u201d then I suppose that\u2019s true.\u00a0 But of course, such a mindset doesn\u2019t address the issue of whether we communicate well<\/em>\u2013and the reality is that most of us don\u2019t. (I\u2019m afraid that includes me, more often than I like to admit!)<\/p>\n

Half of all marriages end in divorce. Millions of employees are miserable because of the communication climate within their workplace. Huge cultural rifts exist in our world that help explain the violence we currently confront on an international scale. And I think we\u2019ve all heard people give public presentations (sermons, lectures, sales talks, etc.) that cried out for more skillful execution. In short, effective communication is an important part of everyday life, and it\u2019s my job to enable students to interact with the world in a more enlightened, capable, and credible manner.<\/p>\n

The communication major at Augsburg is designed to develop both awareness and skill in all contexts of communication: in interpersonal and small group settings, in organizational life, across cultures, in public speaking situations, and with the use of electronic media. I am a generalist in the field and regularly teach the following courses: Introduction to Communication Studies, Public Speaking, Argumentation, Persuasion, Research Methods, Intercultural Communication, and Organizational Communication.\u00a0 I\u2019m also the only one in our department who, in a distant past life, taught high school for a few years\u2013so secondary education licensure issues often wind up on my lap.\u00a0 Finally, I am Augsburg\u2019s Director of Forensics\u2013if you like the idea of going to college speech tournaments, have I got a program for you!\u00a0 (See our separate page about the Speech Team.)<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a Minnesota boy. With the exception of a year and a half in Los Angeles, I\u2019ve lived my entire life in the Twin Cities. Debate and journalism are a significant part of my background. I\u2019ve traveled to Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, and much of Europe. And if you\u2019re looking for an opening conversation topic, until hip replacement surgery in 2019, I spent 40 years doing distance running, including 6 marathons and 35 half marathons.\u00a0 I miss it!\u00a0 I\u2019ve had to become sort of a \u201cpower walker\u201d instead.<\/p>\n

Since 2013, I\u2019ve been involved in an event called the \u201cGreat American Think-Off.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s an annual philosophy competition sponsored by the New York Mills, MN Cultural Center.\u00a0 In 2013, I was one of four finalists on the question of whether it\u2019s better to \u201cstick to your principles or being willing to compromise.\u201d\u00a0 In 2019, I was a finalist on the topic of whether voting really matters.\u00a0 And in 2015, I was honored with the title of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Greatest Thinker,\u201d winning the gold medal on the question, \u201cDoes technology free us or trap us?\u201d\u00a0 Of course, I am really not<\/u> America\u2019s Greatest Thinker (that\u2019s their title, not mine), but it makes for a good conversation starter.\u00a0 Indeed, if I am America\u2019s Greatest Thinker, America is in deep trouble!\u00a0 : )<\/p>\n

Education<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
  • B.A. Macalester College<\/li>\n
  • M.A. University of Minnesota<\/li>\n
  • Ph.D. University of Minnesota<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Publications<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    I\u2019ve published a textbook in argumentation and critical thinking.\u00a0 Now in its 5th edition, it\u2019s titled Argumentation: Critical Thinking in Action<\/em>, published by Kendall Hunt.\u00a0 (The first three editions were published by iUniverse.)\u00a0 Although my main focus at Augsburg has been on teaching and learning, I also have published articles, theses, and\/or convention papers with the following titles:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u201cA Plain-Spoken Response to the Communibiological Challenge\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cCommunication is 93 Percent Nonverbal: An Urban Legend Proliferates\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cThree Cheers for Language: A Closer Examination of a Widely Cited Study of Nonverbal Communication\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cThe Demise of Persuasive Speaking as a Contest Event\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cSanctioned \u2018Cheating\u2019 on Exams\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cTeaching at a Small Liberal Arts College: What Does a Ph.D. Have to Do With That?\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cCulture-Related Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching Communication Skills Courses\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cSticks and Stones, Fists, Words, and Glances: We Dream of a Community Where Survivors of Abuse Can Speak Without Fear\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cEvaluating Speeches: What Standards Do We Use?\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cDebate Judging: From Mind to Ballot\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cThe Concept of Choice: Its Implications for Theory and Research in Interpersonal Communication\u201d<\/li>\n
    • \u201cBeliefs About \u2018Good\u2019 Public Speaking: A Study of Special Theories of Communication and the Degree to Which They Are Shared\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Well, that\u2019s about as much as any sane person would want to read about me. But I encourage you to check out our department\u2014and feel free to call or write any time! (Time to hit the old \u201cback\u201d button! Thanks for visiting.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Being in the communication field, sometimes people ask me, \u201cCommunication: what\u2019s to know about that? I communicate all the time!\u201d\u00a0 Well, if simply talking is \u201ccommunicating,\u201d then I suppose that\u2019s true.\u00a0 But of course, such a mindset doesn\u2019t address the issue of whether we communicate well\u2013and the reality is that most of us don\u2019t. (I\u2019m …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":377,"featured_media":49003,"parent":0,"menu_order":89,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3083","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3083"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49006,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3083\/revisions\/49006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}