Skip to main content
Intellect

BYU professor's paper wins five-year award for communication research

The National Communication Association honored a Brigham Young University Marriott School of Management professor with a five-year Best Paper Award at the association's recent 88th annual convention in New Orleans.

The award was presented to Curtis D. LeBaron, assistant professor of organizational leadership and strategy, and the late Robert Hopper, former professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. The paper, "How Gender Creeps into Talk," was chosen by the NCA's Language and Social Interaction Division from journal articles published between 1997 and 2002.

LeBaron and Hopper's research found that communication isn't inherently gendered, or doesn't automatically include gender references, as some researchers believe. "Communication becomes gendered as gender is made relevant to the interaction. Some scholars assume that all communication is gendered. We examined recordings of naturally occurring communication to show how gender creeps into talk," LeBaron says.

These findings support LeBaron's business communications research. "Gender is a critical aspect of business communication. It's a present concern for many organizations," he says. "It's important for us to understand how moments of business interaction become gendered. When they become gendered badly, such as with gender discrimination in hiring or promotion, it leads to lawsuits. When they become gendered in a good way, such as with improving diversity, it leads to mutual respect."

LeBaron and Hopper collaborated on the paper after joint research for another communications project. "Ours was a study of naturally occurring behavior. Instead of beginning with thoughts and theories, we went out and carefully observed people in natural settings," LeBaron says.

"This award is given only once every five years from the NCA. It's a great tribute to Curtis LeBaron, and to his colleague Robert Hopper," says Michael Thompson, organizational leadership and strategy department chair. "Curt is doing creative and insightful research on human interaction, and he brings that same creative energy and intellectual passion into the classroom. He's a great addition to the OLS Department and to BYU."

Writer: April Ebbert

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Want to thrive in your 30s? BYU study says education and service in your 20s are key

July 16, 2025
New BYU research shows that hitting the books and helping others in your 20s leads to a happier, more regret-free life in your 30s.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildflowers not wildfires: How BYU and Provo City are helping to restore Rock Canyon Trailhead

July 10, 2025
At Rock Canyon Trailhead in Provo, Utah, BYU researchers are fighting fires with flowers. By replacing a problematic weed called cheatgrass with wildflowers, students and faculty are working to protect and restore one of Provo’s most popular hiking spots.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Wildfires in residential areas are on the rise; why hydrants and the water system behind them were never meant to stop those fires

July 01, 2025
BYU professor Rob Sowby teaches and studies environmental engineering, urban water infrastructure and sustainability. He has particular expertise in the planning, design, construction and operation of public water systems. That expertise has been increasingly important (and regularly sought out) in the wake of apocalyptic wildfires that have taxed those public water systems.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection=false overrideCardHideByline=false overrideCardHideDescription=false overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText=