Michael L. Kent, Ph.D., Professor

University of New South Wales
Sydney Australia

MICHAEL KENT is a Professor of Public Relations. Kent has been teaching for more than 25 years and has taught more than 40 different courses, including Introduction to Public Relations, Public Relations Writing, Cases, Campaigns, and Management, Public Speaking and Advanced Public speaking, Persuasion, Communication Theory, Media and Mass Culture, and others. Kent conducts research on Dialogic Theory, New Technology, Mediated Communication, Social Media, International Communication, and Web Communication. Kent consults on research methods, message design, mediated communication, journalism, and public relations. Kent has published dozens of articles and books, including a public relations writing textbook, and two public speaking textbooks. In 2006, Kent spent the fall semester in Riga, Latvia on a Fulbright Scholarship. Kent received his Doctorate from Purdue University, his Master’s from the University of Oregon, and his Bachelor’s from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Selected Publications

Whitepapers

• Kent, M. L., Saffer, A., & Pop, R. (2013).
  Where Will Technology Take Us? New Directions in Social Media A Delphi Study of New Technology.

Books

• Kent, M. L., (2011). Public relations writing: A rhetorical approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
• Kent, M. L., & Sommerfeldt, E. (2011). Instructors Manual: Public relations writing: A rhetorical approach. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Contact me directly for a copy.
• Kent, M. L., (2011). Bare Bones Public Speaking. Amazon.com/Kindle.
• Kent, M. L., (2011). Toasts, Eulogies, Introductions, and Other Special Occasion Speeches. Amazon.com/Kindle.
• Kent, M. L., (2011). Mac to Kindle: Secrets and Lies of Perfect Formatting. Amazon.com/Kindle.
• Kent, M. L., (2011). Microsoft Word (PC) to Kindle: Secrets and Lies of Perfect Formatting . Amazon.com/Kindle.

Articles, Book Chapters, etc.

Visit my Academia.edu or ResearchGate sites for articles or just email me.

• Kent, M. L. (accepted, in process). Dialogic Theory (tentative). In, C. Botan, & E. Sommerfeldt (Eds.), Public Relations Theory III.
• Kent, M. L. (accepted, in process). The Delphi Method as a Tool in Peacebuilding Assessment. In, S. L. Connaughton, & J. R. Linabary (Eds.), Are we making a difference?: Global and local efforts to assess peacebuilding effectiveness.
• Kent, M. L. (accepted, written). Dialogue as a Tool of Strategic Communication? In, M. Heide, & J. Falkheimer (Eds.), Research Handbook of Strategic Communication.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (accepted, written). Theoretical Evolution in Public Relations Theory. In, K. Weaver & D. Pompper (Eds). The Routledge Companion to Public Relations.
• Kent, M. L. (accepted, written). Why pay for the Influencer When you can get the Relationship for Free? Positioning Organizational Spokespeople as Online Influencers. Special Issue: Future of Communications and Public Relations, ESSACHESS—Journal of Communication Studies.
• Mahin, S., & Kent, M. L. (accepted, written). Chapter proposal: Social Media Crisis Theory: “Faux Crises” as an Evolution of the Crisis Genre. Book: Second Edition, Handbook of Crisis Communication, Sherry Holiday and W. Timothy Coombs (eds.).
• Saniei, S., & Kent, M. L. (2021). Social license to operate in crowdfunding campaigns. Special issue on license to operate, Public Relations Review, 47(2), 1–8.
• Kent, M. L., & Lane, A. (2021). Two-way communication, symmetry, negative spaces, and dialogue. Public Relations Review 47(2), 1–9.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2021, January–March). Fostering dialogic engagement: Toward an architecture of social media. Social Media + Society, 7(1), 1–10.
• Kent, M. L., & Theunissen, P. (2021). Chapter 3: Strategic rhetoric, dialogue, and the Long Now: A case study of long-term thinking.. In, C. Botan (Ed.), International Handbook of Strategic Communication, )pp. 31–44). Wiley Blackwell.
• Sommerfeldt, E., & Kent, M. L., (2020). Public relations as “dirty work”: Disconfirmation, cognitive dissonance, and emotional labor among public relations professors. Public Relations Review 46(4), 1–9.
• Kent, M. L., & Li, C. (2020). Toward a normative social media theory of public relations. Public Relations Review, 46(1), 1–10.
• Kent, M. L., & Logan, N. (2020). Rhizomatous dialogue and organizational engagement: Enacting a dialogic organizational workspace. In, M. L. Doerfel, & J. L. Gibbs (Eds). Building Inclusiveness in Organizations, Institutions, and Communities: Communication Theory Perspectives, (pp. 56–70). New York: Routledge Series in Communication, Organization, and Organizing.
• Taylor, M., Kent, M. L., & Xiong, Y. (2019). Chapter 6: Dialogue and organizationÐpublic relationships. In B. Bruner-Johnson, (Ed.), Public Relations Theory: Application and Understanding, (pp. 79–96). Malden, MA: Wiley.
• Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (2018). Understanding the Rhetoric of Dialogue and the Dialogue of Rhetoric. In ¯. Ihlen, & R. L. Heath, (Eds.) (2018). Handbook of Organizational Rhetoric and Communication: Foundations of Dialogue, Discourse, Narrative, and Engagement (pp. 315–327). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Kent, M. L., & Boatwright, B. (2018). Ritualistic sacrifice in crisis communication: A case for eliminating scapegoating from the crisis lexicon. Public Relations Review. 44(4), 514–522.
• Kent, M. L. (2018). Chapter 10: Dialogic theory. X. Chen (Ed), Public Relations Theory for Contemporary China, Vol I, (pp. 133–165). Beijing China: Communication University of China Press. (published in Chinese).
• Lane, A., & Kent, M. L. (2018). Engagement as dialogue, dialogue as engagement. In, K. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds). Handbook of Engagement (pp. 61–72). Hoboken NJ: Wiley-Blackwell..
• Kent, M. L. (2018). Dialogue (encyclopedia entry). In, R. L. Heath, & W. Johansen (Eds.), The International Encyclopedia of Strategic Communication. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
• Kent, M. L. (2018). Book Review: Compromised data: From social media to big data. International Journal of Communication 12, 2725–2729.
• Kent, M. L., & Lane, A. (2017). A rhizomatous metaphor for dialogic theory. Public Relations Review, 43(3), 568–578.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. 2017). Chapter 2: Nation building in the Former Yugoslavia: A 20-year retrospective to understand how public relations rebuilds relationships in divided societies. In I. Somerville, O. Hargie, M. Taylor, & M. Toledano (Eds.), International Public Relations: Perspectives from deeply divided societies, (pp. 9–26). New York: Routledge.
• Kent, M. L. (2017). Public Relations. In, M. Allen (Ed.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Kent, M. L. (2016). Putting the social back in social media: A longitudinal, meta-analysis of social media research. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 5(1), 62–75.
• Kent, M. L., & Theunissen, P. (2016). Elegy for mediated dialogue: Shiva the Destroyer and reclaiming our first principles. Internal Journal of Communication, 10, 4040–4054.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2016). Building an Ethic of Responsibility: Dialogue and Communitarianism as Public Relations Archetypes. In, B. R. Brunner (Ed.), The Moral Compass of Public Relations, (pp. 175–184). New York, Rutledge.
• Kent, M. L., Saffer, A. J., & Sommerfeldt, E. J. (2016). From communitarianism to dialogue: Building better relationships. NIDA Journal of Language and Communication, 21(28), 1–15.
• Xiong, Y., Taylor, M. Kent, M. L. (2016). Chapter 4: Image repair in a Chinese brand identity crisis: Will the real herbal tea company please stand up? ? In, C. J. Liberman, D. Rodriguez, & T. A. Avtgis (Eds), Casing Crisis and Risk Communication, (pp. 25–41). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2016). From homo economicus to homo dialogicus: Rethink-ing social media use in CSR communication. Public Relation Review, 42(1), 60–67.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2016). Towards legitimacy and professionalism: A call to repeal the Gillett amendment. Public Relation Review, 42(1), 1–8.
• Kent, M. L., Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Saffer, A. J. (2016). Social networks, power, and public relations: Tertius Iungens as a cocreational approach to studying relationship networks. Public Relation Review 42(1), 91–100.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2016). Community acceptance theory in the shadow of Ebola. In T. R. Harrison, & E. A. Williams (Eds.). Organizations, communication, and health, pp. 384–401. New York: Routledge Press.
• Kent, M. L. (2015). The Power of Storytelling in Public Relations: Understanding the 20 Master Plots. Public Relation Review, 41, 480–489.
• Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Kent, M. L. (2015). Civil society, networks, and relationship management: Beyond the organization–public dyad. International Journal of Strategic Communication 9, 235–252.
• Paquette, M., Sommerfeldt, E. J., & Kent, M. L. (2015). Do the ends justify the means? Dialogue, development communication, and deontological ethics. Public Relations Review, 41(1), 30–39.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2014). Dialogic Engagement as a Foundational Concept in the Practice of Public Relations. Journal of Public Relations Research 26(5), 384–398. (lead article)
• Kent, M. L. (2014). Rethinking technology research and social media. Public Relations Review 40(1), 1–2.
• Yang, A. & Kent, M. L. (2014). Social media and organizational visibility: A sample of Fortune 500 corporations. Public Relation Review, 40(3), 562–564.
• Kent, M. L. & Saffer, A. J. (2014). A Delphi study of the future of new technology research in public relations. Public Relations Review, 40(4), 568–576.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2014). Problems with social media in public relations: Misremembering the past and ignoring the future. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 3(2), 23–37.
• Taylor, M. & Kent, M. L. (2014). The value of social media for pushing activist organizations social agendas: Implications for public relations theory and practice. Quarterly Review of Business Disciplines, 1(1), 76–87.
• Kent, M. L. (2013). Using social media dialogically: Public relations role in reviving democracy. Public Relations Review, 39(3), 337–345.
• Taylor, M., Kent, M. L., & Saffer, A. (2013). Using Inoculation Theory in public relations messages: Preparing the audience for arguments to be made later. In C. J. Liberman (Ed.), Casing Persuasive Communication, (pp. 127–144). New York: Kendall Hunt.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2013). Building and measuring sustainable networks of organizations and social capital: Post-war public diplomacy in Croatia. In, R. S. Zaharna, & A. H. Arsenault (Eds.) The Connective Mindshift: Relations, Networks and Collaboration in Public Diplomacy (pp. 103–116). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Kent, M. L. (2012). The internal struggle of encroachment from within the professional association: What role should marketing and advertising play in public relations? M. A. Goralski, & H. P. LeBlanc III (Eds.), Business research yearbook: Business and global social responsibility, 19(2), (pp. 490–496). Beltsville, MD: International Academy of Business Disciplines.
• Sommerfeldt, E. J., Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2012). Activist practitioner perspectives of website public relations: Why aren't activist websites fulfilling the dialogic promise? Public Relations Review, 38(2), 303–312 (lead article).
• Kent, M. L. (2011). Ethiopian Dialogue: Merging Theory and Praxis in Journalism Training. Competitive paper delivered to The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Instanbul Turkey.

• Kent, M. L., Carr, B. J., Husted, R. A., Pop, R. A. (2011). Learning Web analytics: A tool for strategic communication. Public Relations Review, 37(4), 536–543

• Kent, M. L. (2011). Public Relations Rhetoric: Criticism, Dialogue, and the Long Now. Management Communication Quarterly, x(y), x–y
• Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & Veil, S. R. (2011). Issues management makeover: A facelift for an aging theory. In M. Goralski, H. P. LeBlanc III, & M. L. Adams (Eds.), Business research yearbook: Balancing profitability and sustainability: Shaping the future of business, 18(2), (pp. 534–541). Beltsville, MD: International Academy of Business Disciplines.
• Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (2011). How intercultural communication theory informs global public relations practice. In, N. Bardhan & K. Weaver (Eds.), Public Relations in Global Public Relations Contexts: Multiparadigmatic Perspectives, (pp. 50–76). New York: Routledge.
• Kent, M. L. (in press, 2010). (Draft copy) Chapter 45: Directions in social media for professionals and scholars. In, R. Heath (Ed.) Handbook of Public Relations (2nd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
(Draft copy)
• Kent, M. L. (2010). What is a public relations “Crisis?” Refocusing crisis research. In W. T. Coombs, & S. J. Holladay (Eds.), Handbook of crisis communication, (pp. 705–712). Oxford, England: Wiley/Blackwell.
• Taylor, M. & Kent, M. L. (2010). Anticipatory Socialization in the Use of Social Media in Public Relations: A Content Analysis of PRSA's Public Relations Tactics. Public Relations Review, 36(3), 207–214 (lead article).
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2010). The death of Second Life: A case study of a (old) new “technology.” In R. A. Oglesby, H. P. Leblanc, III, M. G. Adams (Eds.), Business Research Yearbook: Global Business Perspectives, 17(2), (pp. 603–610). International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD).
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2009). (Web)Monkeying around in the classroom: Using new technology in the classroom. The Community College Journalist, 37(3), 33–35.
• McAllister, S., & Kent, M. L. (2009). Dialogic public relations and resource dependency: New Jersey community colleges as models for web site effectiveness. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 17(4), 220–239.
• Veil, S. R., & Kent, M. L. (2008). Issues Management and Inoculation: Tylenol's Responsible Dosing Advertising. Public Relations Review 34(4), 399–402.
• Kent, M. L., Taylor, M. & Stratton, M. (2008). The Flexible Syllabus. The community college journalist (GIFT 2008 Summer Edition), 36(2), 26–28.
• Kent, M. L., (2008). Critical analysis of blogging in public relations. Public Relations review 34(1), 32–40.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2007). A taxonomy of crisis response on the Internet. Public Relations Review 33(2), 140–146.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2007). Beyond “excellence” in international public relations research: An examination of generic theory in Bosnian public relations. Public Relations Review 33(1), 10–20.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2007). Issue management and policy justification in Malaysia. In J. L. Courtright & P. M. Smudde (Eds.), Power and public relations, (pp. 126–149). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2006). Nation building: Public relations theory and practice. In V. Hazelton & C. Botan (Eds.), Public relations theory II, (pp. 341–359). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
• Kent, M. L., Harrison, T. R., & Taylor, M. (2006). A critique of Internet polls as symbolic representation and pseudo-events. Communication Studies 57(3), 299–315.
• Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & Turcilo, L. (2006). Public relations by newly privatized businesses in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Public Relations Review 32(1), 10–17.
• Kent, M. L. (2005). Conducing Better Research: Google Scholar and the Future of Search Technology. Public Relations Quarterly 50(4), 35–40.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (2005). Taking your public relations experience from the boardroom into the classroom. Public Relations Quarterly 50(1), 13–18.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2004). Congressional Web sites and their potential for public dialogue. Atlantic Journal of Communication 12(2), 59–76.
• Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M., (2003). The intercultural travel memo. The Communication Teacher 17(3), 13–15.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M., (2003). Maximizing media relations: A Web site checklist. Public Relations Quarterly 48.(1), 14–18.
• Kent, M. L., Taylor, M., & White, W. (2003). The relationship between Web site design and organizational responsiveness to stakeholders. Public Relations Review 29(1), 66–77.
• Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (2002). Toward a dialogic theory of public relations. Public Relations Review 28(1), 21–37.
• Kent, M. L. (2001). Managerial rhetoric and the metaphor of the World Wide Web. Critical Studies in Media Communication 18(3), 359–375.
• Taylor, M., Kent, M. L. & White, W. (2001). How activist organizations are using the Internet to build relationships Public Relations Review 27(3), 263–284.
• Kent, M. L. (2001). Essential tips for searching the web. Public Relations Quarterly 46(1), 4–7.
• Kent, M. L. (2001). Teaching mediated public relations. Public Relations Review 27(1), 59–71.
• Kent, M. L. (2000). Getting the most from your search engine. The Communication Teacher 15(1), 4–7.
• Taylor, M., & Kent, M. L. (2000). Media transitions in Bosnia: From propagandistic past to uncertain future. Gazette 65(5), 355–371.
• Kent, M. L. (1999). How to evaluate Web site validity and reliability. The Communication Teacher 13(4), 4–7.
• Taylor, M. & Kent, M. L. (1999). Challenging assumptions of international public relations: When government is the most important public. Public Relations Review 25(2), 131–144 (lead article).
• Kent, M. L. & Taylor, M. (1999). When public relations becomes government relations. Public Relations Quarterly 44(3), 18–22.
• Kent, M. L. (1998–1999). Does your web site attract or repel customers? Three tests of web site effectiveness. Public Relations Quarterly 43(4), 31–33.
• Kent, M. L., & Taylor, M. (1998). Building dialogic relationships through the World Wide Web. Public Relations Review 24(3), 321–334.
• Kent, M. L., (1997). Dissertation: The rhetoric of eulogies: A generic critique of classic and contemporary funeral oratory. Purdue University, West Lafayette Indiana. Advisor: Ralph Webb.
• Kent, M. L. (1991). The rhetoric of eulogy: Topoi of grief and consolation. Studies in Communication and Culture 1(5), 109–119.

Current Editorial Boards

• Atlantic Journal of Communication (review board, 2009–Present). Gary Radford, Editor.
• Journal of Public Interest Communications (JPIC) (Review Board 2017–Present), Brigitta R. Brunner, Editor.
• Public Relations Review (review board, 2002–Present). Maureen Taylor, Editor.

How to Search the Web More Successfully

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