In the second episode in a row featuring Communication Arts faculty, Professor Emerita in Communication Science Joanne Cantor appeared on the Big Ten Network’s news interview program“Office Hours”. Cantor explained how performing multiple tasks concurrently actually results in lower productivity. Cantor also discussed “cyberoverload,” — the detrimental impact on productivity and creativity from the extensive introduction of new technologies into our lives each year. Finally, Cantor shared some tips for employees and students to avoid cyberoverload in order to get more done, boost creativity, and reduce stress.
“Now you have millions of potential ways to be distracted. You interested in sports? You interested in a movie? You’re interested in celebrity gossip? You interested in politics? You intersted in anything? There’s always something on the Internet and its always new. You can go back in five minutes to your favorite website and there’s something else on it. Its much more unlimited and much more diverse.”
— Professor Emerita Joanne Cantor on “Office Hours”
Joanne Cantor is a professional speaker, author, and researcher who helps people make the most of their time and their talents by effectively managing the technology in their lives. Through her consulting firm, Your Mind on Media, she speaks on productivity, creativity, and stress reduction to business, professional, and educational organizations. Her latest book, Conquer CyberOverload, grew out of her research and workshops.
Cantor was a professor at the University of Wisconsin for 26 years and is the author of three books and more than 90 scholarly articles and chapters. She is Outreach Director of the Center for Communication Research and is frequently cited in the national press and has been a guest on numerous radio and television shows including Oprah, Good Morning America, and several NPR programs.
“Office Hours” is a half hour weekly talk show on the Big Ten Network hosted by University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Science Professor Ken Goldstein. The show is produced by University Communications and the guest selection, research, and writing is done by Goldstein’s upper level political science class Political Communication: Theory and Practice. The show brings in guests from all across the UW-Madison campus to talk about what they are doing to make a difference, from unlocking the DNA of the common cold to investigating stem cells.