Allison M. Alford

Professional Summary

Allison Alford is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics. She holds a PhD in Communication Studies with a concentration in Interpersonal Communication from The University of Texas at Austin. Alford has 17 years’ experience teaching university courses and her specialties are value propositions, conflict resolution techniques, teamwork, meeting facilitation and people-skills for leaders. Alford is active in the Association for Business Communication and National Communication Association.

Alford owns and operates the coaching and consulting firm, Good Talk Communication Consulting. As a communication coach, Alford has worked with professionals and MBA students in the fields of engineering, tech, publishing, human resources, sales, finance and more. She believes anyone can improve their communication skills with effort and energy.

Alford’s research and publications are focused on the topics of women, adult daughtering, work-family balance, and invisible labor. Check out her podcast “Hello Mother, Hello Daughter” anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Education

• 2016 - PhD, Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
• 2005 - MA, Communication Studies, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
• 2003 - BA, International Studies, Journalism, French, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Courses

• BUS 5390 - Management Communication
• BUS 5490 - Strategic Communication
• BUS 3303 - Managerial Communication
• BUS 3315 - Business Communication

Research Interests

• Adult daughters and mothers
• Role portrayals
• Work-Family Interface
• Unpaid and Invisible labor
• Relational working

Selected Publications

• Alford, A. M. (2024). Daughterwork in times of social upheaval. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/17459435.2024.2362212 [PDF Download]
• Alford, A. M. (2021). Doing daughtering: an exploration of adult daughters’ constructions of role portrayals in relation to mothers. Communication Quarterly, 69(3), 215-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2021.1920442
• Alford, A. M. (2020). Give yourself a gold star for kin work. The Western ABC Bulletin, 2.1. https://abcwest.org/2020/06/14/give-yourself-a-gold-star-for-kin-work/
• Alford, A. M., & Marko-Harrigan, M. (2019). Role expectations and role evaluations in daughtering: Constructing the Good Daughter. Journal of Family Communication, 19(4), 348-361. https://doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2019.1643352
• Alford, A. M., & Miller-Day, M. (Eds.) (2019). Constructing Motherhood and Daughterhood Across the Lifespan. Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b10841. Volume 14 in T. Socha (Ed.) series Lifespan communication: Children, families, and aging.