Communicating: A Social, Career, and Cultural Focus (12e)

Communicating introduces the basic principles of communication and applies them to interpersonal, group, interviewing, and public speaking contexts.  The book stresses communication competence through boxed material, “Learn by Doing” skill-building activities, thought-provoking questions and self-assessment questionnaires. The new edition features an increased emphasis on electronically-mediated communication and the impact of technology on our daily communication, a significantly updated research base and a reorganization of the public speaking chapters.

• Personalize Learning—MyCommunicationLab delivers proven results in helping students succeed, provides engaging experiences that personalize learning, and comes from a trusted partner with educational expertise and a deep commitment to helping students and instructors achieve their goals. With tools such as MediaShare (our video upload and commenting tool), MyOutline, and self-assessments in MyPersonalityProfile, MyCommunicationLab works with students and instructors to personalize the learning experience and make it more effective. 
• Improve Skill Development and Application— Pedagogical features such as self-assessment questionnaires that enable students to assess particular skills and end-of-chapter “Learn by Doing” skill-building activities help students gain communication competency and develop and improve the skills that will benefit them throughout their lives. 
• Engage Students— From a fresh, new design to streamlined coverage, this new edition engages students from the first page.  Extensive attention to technological developments that affect communication—from the influence of Facebook and other social media to electronic interviewing techniques and incorporating technology in presentations—place the theory and research in a contemporary context for today’s students.  
• Explore Examples of contemporary communication: throughout the text,students will find updated examples that reflect current events as well as annotated sample speeches, excerpts, and outlines that will help them in putting together their own presentations. 
• Emphasize Learning Outcomes – Clearly defined Learning Outcomes set the stage for each chapter and focus students on the key goals of the chapter.  Additionally, online tools in MyCommunicationLab, such as MediaShare, provide a strong assessment tool for measuring students’ mastery of your course’s learning outcomes through their speeches.    
• Understand Theory and Research – Adding to a strong research base, more than a hundred new scholarly journal article and conference paper citations have been added, thus expanding the contemporary research base in communication studies and related fields.  American Psychological Association (APA) reference style is used throughout, thus modeling that format for students.  Research-based sources have been added in the footnotes so students can further investigate updated text content.
• Support Instructors— Strong supplements package along with activities and assessments in MyCommunicationLab. ClassPrep, located within MyCommunicationLab, contains videos, lectures, classroom activities, audio clips, and more.

CHAPTER 1–THE HUMAN COMMUNICATION PROCESS

COMMUNICATION DEFINED

THE COMPONENTS OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION AS A SYSTEM

MODELS OF COMMUNICATION

THE MEDIA AS COMMUNICATORS

COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

FIRST AMENDMENT SPEECH

ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 2–FOUNDATIONS OF VERBAL LANGUAGE

ORIGINS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE

THE LANGUAGES WE USE

USING VERBAL LANGUAGE

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 3–NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

SOURCES OF NONVERBAL SIGNS

EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES ON NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL RELATIONSHIPS

CATEGORIES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

USING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

YOU AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 4–LISTENING

THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING

THE LISTENING PROCESS

PURPOSES OF LISTENING

LISTENING APPREHENSION

IMPROVING YOUR LISTENING

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 5–THE SELF AND PERCEPTION

SELF-TALK

SELF-CONCEPT

COGNITIVE PROCESSING

PERCEPTIONS

THE SELF

NEED DRIVES AFFECTING COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

THE ROLE OF CULTURE ON SELF-COMMUNCIATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 6–INTERPERSONAL AND ELECTRONICLLY MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

BASIC CONCEPTS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

SELF-DISCLOSURE

THE SELF AND OTHERS

SEEKING APPROVAL

GAINING COMPLIANCE

EMOTIONS AS A FACTOR IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

POWER AS A FACTOR IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

MALE/MASCULINE-FEMALE/FEMININE COMMUNICATION

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND BULLYING

RELATIONSHIPS

ELECTRONIALLY MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 7–INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

PARTICIPATING IN CONVERSATIONS

GIVING DIRECTIONS

REQUESTING

EXPRESSING EMPATHY

DEALING WITH INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT

CRITICISM

APOLOGIZING

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 8–THE INTERVIEW

THE INTERVIEW AND THE ROLE OF THE PARTICIPANTS

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 9–THE CONCEPTS OF GROUPS

GROUPS DEFINED

GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS

TYPES OF GROUPS

GROUP OPERATIONS

MAKING GROUP DECISIONS

 DECISION-MAKING TECHNIQUES

GROUP SETTING

MEDIATED MEETINGS

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 10–PARTICIPATING IN GROUPS

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN GROUPS

THE GROUP PARTICIPANT

THE GROUP LEADER AND GROUP LEADERSHIP

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 11–PUBLIC SPEAKING:  PLANNING THE MESSAGE

THE LISTENABLE SPEECH

PREPARING A SPEECH:  AN OVERVIEW

PARAMETERS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

ETHICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

ANALYZING THE PARAMETERS OF SPEECHES

 MODES OF PRESENTATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 12–PUBLIC SPEAKING: DEVELOPING THE MESSAGE

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

USE OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB

TECHNIQUES FOR PRESENTING SUPPORTING MATERIAL

 IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 13–PUBLIC SPEAKING: STRUCTURING THE MESSAGE

STRUCTURE OF A SPEECH

THE INTRODUCTION

THE CENTRAL IDEA

THE BODY

THE CONCLUSION

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF ORGANIZING THE SPEECH

TRANSITION INTO THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION

ROLE OF CULTURE ON SPEECH STRUCTURE

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 14–PUBLIC SPEAKING:  THE INFORMATIVE SPEECH

THE ROLE OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING

CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING

CLASSIFICATIONS OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING

INFORMATIVE BRIEFINGS

QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSIONS

SPEECHES OF INTRODUCTION

THE INFORMATIVE PROCESS IN ACTION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 15–PUBIC SPEAKING:  THE PERSUASIVE SPEECH

PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

THE PROCESS OF PERSUASION

PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES

ROLE OF INFLUENCE IN PERSUASION

CLASSICAL COMPONENTS OF THE PERSUASIVE MESSAGE

LOGICAL ARGUMENTS

THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN PERSUASION

PSYCHOLOGICAL APPEALS

STRUCTURE OF THE PERSUASIVE MESSAGE

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

CULTURE AND PERSUASION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

CHAPTER 16–PUBLIC SPEAKING: PRESENTING THE MESSAGE

SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE

ASPECTS OF ORAL AND PHYSICAL SPEECH PRESENTATION

PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY/STAGE FRIGHT

PRESENTING VISUALS IN A SPEECH

REHEARSING THE SPEECH

DEALIING WITH DIFFICULTIES DURING A SPEECH

THE ROLE OF CULTURE ON SPEECH PRESENTATION

IN CONCLUSION

LEARN BY DOING

KEY TERMS

• Increased emphasis on electronically-mediated communication:  Coverage of digital and electronically-mediated communication (EMC) has been expanded, beginning with the Interpersonal chapter (Ch 6), which now includes EMC in its title, and integrating text discussion and examples throughout the new edition, to explore technological developments and trends and their impact on our communication.  Topics include:  using social networking, Internet video, electronic interviewing and brainstorming techniques, and collaboration software.
• Significantly updated and expanded research base:  More than a hundred scholarly journal article and conference paper citations have been added, thus expanding the contemporary research base in communication studies and related fields.
• Greater emphasis on Perception:  The Intrapersonal chapter, now titled “The Self and Perception” explores perception in greater depth, while still offering the unique material on “Self-Talk,” “Self-Esteem,” and “Understanding Yourself” that readers have valued through multiple editions.
• Reorganization of public speaking chapters:  In response to reviewers’ requests, the public speaking chapters have been reorganized, more clearly separating preparation and presentation techniques.  The public speaking section now concludes with “delivery and presentation skills” as the final step in giving an effective and polished speech.
• Re-examination and expansion of key topic areas:  The new edition emphasizes and expands discussion of key topic areas such as perception, conflict management, leadership, and digital communication.  Other important topics, such as human language, male/masculine-female/feminine communication, how culture affects groups, and communication apprehension, have been re-examined in light of new research, to reflect the latest thinking and findings.
• Numerous new examples and boxes throughout:  Figures, cartoons, examples, and boxes have been replaced and updated throughout to make this new edition as fresh as possible and to reflect current events such as media influence on the uprisings in the Middle East or civility in public discourse.
• Streamlined coverage: Recognizing the multiple demands on students’ time, the new edition is more concise and selective in topic coverage, while retaining the breadth and depth of coverage that readers have valued through multiple editions, as well as the anecdotes and examples that make the book an engaging, accessible read.
• Striking new design:  An entirely new design offers pedagogical consistency and a fresh, contemporary look.

• Balance of theory, research and skills:  Long-recognized for offering strong connections between theory, research and skills, the book continues to apply the solid research base to everyday situations through relevant examples, timely boxed features and thought-provoking questions that ask students to reflect on what they’ve read.
• Three types of thematic boxes highlight the social, career and cultural aspects of communication.
•  “Socially Communicating” boxes offer guidelines and skills for communicating in relationships and other interpersonal contexts.
• “Communicating in Careers” boxes provide insight into workplace communication with tips on how to communicate more effectively at work and in your career.
• “Culturally Communicating” boxes focus on different cultural communication norms and expectations and how to adapt one’s communication in an increasingly diverse world.
• Emphasis on Intercultural Communication:  The book integrates intercultural communication throughout in the aforementioned “Culturally Communicating” boxes, as well as text discussions of cultural differences and the role of culture, and inclusion of the latest demographic data.
• Numerous pedagogical aids:  Learning and study aids including chapter objectives and summaries, Questionnaires, and self-assessments, boldfaced key terms with an extensive end-of-book Glossary, and annotated sample speeches, excerpts and outlines help students review and retain important chapter concepts.
• Separate chapter on Interviewing:  A comprehensive, practical chapter on Interviewing offers valuable tips and useful guidelines for conducting information-gathering and employment interviews, as well as a number of other types.