Real Communication: An Introduction

E-Book Overview

Bedford, St. Martin's, 2011. – 579 p. – 2nd edition.Real Communication presents human communication as lively, cohesive, relevant, and fun. This comprehensive overview of the discipline is full of refreshing, contemporary examples from real life, backed by the most current scholarship available. Helping overcome one of the greatest challenges in the course, CONNECT notes throughout the text highlight the connections among the concepts and skills of interpersonal, small group, and public communication. This both ties the discipline together into a comprehensible whole for students and shows them how the concepts learned throughout the course are relevant in many situations. Critical thinking activities encourage students to examine how ethics, culture, and technology influence how we communicate. The "Real Reference" study tool in each chapter helps students grasp key concepts quickly through concise summaries and an overview of key terms.Dan O’Hair is dean of the University of Kentucky College of Communications and Information Studies. He is past Presidential Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma and past president of the National Communication Association. He is co-author or co-editor of fifteen communication texts and scholarly volumes and has published more than eighty research articles and chapters in dozens of communication, psychology and health journals and books. He is a frequent presenter at national and international communication conferences, is on the editorial boards of various journals and has served on numerous committees and task forces for regional and national communication associations. Mary Wiemann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Santa Barbara City College. A longtime educator of beginning college students, she contributes a strong teaching perspective to this book. Mary’s book chapters, journal articles, student manuals, instructor manuals, and online instructional materials all reflect her commitment to making effective communication real and accessible for students. A recipient of awards for outstanding teaching, Mary is also a communication laboratory innovator and has directed classroom research projects in the community college setting. She is a frequent presenter at the National Communication Association convention where she has held a number of offices in the Human Communication and Technology Division.Real Communication uses stories from real people and the world around us to present the best and most lively introduction to communication concepts. Professors and students alike have fallen in love with Real Communication’s down-to-earth writing style, its coverage of research, and its wealth of learning and teaching tools. They also appreciate how Real Communication strives to weave the discipline’s different strands together with the CONNECT feature that shows students how concepts work and apply across interpersonal, small group, and public speaking contexts. The Second Edition is even better with a broader array of engaging examples, new coverage of hot topics in the field like Intercultural and mediated communication, plus a public speaking unit honed to provide the essential information students need for this fast-paced course. Whether you want a traditional paperback, an e-Book — online or downloadable to a device — a looseleaf edition, or the book within the new HumanCommClass, Real Communication has an option for you. Read the preface.Communication: Essential Human Behavior Perceiving the Self and Others Communication and Culture Verbal Communication Nonverbal Communication Listening Developing and Maintaining Relationships Managing Conflict in Relationships Communicating in Groups Leadership and Decision Making in Groups Communicating i