communication growth essay

Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

Students are often asked to write an essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

The importance of communication skills.

Communication skills are crucial for professional growth. They help in sharing ideas, understanding others, and making effective decisions. Good communication leads to better teamwork and positive work relationships, paving the way for career success.

Types of Communication Skills

There are two main types of communication skills: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication involves words, while non-verbal includes body language, facial expressions, and gestures. Both are needed for effective communication.

Improving Communication Skills

Improving communication skills involves listening carefully, speaking clearly, and respecting others’ views. Regular practice, feedback, and self-awareness are key to developing these skills.

Impact on Professional Growth

Effective communication skills can greatly impact professional growth. They can lead to stronger work relationships, increased productivity, and better job opportunities. Hence, they are essential for a successful career.

250 Words Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

What is effective communication.

Effective communication is the ability to share your thoughts, ideas, and feelings in a clear, concise, and respectful way. It’s not just about speaking. It also includes listening, understanding, and responding in a way that encourages open dialogue.

Why is Effective Communication Important?

Effective communication is vital in the professional world. It helps to build trust, foster understanding, and promote teamwork. When people communicate well, they work better together. They can solve problems more easily and reach their goals more quickly.

Effective Communication and Professional Growth

For professional growth, effective communication is key. It can help you to make a good impression, build strong relationships, and succeed in your career. When you communicate effectively, you show that you are a competent, confident, and reliable professional. This can lead to more opportunities for advancement and success in your career.

Ways to Improve Communication Skills

Improving your communication skills can be done in many ways. You can practice active listening, which means paying full attention to the person who is speaking and trying to understand their point of view. You can also work on your speaking skills, making sure to speak clearly and respectfully. Another way is to improve your writing skills, as written communication is also very important in the professional world.

In conclusion, effective communication is a vital skill for professional growth. It helps to build trust, foster understanding, and promote teamwork. By improving your communication skills, you can become a more effective and successful professional.

500 Words Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

Communication is like a bridge that connects people. It is the way we share our thoughts, ideas, and feelings with others. In a professional environment, good communication skills are not just useful, but necessary. They help us to work well with others, solve problems, and lead teams.

There are two main types of communication skills: verbal and non-verbal. Verbal communication is the words we use when we talk or write. Non-verbal communication is everything else, like our body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.

Verbal Communication Skills

Verbal communication is key in the professional world. It helps us to share our ideas clearly and effectively. Good verbal communication means we can explain complex ideas in a simple way. It also means we can persuade others, give and receive feedback, and resolve conflicts.

Non-Verbal Communication Skills

Non-verbal communication is just as important. It helps us to understand others’ feelings and intentions. For example, if someone is crossing their arms and avoiding eye contact, they might be upset or uncomfortable. Good non-verbal communication helps us to build trust and respect with others.

We can all improve our communication skills. Here are a few simple ways:

1. Listen Well: Good communication starts with good listening. Pay attention to what others are saying, and show them that you understand.

2. Be Clear and Concise: Keep your messages simple and to the point. This will help others to understand you.

3. Show Empathy: Try to understand others’ feelings and perspectives. This will help you to connect with them on a deeper level.

4. Practice: Like any other skill, communication improves with practice. Look for opportunities to practice your skills, like in group projects or presentations.

Communication Skills and Professional Growth

Good communication skills can help us to grow professionally. They can make us more effective in our roles, and open up new opportunities. For example, a good communicator can lead a team, manage a project, or build strong relationships with clients. They can also navigate difficult situations, like conflicts or misunderstandings, with grace and confidence.

In conclusion, effective communication skills are crucial for professional growth. They help us to work well with others, express our ideas clearly, and lead with empathy. By improving our communication skills, we can become more successful in our careers.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

(47 reviews)

ISBN 13: 9781946135070

Publisher: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Laura Seroka, Assistant Professor, Berea College on 3/25/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook covers everything that should be standard in an Introduction to Communication textbook. It has basic topics such as identity through communication, media, and foundational info which give a solid base for more specialized upper-level courses in small group communication, interpersonal communication, and rhetoric. More introductory information to prepare for organizational communication and social media would be helpful.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The text is easy to read and contains accurate up-to-date concepts. Some examples are becoming dated, however, they were accurate for when the book was written.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This book is now becoming dated with examples. The world has changed a great deal since it was published and students are sure to notice the omission of discussions of the rhetoric of former President Trump and current President Biden. Several new social media platforms are out and Twitter is now X making the language clearly dated within this text. There is also new information about microagendasetters and the role of influencers which are now important communication concepts to include. Instructors could still easily use this text, however, they would need to provide updated examples and possibly some additional readings to give current relevancy.

Clarity rating: 5

This is very easy to read and digest and vocabulary terms are clearly labeled, explained and easy to look up again if needed.

Consistency rating: 5

This book meets the standards of other texts, has quality sources, and utilizes a clear epistemology.

Modularity rating: 5

The book has good modularity and would be easy to chunk out when creating a schedule. The chapter on Informative/Persusive Speaking is the most challenging due to its length. As many students will be doing each of these speech styles independently, it may help to separate the chapter. However, having it in one chapter means either presentation style could be done first.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I wish that culture as well as new media were integrated throughout the text rather than assigned to specific chapters. For example, the chapter on culture comes in the middle of the text, after verbal, non-verbal, and interpersonal communication. As culture is deeply embedded in other topics, I think culture coming first or being discussed throughout the text would improve students' knowledge and they way they identify with the text.

Interface rating: 5

I did not have any issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I see no blatant errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

As with many other texts, this text tries to provide inclusivity in examples and end-of-chapter questions. I think my previous comments about including cultural communication throughout would improve this as well as using content from more BIPOC authors.

Reviewed by Parameswari Mukherjee, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 2/21/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This textbook is highly recommended for introductory-level Communication Studies courses. It provides a comprehensive overview of various topics, including verbal and non-verbal communication, listening skills, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, and various types of speeches. While the content is excellent, I've rated it four stars because some chapters tend to be overly lengthy.

The textbook delves into concepts such as the significance of finding common ground and comprehending diverse worldviews, which are influenced by various cultures. This inclusion of diverse perspectives makes the textbook inclusive.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

I find certain sections and exercises within the chapters remain highly relevant (such as handling communicative aggression/bullying at work, developing intercultural communication competence), despite the book being written approximately ten years ago. Additionally, I try to enhance its relevance by incorporating supplementary materials from both academic and non-academic sources.

My students have expressed appreciation for the textbook's ability to elucidate complex communicative phenomena in a clear and easily understandable manner.

The text maintains internal consistency both in its use of terminology and its framework.

In terms of modularity, every chapter is structured into manageable sections and subsections, each accompanied by key takeaways and exercises identified with a "Getting Integrated" label. This encourages both students and instructors to delve into how these concepts intersect across different aspects of our personal, professional, and public lives.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text organizes its topics in a logical and coherent manner, beginning with an exploration of the history of communication studies, followed by discussions on models of communication, different forms of communication, and advancements in communication technology and new media. Additionally, each chapter includes concrete and pertinent examples drawn from various relationships (e.g., familial, friendly, professional, romantic) and communication contexts (e.g., interpersonal, organizational, academic, mediated, civic), enriching the understanding of diverse communication dynamics and contexts.

The text is devoid of any notable interface issues, such as navigation difficulties, distortion of images/charts, or any other display elements that could potentially distract or confuse the reader.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

Communication in Real World covers important topics such as intersectional reflexivity, critical listening, voice/representation, marginalization, communication and ethics, which contributes to its inclusivity as a textbook.

Reviewed by Yejin Shin, Assistant Professor, Northeastern Illinois University on 5/5/23

This textbook includes important aspects of basic communication courses. Chapter 1 - Introduction to communication studies highlights the history and different forms of communication, which should be the basis of a basic communication course. Overall, the chapters were well-developed in different fields of communication, which can be used for 100-level courses, and encouraging students to take higher-level courses in different areas of communication (e.g., verbal, nonverbal communication, culture and communication, media). One caveat for some instructors - chapters 9-12 focus on public speaking, so if your institution has a separate class for it, it might not be helpful. Overall, good coverage of topics.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I do not have any problem with the accuracy of the textbook; References were used well, and most were from well-established journals or books. Even though there is a need for an update for better relevance, it is understandable, as it was published in 2016. Besides this issue, I found all the information accurate and provided accurate, effective discussions and exercises at the end of each sub-chapter. The contents were not biased, but the images should represent more diversity.

This book was published in 2016, and some areas change rapidly (e.g., intercultural communication, gender, new media technologies); some examples or terms should be updated. As this is not an issue of the textbook itself, the instructor can develop supplementary materials to encourage a discussion about "new" concepts or examples they experience (e.g., Tiktok, Zoom, gender identity, LGBTQIA), it will actually make the class more engaging.

This is one of the strengths of the textbook - the writing is not complicated and straightforward, precise for students who have never been exposed to any communication courses. I liked how new or essential terms were in bold and well-defined for the target students. If instructors were using this book for a basic communication course, students would understand the terms and why it is important to understand them as they are explained well with in-depth information or examples.

The text is internally consistent with a logical order; the first chapter is the introduction to communication studies and then provides the different fields in communication. I wish the public speaking chapters (Chapters 9-12) were separated to recognize the differences or more of an application framework, but in general, the terminology and the flow are all consistent. I also found key takeaways at the end of the sub-chapters beneficial for students to understand the sub-chapters separately.

The modularity of this textbook is great - each chapter was divided into small(sub) chapters, which were well divided by the objectives. Each sub-chapter has its learning objectives, so it was clear to readers how each has specific ideas and can be connected well across chapters. For example, it will not be a problem for the instructor to cover Chapter 1.4 (communication apprehension) and Chapter 10.1 (managing public speaking anxiety) together, as this text was easily divisible into smaller chapters.

This textbook is well-organized. It uses a simple but logical structure; it starts with the history of communication studies and ends with new media. All sub-chapters were also organized well within the frame of the chapter; each highlights the important concepts or ideas, breaking down into at least 3 or 4 sub-chapters.

I had no problem with this textbook's interface. It was user-friendly, and the layout (e.g., picture, different background colors for exercises or key takeaways, "previous" and "next" buttons on the bottom) was great for focusing on reading. The online version was easy to navigate; hyperlinks worked great for examples or supplemental materials. For example, students could take PRPSA online as the link was provided in Exercises: http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/prpsa.htm. PDF and e-book forms are also available for students who prefer the printed version.

The textbook used effective grammar and was free of grammatical errors.

Generally, this textbook is culturally appropriate; it is not offensive. However, as this is a communication course textbook, I think the communication field has strengths in acknowledging and appreciating cultural differences, which is why this needs to be updated. Again, the images, photos, and examples should include more diverse perspectives to enrich what we value.

Overall, this is a good textbook for a basic communication course; it covers a wide variety of topics and fields, and covering them will guide students in which specific area they will consider taking classes at a higher level. It is also easy enough for the gen edu course. If your institution had combined basic communication and public speech courses, this book fits the purpose well. Students will take advantage of it, using different versions at no cost. Some areas need to be developed, such as providing more recent examples or concerns about diversity, but if instructors are prepared for open discussions with students, this book will do fine. One of the great, effective books Open Textbook Library.

Reviewed by Pleasant Karen, Adjunct Instructor, Rogue Community College on 3/10/23

The textbook covers the key aspects of basic communication and would serve as an excellent resource for students in an introductory course. From the historical elements of communication to current research and trends, the book is comprehensive in its coverage of basic communication pedagogy. Topics range from communication and perception, through verbal and nonverbal communication in a variety of relationships, to small group and media and technology in relation to communication concepts. Several chapters present the basics of public speaking in a variety of contexts as well.

The content seems accurate throughout the textbook, but since it was published in 2016 certain chapters could probably use an update. One such chapter is the one on cultural communication and identity. I feel additional up-to-date information about co-cultures would be pertinent to include in future editions, such as gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, political viewpoints, ability/disability, age/generation, and socioeconomic status as well as a discussion about race and ethnicity.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is relevant and accessible to all levels of students. It contains very realistic and relatable examples and information to keep students interested, including a section of each chapter entitled "Getting Real." . Each chapter begins with learning objectives and ends with key takeaways and exercises. An update is needed for parts of the book since it was published in 2016. One chapter that needs updating is Chapter 15 regarding media, technology, and communication. It would be helpful if it included information about Zoom and online platforms. Periodic updates will insure that the relevance of the textbook continues. In between updates, instructors can supplement the textbook with outside readings, activities, and more. The chapter on communicating in relationships is very relatable and relevant because it discusses the "Dark Side of Relationships,"including lying, cheating, and anger issues. This is a topic that I have not encountered in other basic communication textbooks.

The book is written in an easy to follow format with terminology, given in bold, that is well-defined. It might be beneficial to have a glossary of terms. A times, images and diagrams help to clarify the information presented.

The book presents real world applications of the information in each chapter. I like how each chapter follows the same format and starts with learning objectives and ends with takeaways and exercises. This consistency makes it easy for both instructors and students to connect with the information while at the same time allowing instructors various opportunities for innovation in the activities they utilize in the classroom or online.

Readers can maneuver easily through the chapters and don't need to follow them in order. Each chapter includes foundational information and practical applications. However, I would like to see separate chapters for informative versus persuasive public speaking.

Each chapter can stand alone and they don't need to be followed in order for students to benefit from the book. As I've previously mentioned the consistency of the chapter organization lends itself well to making the book easy to navigate.

The layout of the book, and each chapter, is user-friendly and easy to access. The book is available in several formats as well, such as e-book, PDF, and more.

I didn't notice any grammatical issues as I perused the book.

The relevance of the cultural chapter would improve with the inclusion of information about co-cultures. It is important to keep up-to-date about intercultural and gender communication terms, too.

The title of the book, Communication in the Real World, is a very appropriate title for this book as it includes so many real and relatable communication issues. I think both college instructors and students would enjoy using this book as their classroom textbook. I am going to adopt it for my Basic Communication class.

Reviewed by Ibrahim Yoldash, Adjunct Professor, Prairie State College on 2/8/23

The text is very comprehensive, although there is not an in-depth chapter dedicated to ceremonial/commemorative speeches. I did like the sample speeches and topics that were offered within the chapters. I also think that students can benefit from what I consider to be "additional" chapters 6-8, 13-16 that focus on subjects that some public speaking textbooks do not. Overall, I think it's very thorough and would be an excellent choice to utilize in the classroom. My only suggestion would be to include a chapter about ceremonial/commemorative speeches.

From what I perused, it is well-written without errors.

I think relevancy is subjective ("Aristotle to Obama" instantly dates this textbook), and too many present references will date the text in the years ahead. This textbook does a good job at staying relevant while maintaining traditional communication pedagogy.

I feel, that, as educators in higher education, we cannot continue to "water down" information to make it "easier to digest." I think it is the student's responsibility to seek guidance if there is something that he/she is having difficulty understanding. This textbook is well-balanced between providing correctly defined terminology while also avoiding being too lofty and overwhelming.

Some may view this text as organizationally distinct, since it does not address speech organization and preparation until Chapter Nine; yet I find it appropriate in giving students the necessary foundation of communication history, concepts, and its applications before having them begin on speech presentations.

Modularity rating: 4

Perhaps Chapter Eleven could be divided into two separate chapters, one with Informative Speaking and the other with Persuasive Speaking. It is a very lengthy chapter, and I think students may benefit from separating the two.

Even though the chapters do somewhat build upon one another, I feel that they are also standalone in the sense that you do not necessarily need to understand the chapter unless you have read all of the ones before it (like its own self-contained unit).

I haven't had any issues with this.

Again, I haven't noticed any grammatical errors.

It does a good job of being objective by presenting information from a neutral standpoint instead of trying to take sides of an issue, historically or otherwise.

I would see no reason why this textbook shouldn't be used by many educators in this area of study.

Reviewed by Brian Healy, Lecturer, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 11/26/22

This book is an excellent foray into Communication Studies. Communication in the Real World runs the gamut from Intrapersonal Communication to Mass Communication while presenting content that reflects historical and current research trends. This textbook provides the reader with myriad opportunities for entrance into Communication theory. This book is acceptable for fundamental courses while also maintaining relevance as a companion reader to higher-level courses in communication. It is an excellent resource for any student moving through the discipline.

I find the book to be relatively accurate throughout. The foundational Communication theories are helpful and connected to the reader's lived experiences. However, I believe there are a few Intercultural Communication and Gender Communication terms that could use a touch-up and reexamination. This is to be expected as the cultural milieu changes over time, and I look forward to future iterations as the text continues to grow and develop.

The text, as a whole, speaks to the student well while maintaining its academic and terminological integrity. The overarching communication principles are presented in ways that are as relevant today as they were when I first learned them. As commented above, as the world shifts and our experiences and understandings deepen, so will the text, hopefully.

The writing in this textbook is accessible for all level students while maintaining an intellectual acuity. In addition, the terms are interconnected throughout the text allowing the student to grasp the more important terms, ideas, and theories at play as a whole. Each bold term presented is clear and well-defined.

The text follows an evident organizing pattern that makes referencing the text in class easy for students to recognize. The text also makes each important term bold so that the student can easily identify the key terms for each section.

With clear headings and short, consumable chapter sections, this text makes reading assignments comprehensible. Students can maneuver through each chapter section by section with ease.

The text is traditional in its information organization, from foundational communication theories in the first few chapters to practical applications in the latter chapters. This step-by-step style allows for a clearer understanding of how communication forms, shapes, and maintains our relationships with others in the myriad relationships students encounter.

The layout of this text is easily accessible and intuitive. Working through the text, the terms, supplemental images, and references are clear and easily discernible.

The text is grammatically clear and consistent.

This text provided a snapshot of the cultural time when it was compiled. As with any text in this ever-evolving and changing world, there are aspects like technological use and identity markers that will need updating soon and could use the support of more research as it becomes available.

After implementing this text in my class, students' responses have been very positive. I find the application of this text within differing web-based learning management systems to be a game changer as an instructor. My students have one space they need to go to read and do their homework, each working synergistically with the other. This text creates many opportunities for innovation in the classroom.

Reviewed by Michele Mahi, Assistant Professor, Leeward Community College on 3/11/22

Communication in the Real World is a comprehensive textbook for an introductory communication course. The textbook includes the standard topics addressed in typical 100-level speech courses. Something this textbook lacks is an index or glossary;... read more

The content reflects current communication research. This textbook provides a nice introduction to major communication concepts, theories, and principles and provides a solid foundation for class discussions and activities. I found the content to be error-free and unbiased.

This textbook was published in 2016, so an update with more contemporary examples would be nice. For instance, I think Chapters 15 and 16 (media, technology, communication) could use an update. A lot has changed in 6 years. However, instructors can easily develop supplementary materials with contemporary examples to increase relevancy for their students.

The writing of this textbook is clear and concise. All course terminology is properly explained.

The textbook is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Additionally, I appreciated the consistent layout of each chapter. I liked how each chapter opened with the learning objectives and closed with key takeaways and exercises. I also liked how each chapter included a section that addressed real-world applications.

Communication in the Real World is divided into chapters with multiple sections. Instructors can obtain links for the entire textbook, specific chapter, or even specific sections within each chapter. I appreciated this functionality. I liked that the textbook is divisible and customizable. In addition to allowing instructors to choose with sections they address, instructors can easily reorder the sections to their liking.

The textbook uses a clear and consistent organizational pattern for each chapter. However, I think informative speaking and persuasive speaking should have been separate chapters instead of combined into one chapter. Additionally, I think this textbook would have benefited from an index or glossary.

Interface rating: 4

I found the interface user-friendly. I thought the textbook was easy to navigate. All links worked and I did not experience problems accessing the material. However, I think the textbook could be more visually appealing.

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

Generally, I found the textbook culturally appropriate. However, I think the textbook could use benefit from more inclusive examples.

Overall, I think this textbook is an appropriate choice for an introductory communication course.

Reviewed by Art Khaw, Professor, Kirkwood Community College on 12/13/21

The Communication in the Real World text is an effective textbook for students in two-year programs and introductory communication courses at four-year institutions. Too often, texts try to accomplish too much in one course. This textbook allows for a greater understanding and growth in the discipline of communication studies. One advantage of the text is the assessments, cases, discussion questions and exercises can be accomplished in a semester.

The major content areas are fully covered in an introduction communication studies course. The book is accurate, research-based and up-to-date with communication information supported with citations and references. The communication concepts, principles and theories are accurate which includes relevant sources. The text provides a nice foundation for class discussions and lectures. Sources are referenced at the end of every chapter. The author writes with consistent, inclusive language. There was no evidence of bias or errors that I detected, perhaps more diversity in photographs are encouraged.

The textbook includes the necessary content for an introductory communication course. The framework and organizational structure of the text is arranged in a manner that any updates could easily be implemented. Political and social references can easily be updated through contemporary examples and issues in media. Instructors can supplement contemporary information to increase relevance for their students.

Communication in the Real World - An Introduction to Communication Studies is a well-written text. The textbook’s approach helps students transfer and apply the skills learned from the text to their future academic and professional environments. In addition, the textbook emphasizes practical application and is written in a manner that is easily understood. The design of the book is inviting. The writing style is reader-friendly and the presentation is appropriate for my students. The major strength of the text is the user-friendly, conversational method/style of the text. I stress the need for my students to become critical consumers of communication, as well as producers, and this text helps with that task.

There is consistency in the layout of this text. The chapters are consistent in flow, language, organization and structure. Each chapter is arranged in a way that is well-organized. Each section is clearly labeled and begins with Learning Objectives and ends with Key Takeaways, Exercises, and a bibliography (references). I like "Exercise" sections where students are given activities and questions to promote application and understanding.

The outline of the book is impressive. The textbook is broken down into logical and manageable sections that could be divided for instructors and students. The text is readily divisible with reading sections and sub- headings that are precise and uncomplicated. The headings of each module provide structure to the text. The text has several headers and sub-headers that are logical and consistent across chapters, as well as "key takeaways" at the end of each section. An instructor could easily break down a chapter into smaller assignments for students without causing high levels of confusion. The text is divided into sections that can easily be reordered as desired, and the chapters make sense as arranged in each module. There are no areas with large “sections” of text with an overload of written material that require further subdivision. The learning objectives are implemented with ease and flow.

The book is thoughtfully organized with a clear and simple structure. The textbook is in line with existing Introduction to Communication textbooks. The book nicely aligns with how I already structure my own class. This is an effective book as it will allow you to provide information that consistently builds upon the information before it. Finally, the learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter and the discussion questions and key takeaways at the end assist with applying theory into practical application.

The interface is user-friendly. The textbook exhibits no interface issues. Images, illustrations and pictures are not distorted. They are appropriate and clear. Links are active and in working order at the time of review. Furthermore, illustrations and images add interest and divides lengthy text sections. The text is visually appealing. Navigation was easy and user-friendly. In summary, the book is well constructed and the various formats available are easily accessible to the reader.

The text is thorough and well-written. I did not note any grammatical errors during my review of the text.

The book is inclusive and is fairly appealing to all races, ethnicity, and backgrounds. The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

Students of, and practitioners in, the field of communication studies will find this text a valuable learning tool. The work is easy to follow and understand. Also, valuable information and learning arenas are presented. The exercises allow enough opportunity for the mind to expand and the student to become creative. Overall, this is a very good text for students enrolled in an introduction to communication studies course. I highly recommend the text.

Reviewed by Denny Morell, Adjunct Faculty, Massachusetts Bay Community College on 6/23/21

The textbook fulfils the objective of explaining effective and ethical communication as well as describing the function of the communication process. The exercises at the end of each chapter engage students in developing self-awareness and... read more

The textbook fulfils the objective of explaining effective and ethical communication as well as describing the function of the communication process.

The exercises at the end of each chapter engage students in developing self-awareness and stimulate critical thinking and perception.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The images and photographs do not represent the cultural diversity of dominant and non-dominant groups.

Gender identity and perception in cultural and social settings should be included in the textbook The chapters should be revised to reflect current social and economic circumstances and practices.

The textbook is written in a clear and concise manner. The theories and examples are well constructed for reading comprehension.

The layout of the textbook connects the chapters in a logical order

The units are organized and consistent with specific descriptions, examples, and exercises for successful learning outcomes.

The chapters are arranged in a logical order and transition smoothly from the introduction to speech preparation and presentation.

The formats are easily accessible to the reader.

There are no grammatical errors in the textbook.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Reviewed by Madeleine Costa, Adjunct Faculty, Bristol Community College on 6/1/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book is very thorough and comprehensive as it begins discussing communication since 3500BCE up until today's new media components. It had areas that discussed how students could use this information in specific other courses and in the business world. I thought this was very effective. Each chapter had subsections that delved into the details of the overriding chapter topic. However, I did not see an index nor a glossary. These would have been very helpful if they had been included. I also would have liked an entire chapter written on the informative speeches and demonstration speeches since these are an important parts of my classwork.

I found the book's topics to be accurately discussed and error-free. It was also unbiased and offered chapters that covered ethics and sensitivity to culture and how to understand, communicate and appreciate diversity at all levels.

For the most part this book was very up-to-date. In the past I have had communication books directly quote current USA presidents or other popular political leaders of the time. I didn't see that here as much which in one way would make it less important for updating to more current political times. There was one mention of a popular TV program, law and Order which ended in 2010 so perhaps a more current reference could have been utilized.

I really enjoyed how clear the writing, chapter divisions and other components of this text were presented. The text provided many interesting features that kept my interest and would also keep the interest of students. There were clear explanations/definitions of terms especially in the chapter on new media. Key new phrases or terms are in bold and followed by definitions and more detailed explanations of the terms. There are also special sections entitled Getting Critical or Getting Competent where personal stories from the author are included to make the information clearer yet. In these sections there are questions for students to think critically about and respond to that would help clarify concepts and their application in various circumstances.

I like the way that each major chapter is divided into either 3, 4 or one includes 7 sub chapters that delve into more detailed information. Most of the chapters had four sub chapters. This made the book very detailed and comprehensive as mentioned before and the way it was divided into these specific frameworks made it consistent. Each chapter ended with a section called Key Take Aways which I thought was a great review of what the important concepts of the chapter were. Also, the chapters had "Exercise" sections where students were given activities and questions to help further their understanding.

As mentioned previously, the main chapters had 3, 4, or 7 sub chapters within them. Even these had many section divisions that were clearly indicated by a topic title in bold, larger font letters such as "Interpersonal Communication" or "Intrapersonal Communication" that would be followed with plenty of detailed information about those highlighted headings. This made the text easy to mentally digest as the smaller, clearly indicated sections were not too lengthy with too many new concepts introduced. I believe these could be easily reorganized and realigned within the course itself.

I found the book very well organized since it started with the historical background of communication and ended with new media, technology and communication in today's world. You could go to any chapter and be sure that it would be appropriately divided into the various sub chapters and headings that would further explain the major topic. There were 16 chapters that covered a multitude of communication circumstances, usages, situations and strategies that were all clearly and logically laid out for easy student comprehension. Each chapter had colorful photos, images or charts/graphs to further assist in students understanding.

I did not find any interface issues that would distract the student reader.

I did not find any grammatical errors in the text as far as I could see.

The book actually had chapters/sub chapters that dealt with handling diversity in audiences, groups and workplaces, so it was culturally sensitive. It had quite a few of the photos and images that included people of color although I think the majority of photos were of white people. The examples that included different ethnicities, races and backgrounds often had to do with actual topics that were covering race, biracial and interracial issues.

I think this would be a great book for a general communication course that dealt with the wide variety of communication types/topics as it provided a very detailed and broad coverage of many areas since 3500 BCE. However, I would not choose this book for my class on Public Speaking since it did not have enough detailed information on the various speeches that I teach, visual aids and components to be used in speech creation and delivery. It did have some of this particularly for the information and persuasive type of speeches, but I do more than those.

Reviewed by Nancyruth Leibold, Associate Professor, Southwest Minnesota State University on 5/3/21, updated 6/1/21

This textbook is an undergraduate-level textbook that is comprehensive about introductory communication with five primary types: intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication. The contents were precise in the PDF version. The online version had a sidebar that included a clear list of the contents. An index and glossary would improve the comprehensiveness. The learning objectives at the start of each chapter are fabulous.

The textbook includes mostly accurate communication information with supporting evidence citations and references. Including more representation of cultures would improve the accuracy.

The textbook is up to date for the most part. Some of the media communication areas that are quickly evolving in society could use an update. The author could add detailed tips and information about web-based professional interviews and meetings could be added. An overall section about interviews would be helpful.

The Introduction to Communication textbook is clear and well-written.

Terminology, framework, and navigation are internally consistent in the text.

The format of the chapters throughout the Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies is consistent. Each chapter includes headings with sub-sections to organize the content into easy-to-read chunks of information. Each chapter starts with an introduction, then learning objectives, content, pictures, and ends with key takeaways, exercises, and references.

The topics in the text include a logical presentation. The text consists of a Table of Contents page that is helpful and easy to follow (sidebar on online version and front of text in PDF version). The learning objectives at the start of chapters are fabulous. Vocabulary words in the text are bolded. I like the use of videos per video link. Other strengths are the key takeaways, exercises, and references at the end of each chapter. Tables, images, and figures used are helpful to communicate the information.

The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader. The links were all in working order.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

The text does include passive voice diction and split infinitives. Some nouns lack a determiner. However, writing styles vary from one discipline to another.

Cultural responsive pedagogy is an area for improvement. Some of the references to gender and race are less personal in the text than perhaps in reality. The images used of people are biased as most are of White people. Revising the text with the incorporation of a diverse mix of people in photos is a suggestion.

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies is overall a good introductory textbook. Increasing the images to be diverse would improve the book overall. Many thanks for the work to create this text!

Reviewed by Scott Makstenieks, Instructor, Winona State University on 11/11/20

For any institution or educator looking for a textbook that covers both communication theory and skill-building, this book is an excellent resource. Beyond the initial discussions of communication as a concept and phenomenon, the text covers... read more

On the whole, the material in each chapter is clearly drawn from established communication research and theory. Quite obviously, as communication technologies and cultures change, some aspects of the material may need to be supplemented in class discussions or through supplemental readings. Likewise, chapter 8.2 (in the Culture and Communication section) is a bit problematic in its discussion of race, gender, sexuality, and ability, mainly in terms of its causal logics. In other words, the chapter seems to make an essentialist claim - race is itself a cultural identity, rather than being a product of culture (or discursively shaped by culture).

As noted above, the textbook covers a wide breadth of communicative forms and contexts, making it relevant for students, irrespective of the major or career trajectory. Likewise, the sections on mass communication do address the evolution of media, along with a sense of old versus new media technologies, but some minor updates in response to new trends may be helpful for students. In terms of public speaking skills, the textbook does include a section on speaking on radio and television that can be adapted to discussions about speeches and interviews via Zoom and other online platforms.

The textbook is certainly accessible to a range of learners, using vocabulary that retains complexity without losing conceptual integrity. In various ways, diagrams and images throughout the chapters often help to illustrate basic concepts, and sample outlines/speeches are provided in the later sections on public speaking.

Each chapter is structured well and organized in a consistent manner, generally begin with broad concepts and then covering more specific topics or theories. Chapters then end with clear summaries and discussion questions for class prompts or for homework.

The textbook is exceptionally divisible into a weekly or even daily units, and the subdivisions within chapters allows instructors to take a deep dive into a topic area (assigning all sections of a chapter) or lets them introduce basic concepts quickly (assigning only the first one or two chapter sections).

The organization of the textbook fit perfectly into the flow of my introductory communication studies course, splitting the semester into one half about theory and topics and the second half about public speaking skill-building. Within those sections, the structure makes sense as broad concepts first and then specific topics (or speaking genres) second.

I have only used the pdf version of the textbook, but the integrity of the document seemed perfect - text is clear, and images are not pixelated. The table of contents is also dynamic, allowing readers to click on page numbers and jump to sections of the textbook (without scrolling through entire document manually). Other versions of the text are available on the U of MN OER page, which would seem to allow for even greater functionality as well.

No grammar errors noticed.

As noted above, the chapter 8.2 section does have some potentially confusing or problematic discussion of race, gender, sexuality, and ability. However, throughout the textbook, it is clear that the author(s) is trying to include context and culture as a significant factor in human communication. The 8.2 section also seems to be intended to give time to these important identity positions, but it needs some revision or some class discussion to clarify the complexity of these subjects.

Reviewed by Amber Worthington, Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Alaska Anchorage on 10/21/20, updated 1/10/21

This book provides a great overview of many areas of communication. I use this book for an introductory communication course that covers interpersonal communication, public speaking, and small group communication. This book also covers more introductory areas including, for example, culture and communication, leadership, and media/technology and communication. I am not sure if there is an index/glossary, but the Table of Contents page is very easy to follow and navigate.

I believe most of the content in this textbook is accurate.

I think the textbook uses relevant and up-to-date examples. Any necessary updates can be included as additional examples, and I also think the text is organized in a way that will allow easy and straightforward updates to content areas as well.

I think the text is written clearly and in a way that is accessible to students.

I believe the textbook is internally consistent and follows a consistent framework and use of communication terminology.

I think the textbook does a great job dividing the sections into smaller subsections and so on. I assign many different subsections to my students, which I think works really well with this text. I think it is especially easy to navigate to different subsections when reading the textbook online. The PDF version of the textbook is somewhat more difficult to navigate to particular sections, but it is not too complicated and a simple "search" is often effective to jump to the correct section in the PDF.

I like the way the textbook is organized. I do, however, have my students read some chapters of the textbook out of order to align with my particular course, but I think that works quite well.

I have not had any problems with this. Students also seem to like the book and have not had any interface or navigation problems.

I have not found any major grammatical errors.

I think the examples in the text could include more examples that integrate diversity, but, generally speaking, I think the text does a good job covering culture and communication.

I think this is a great book for an introductory communication class.

Reviewed by JoAnne Breault, Adjunct Instructor of Communication, Bristol Community College on 6/30/20

The book did a great job of introducing new terms, giving a strong definition and providing a clear and concise example. read more

The book did a great job of introducing new terms, giving a strong definition and providing a clear and concise example.

The section entitled Key Takeaways encapsulated the main points of the chapter. The timelines were very helpful in understanding how information has evolved over time.

The book was up to date on the use of new technology and terminology pertaining to social media.

The writing is clear and concise and easy to understand.

The book is easy to navigate through.

The subheadings made it easy to find the information I was looking for.

The organization has a logical flow. It does a great job of providing background information, weaving research and data, and presenting new information in a logical, cohesive way.

The chapter learning objectives highlight what will be covered in the chapter effectively.

I found no problems with grammar or spelling.

It was very noticeable to me that the majority of photos are of white Anglo-Saxon looking people. More minorities need to be used in the photos.

This book covered a great deal of information in a very interesting way.

Reviewed by Carleen Yokotake, Professor of Speech, Leeward Community College on 6/25/20

The book does an excellent job covering all areas of the subject matter except for Interviewing. Interviewing is an important aspect of dyadic communication and taught in our Speech courses as one of several important communication skills. Interviewing is only briefly covered in section 9.1 and in the context of finding sources. I would love for the author to include more robust and comprehensive coverage of this concept. The history of communication in the first chapter was a little longer than necessary, albeit very informative.

Overall great content! The communication principles, theories, and concepts are very accurate. However, the pictures used throughout do suggest a strong bias toward white people and this is extremely problematic.

While the concepts covered are relevant and timeless, some of the research does need to be updated. Since technology continues to rapidly evolve, more current research needs to be included as far as how current technological trends, especially social media, etc... continues to shape our interactions and ultimately, our relationships. The text is written and arranged in a way that any updates could definitely be easy to implement/insert.

This is a well-written book. It is very easy to read and many important communication concepts are explained very clearly!

Consistency rating: 4

For the most part terminology and framework contain appropriate text consistent with the topic area. I do think the Motivated Sequence Pattern did not belong in the section on organizing your main points. I consider that to be an organizational structure in and of itself.

Overall the text is divisible into appropriate reading sections, although there are some sections that are a bit too long. However, what I really like about the way the text is organized is that some concepts covered in other chapters include a direct link to the chapter the concept is discussed in. I love that!

The chapters tended to be a bit long even though the topics were presented in a logical and clear manner. It was very helpful that the author included section breaks via key takeaways and exercises.

For the most part all text are presented clearly. However, there were some important concepts covered that got a bit "buried." Perhaps those concepts can be highlighted/bolded. For example in section 1.2 under "Communication is a Process," principles such as, communication messages vary in terms of their, "level of conscious thought and intention, communication is irreversible, and unrepeatable," should all be in bold. This would make it easier to read the larger patches of text that include important terms. Another area that could be adjusted a bit is in section 9.3 Organizing. All of the headings are the same size thus making it a little confusing and or difficult to distinguish sub points. It would be helpful the chance font sizes of headings to distinguish sub headings more clearly.

No problems here.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

For the most part the content in the text reflect inclusivity of a variety of cultures. However, most of the pictures throughout the entire book are only of white people and should be updated and/or changed. One picture in particular in section 1.1 under the Group Communication heading, should be updated/changed. The picture shows a group of all white men and women and can be seen as biased especially given the recent events surrounding the death of George Floyd. I recommend changing this picture to reflect a more diverse group of individuals. This same issue is found in section 1.3 under the heading "Academic" there is a picture of three white men in regalia suggesting only white people pursue higher education. In subsequent chapters whether showing a classroom full of students or two people interacting, most of the pictures are of white people. Pictures of people of other ethnicities were grossly outnumbered. This really should be mitigated/updated.

I really like the "Key Takeaways" sections, it helps draw students back to the important points made in the chapter. The "Exercise" sections are also very helpful to stimulate class discussion or self reflection.

While it was helpful that the author included links to chapters that covered concepts more in depth, there was a tendency to cover more information than necessary when introducing a concept that was covered more comprehensively in another chapter. For example, in Chapter one, the concept of compliance gaining was introduced. Instead of listing the common tactics used for compliance gaining in this section, a one sentence definition along with the link to Chapter 11 would have been sufficient. Overall, a great textbook, well done!

Reviewed by David Rattigan, Adjunct Faculty, Northern Essex Community College on 6/19/20

The book is very comprehensive, and could be used in multiple classes as a supplemental text, or with supplemental texts. However, it was originally published in 2013, and there are some new developments that went uncovered particularly related to... read more

There was nothing that I could spot the was inaccurate or biased.

Necessary updates may be easy and straightforward to implement, but are due.

The text is academic, but the ideas are introduced, organized, and supported well.

The text is consistent for both framework and terminology.

This is one of the things that is most impressive. I read the text while considering whether to use it for my Mass Communications, Public Speaking, Interpersonal Communication or Public Relations classes. I found that it is easily divided into smaller reading sections.

This book covers a wide area very competently, with a logical flow of topics that is easy to understand.

The interface is user friendly.

I noticed no grammatical errors.

This is an area where the information presented is excellent but a lot has happened since it was published in 2013.

An update is due, but I like the book and will add it as a required text for some classes in Fall 2020.

Reviewed by Brenden Kendall, Associate Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 3/6/20

Subjects within the text are covered well, though the author is not particularly clear about the scope of their major sections (and reasons for those choices). Put another way, the text is framed as a neutral account of the field, when of course... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 2 see less

The text does not engage the major subfield of organizational communication in any way. Group and team communication are covered well enough. But the area of organizational communication is an obvious and serious omission. There are whole majors, disciplinary interest groups, conferences, and international/trans-disciplinary subjects in organizational communication.

No index, glossary, or cross-tabulation is available.

The text is accurate in what it covers, highlighting and spending appropriate time with emphasized content.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 1

What is covered in this text is covered accurately and in a conversational, student-friendly style appropriate to the level of course for which this text is intended. Significant, long-standing ideas are addressed.

The trouble here is that the references that form the basis of the text are quite outdated. Certainly, textbooks are not encyclopedias or literature reviews, but the major concepts and theories addressed are “classics” up until about 2000. I write this in 2020. As such, the text is somewhat imprecise when it comes to representing contemporary views on communication dynamics – the perspective is not consistent with some major recent disciplinary shifts. I think here of constitutive views on organizational discourse, representations of gender and transgender dynamics, etc.

That this text’s subsequent editions are in print with a for-profit publisher means it’s unlikely to be made more relevant or current anytime soon, nor very easily.

Clarity rating: 3

For a text to be clear at the basic level, I use Gerald Nosich’s SEE-I model for critical thinking: State, Explain, Exemplify, and Illustrate. This textbook varies in the degree to which it offers these elements of conceptual presentation and exploration. It is thus moderately good in terms of clarity. Some notes:

State: the book provides clear definitions, useful highlighting of significant concepts. Subsections are of greatly varying lengths, however. This provides some confusion when it comes to which parts of the text deserve students’ greatest attention, because these differences in length seem to be relevant to the author’s interest rather than the import to the reader.

Explain: I’ll note again the unevenness of the depth of attention to certain passages or ideas. Some concepts are bolded in passing, though important, and some receive detailed explanation. Not all things deserve the equal attention, sure, but these discrepancies seem problematic in the case of this book.

Exemplify: examples are often personal, interesting, and vivid. An update would deepen the range of examples regarding persons’ identities and lived experience (e.g., according to race, gender, socio-economic status, etc.).

Illustrate: the text is clear and concrete, but does not go much beyond the standard illustrative writing of the textbook genre: the extended story at the outset or closing of the chapter. Give students metaphors, more lively diagrams, media references… any creative analogy!

Consistency rating: 1

The most obvious example of problematic consistency is at the highest level, chapter organization. The media chapter addresses technology, and yet there’s also a chapter on “new” media and technologies. The team and group chapter covers some ‘workplace’ issues, but no chapter is presented on organizational communication, where there is more depth on this subject. Rhetoric isn’t present in a big way. And so forth. The content, overall, has little balance.

Because of the text's frequent use of subsections, this book can be remixed and rearranged quite readily at both granular and broad levels.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 1

Nope. The book articulates no specific logic or plan for the organization, and offers little in the way of bridging elements of the book. But, as noted in the modularity section, the book can be usefully chopped up in this format.

The book is easy enough to read, print, etc. The use of learning objectives for minor sections, combined with its formatting can make for odd on-line reading, with movement between sub-sections sometimes feeling like transitions between chapters. On the whole, the format works and the price is right!

Editing seems thorough and writing is generally effective. The text assumes both a familiar, colloquial voice and a more authoritative voice in different parts. This can make for a feeling of disjuncture re: being addressed as a reader. But this is a minor issue.

The text is culturally appropriate and includes important concepts in this area through 2010 or so. But concrete examples or example fictional narratives rarely engage lived experiences of persons of color, low socio economic status, and similar kinds of common marginalization. Narrative examples are often reserved for a more generic kind of concept, an attempt at normalization and generalization that can in a subtle way reinforce hegemonic depictions of communication. The book is not offensive or condemnation-worthy on this point, but it's limited.

This textbook should be used with complementary materials (e.g., borrowed chapters from other textbooks) in any class, especially for covering areas of significant omission relevant to the "intro course" in Communication Studies.

Reviewed by Thomas Townsend, Lecturer, East Tennessee State University on 10/31/19

The text is comprehensive within its publishing date. It covers the basics of Communication Studies and two chapters of Mass Communication. read more

The text is comprehensive within its publishing date. It covers the basics of Communication Studies and two chapters of Mass Communication.

The book is accurate. My only point of contingency was in the sample outlines which do not include traditional outlining with Roman numerals. As we would use the text i a first year gen. ed course, were we to teach that tradiaonl outlining message, we would need to redo the examples.

The text through 2016 is updated and relevant. In addressing the change in mediated communication from 2016, the text is obviously silent as it had not been written yet. Instructors hoping to address contemporary issues with social media, particularly in relation to current events, will need to supplement their course.

The book is clear, well-organized, and clear. Terms are well defined and presented succinctly. The chapter reviews are particularly helpful to readers.

The author(s) has written a text that reads the same from chapter to chapter. The information is equally accessible throughout. The organization of the "getting real," "key takeaways," and "exercises" reinforce the well-written chapters and engage the readers.

The modularity of the book makes using only selected chapters easy for instructors for adapting to any course.

The organization on the whole. The only drawback in organization is found in the chapters on public speaking. In the author's defense, I find the same issue with most beginning communication textbooks in that the way the public speaking chapters are included is a bit jarring I have no suggestion on how to avoid it.

The textbook exhibits no significant interface issues. The charts and images are not distorted. The images are appropriate and clear.

The textbook is well-written. I found no grammatical errors.

The author puts forward efforts towards making the text inclusive. The chapter on culture reinforces the tone of the text. Cultural competence is a theme of the text.

I am recommending us to replace our current text with this one.

Reviewed by Tim Ball, Associate Professor, James Madison University on 7/24/19

The textbook does cover all areas and ideas that are appropriate for an introductory human communication course (e.g., the communication process, perception, culture, verbal and nonverbal communication, listening, interpersonal and relationship communication, and public speaking). Chapters 14 and 15 focus on mass communication topics, so we would not include them in the version we would make available to our students. The textbook does have a table of contents, but I did not find a back-of-the-book index or a glossary of terms.

For the most part, the textbook is accurate and free of overt bias. However, I found some errors. For example, in 9.4 (Outlining) of Chapter 9, the speech outline examples were not formatted correctly. Roman numerals (which identify the main points), capital letters (which identify sub-points), and lower case letters (which identify supporting details) were missing. The outline examples only used Arabic numerals. This is an important error because my students do not know how to create an outline for their speeches. I can make those formatting changes, but I wish I did not have to.

Textbook content is generally up-to-date, but some sections are already obsolete. For example, 1.1 (Communication: History and Forms) provides a brief history of communication from Aristotle to President Obama. President Trump’s use of Twitter to communicate directly with the American public is new and needs to be acknowledged and addressed if we are going to use this textbook for years to come.

The prose throughout the textbook is accessible and the author provides adequate context for any jargon or technical terminology used. Accessibility is important in an introductory human communication textbook because we do not want to turn off the students with ideas and concepts that are not understandable because of jargon or technical terms.

Overall, the text framework demonstrates an agreement or harmony of parts/features to one another. For example, every chapter has at least four sub-sections in which the author describes the main idea of the chapter in detail. Not every introductory textbook author does this.

Each chapter includes at least four smaller reading sections. Each section can be edited for length, easily reorganized, and realigned without too much trouble.

The topics in the textbook are arranged in a logical fashion. The communication fundamentals, interpersonal communication, public speaking, small group communication, and new media chapters are grouped together. I would rearrange the order somewhat by placing the culture chapter with the other fundamentals chapters.

I did not find any significant interface issues. Navigation was easy and no images or charts were distorted. In short, I did not find any features that may distract or confuse readers.

For the most part, the textbook does not contain any grammatical errors. I did not find subject-verb agreement errors, sentence fragments, misplaced or dangling modifiers, vague pronoun references, or incorrect word usage. Occasionally, I would find a missing comma after an introductory element or a missing comma in a compound sentence.

I believe this introductory textbook is culturally sensitive and not offensive in any way. The examples used, especially those in the cultural communication chapter, are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.

I wish that the references and the in-text citations of sources were written according to the American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines, but they are not. I want students to include references in APA style, but I cannot point to references in the textbook as examples. I can make those changes, but it adds to the workload.

Reviewed by Robert Jersak, Faculty Instructor, Communication Studies, Century College on 6/21/19

Communication in the Real World is fairly comprehensive. In eighteen chapters, interpersonal, intercultural, small group, leadership and media dynamics in our field are introduced discussed in beginning-level depth. That’s quite a breadth of... read more

Crucial COMM concepts are included for each sub-discipline and highlighted within the text, and a citation often follows immediately to give readers a sense of the origin of that particular concept. Discussions of these ideas are often useful and applicable to real life. Even if readers are less-than-captivated by the text itself, this would still be a resource for exploring these core concepts further through other assigned activities.

The text is general enough to give an overview of ideas that aren't tied exclusively to current events. However, any text that addresses communication through mediated channels will need frequent updating as research catches up with the impact of social media channels. As my needs for this text pertain to Interpersonal Communication, I spent less time reviewing Chapter 15. However, the timelines featured for different mediated channels may be useful in providing historical context for those being introduced to mass media.

Lucid, yes. The book is competently written. But accessible? The writing truly is dry and typically textbookish. The author has made the curious choice of occasionally speaking in first-person - “For example, I consider myself a puzzle lover” (p. 375) - but not offering a brief introductory biography or foreword. As a result, the text feels impersonal and a bit detached - and it may be quite hard to get into for those not comfortable with academic readings.

The book is consistent, yes, but there is room here for expansion and growth. Communication in the Real World is consistently academic in structure and tone, though it would have been marvelous to have short essays written by students/alumni who are using these skills and ideas in their "real worlds," so as to bring these ideas to life and to help readers see more clearly how communication skills are a benefit in practice.

The book's great strength is it's ability to be used in multiple beginning-level courses. It will be easy for me to separate the Interpersonal Communication content that I want my students to read.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

While there are subheadings within chapters, they aren’t quite as helpful as they could be, and instead often seemed a bit random and haphazard. A tighter outline would have been helpful to direct students to explore, or re-review, key ideas. I did appreciate the historical framing of the discipline itself at the start, though. Many faculty may choose to skip the introductory chapter in order to move into the specific course-related content, but I believe it is important for students to be exposed to the roots of the discipline early on, and why Communication Studies is a vital part of the Liberal Arts.

No significant interface issues that I could readily identify. The .pdf version was fully functional and clear.

The book appears to have been clearly written and proofread, yes.

While there are fundamentally important issues related to intercultural interaction and diversity in Communication in the Real World, these issues are undermined a bit by the choice of images. The book lacks representative images and voices, and often feels more like it’s talking about marginalized cultural groups, rather than talking to them or with them. This is perhaps the book's greatest weakness.

I’m very thankful that this text exists as a starting point for our discipline, and students will greatly appreciate the no-cost option. But I expect to do a good deal of work building supplementary material so that the negatives can be addressed and the positives can be strengthened for student learning. If you’re unsure in your decision to adopt Communication in the Real World, you may want to stick with your trusted, affordable resources until more supplements, or an updated edition, can be created.

Reviewed by Bradley Wolfe, Adjunct Professor, Minnesota State University, Mankato on 5/21/19

The textbook covers all the basic topics for an introductory communication course. I've used the textbook for my introduction to communication course, along with selections of the text for small group communication. The book covers plenty of topic for a professor to customize what to cover in the semester and what to leave out. The book is easy to read and I've heard no complaints from students. Only positive comments about how it was free!

The book covers all the topics in good introductory detail. I like to supplement the text with diverse perspectives, such as voices from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Claiming an "unbiased" perspective puts a claim on what is "true" and what voice matters the most. We never can be free of bias, but the textbook does well at providing foundational information that can be agreed upon as the whole.

Some additions could be made to center diverse voices and perspectives. The information contained is relevant, but not fully inclusive to the full diversity of communication among and across cultures.

Students have no trouble reading and understanding the assigned readings. When I have used this book, students have comprehended everything well with limited follow up explanation needed from me. We were able to use class time apply what was learned from the readings.

The organization and flow is consistent throughout. Some sub-chapters are longer than others, but overall students know what to expect.

The book does a great job of having flexibility for what is assigned. The sub-chapters allow professors to customize the text for their class without much hassle. Some things I can cover myself in class so the section doesn't need to be assigned, but others I can have the students read beforehand to apply in class.

I use the textbook out of order, but the pattern is typical for introductory communication texts.

The textbook is easy for students to navigate. I ensure to hyperlinks the specific assignments on our learning management system to make it easy for students to find the assigned readings.

No issues that I found.

The text is fairly basic in covering introductory communication concepts. I've seen better work done in terms of including diverse voices and perspectives into the text. There is some diversity represented in the text, but those concepts are isolated and not integrated throughout. This is the one downside of this textbook.

Great book overall. Free and easy to use for students. I definitely recommend taking advantage of this resource.

Reviewed by Lucas Hackenburg, Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Nebraska - Lincoln on 4/3/19

This textbook includes the major ideas and topics as most other introductory communication studies texts. This text is appropriate for a 100/1000-level course. Four chapter are devoted to public speaking, so consider the structure of the course. In a class that requires a public speaking component, this would be appropriate; these sections may not be useful in large lecture settings.

There are no major content errors.

Videos and examples are still relevant. I imagine that they will need updated within the next five years or so (i.e. "Shows like The Office and The Apprentice..." may not be as easily recalled in a few years). The text focuses predominantly on larger theoretical ideas and themes. Updating the examples and images would be fairly easy.

This book presents theoretical ideas in ways that could be understood easily by underclassmen. The definitions are accessible through the reading and does not require prior knowledge of the subject area. One recommendation would be to include a glossary where bolded terms are easily accessible.

There are several instances where the author uses "I" to demonstrate experiences or ideas ("I argue... I suggest..."). Some sections do not have any of these anecdotes, whereas other sections have several. This inconsistent shifts from theory to personal account are distracting. Not detrimental, but it does disrupt the flow of reading.

This texts is divided well. As previously mentioned, there is a significant public speaking section in this book, but that could easily be removed or altered to align with course goals.

Overall, this book is organized well and similarly to other textbooks I have used in my course. I understand why the public speaking section is positioned where it is (after intercultural communication), but it is a difficult transition from communication theory and practice to public speaking. (I have had the same complaint for every textbook I have used, so this is not a unique situation, as the textbooks I have used are organized in the same way.) Breaking the course into units may help alleviate the tension of this transition.

Overall, the interface is user-friendly. An option to continue to the next section at the conclusion of each section would be more convenient than scrolling back to the top and selecting from the Table of Contents. Links to videos and other sites all appear active and in working order.

No major grammar issues to note.

The intercultural chapter is more engaging than other similar textbooks on the market! Overall, I think it provides a great opportunity to facilitate classroom discussion, especially when helping students apply the information they are learning outside of the classroom. It is important to remember that this textbook is written from an American perspective, and instructors should be prepared to engage in conversations about privilege when using this textbook.

Overall, I would use this text for an introductory communication course. For general education requirements across majors, this text covers theoretical and practical topics which students can easily translate outside of the classroom. For communication studies majors specifically, I would recommend supplementing the material with texts specifically related to the discipline.

Reviewed by Carolyn Weber, Communication Faculty, Minnesota State on 3/18/19

This text provides what it claims - an "an introduction" to range of communication concepts and focuses on skills, predominantly in the area of public speaking. I chose to use segments of this text for an online interpersonal communication course... read more

I have not encountered any glaring errors. The author writes with consistent, inclusive language.

The examples used are current - and based on the political references the text will become outdated in a few years. Supplementing these areas with current names and analogies will not be difficult. The last "generation group" identified is Generation Y. Again, the concepts are relevant and supplements will provide timely data.

The text is well-written and appropriate for an introductory college communication course. The text appears to follow the thesis driven, North American Writing style. The author presents the information in a format that flows well and holds my interest.

The text is constructed in an easy to follow-format with a consistent pattern. Learning objectives followed by modules, key takeaways, exercises, and references.

Each chapter contains a consistent number of modules to help the instructor deliver the content to the learner in a systematic manner. The headings of each module provide structure and agility to the text.

Does the term "New Media" fit? It may, however, I think that "the evolution of New Media" and the discussion of this mode of communication may fit better toward the beginning of the text.

A few of the images appear distorted or stretched. The format in which the text is available is abundant.

Well-written!

Although the language is "inclusive," as noted by other reviewers, the images are not diverse. A variety of ethnicities are not represented in pictures.

This text has been extremely helpful and, until there is an OER developed, I will continue to use the book for interpersonal communication. I will also consider using segments of the text for an online introductory public speaking course.

Reviewed by Skye Chernichky-Karcher, Assistant Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 3/14/19

The range of topics for this book is comparable to other leading textbooks of this area from popular publishers. This would be perfect for a course that seeks to cover communication studies with a public speaking component, but lacks topics that may be relevant for a course that is strictly communication studies without a speaking component. I echo other reviewers in that this book lacks emerging areas of communication studies such as health communication. This may, however, be a critique of the larger "brand" of introduction to communication studies textbooks and not this book specifically.

This textbook cites the appropriate literature for the major concepts covered. The strength here is citation and discussion of key literature that is the foundation of each topic (e.g., noise as a barrier to listening). I wish that the book would also consider adding in the most current applications of some of this literature as I will discuss below in the relevance section. Examples are unbiased.

The textbook includes the necessary content for the concepts covered. However, it lacks specific examples or current applications of some of this content. For example, in the discussion of Family Communication Patterns theory it would have been helpful to cite some of the more relevant literature using this theory. This textbook gives a great foundation for the most important concepts related to communication, but as an instructor, I need to fill in the gaps with the most relevant applications of these concepts. This is one of the major pieces that sets this book apart from the current publisher textbooks that I've used previously in my course.

The textbook is written in a clear and appropriate tone. I also like the repetition of major concepts in each unit. For example, the chapter on family communication processes includes a discussion of two major communication processes in family communication literature: conversation and conformity orientations. The text also provides a visual image of these processes. They also come up again in the key takeaways section and are reinforced in the exercises at the end of the unit. This clarity and consistency is wonderful for students and instructors alike.

The book has a consistent structure throughout the units. The book is also consistent in highlighting important terminology. Related to modulation (below), the way that each unit was presented was consistent: learning objectives, content, key takeaways, and exercises.

Overall the break down of the content makes sense. The topics are also appropriately split within each unit. My only suggestion would be to include a symbol for the subheadings within each unit. For example, in section 6.4 Self-Disclosure and Interpersonal Communication there are three subheadings: Theories, Process, and Effects. It would be nice if each of these sections also had a numerical indicator: 6.4.1, 6.4.2, and 6.4.3 for example. This would make it easier to assign short reading for each of these sections if I were to take more than one class period to discuss self disclosure.

The public speaking sections seems to come in the middle of the textbook. I would suggest moving these units to the end. The learning objectives at the beginning of each unit and the discussion questions at the end are very helpful.

The interface is easy to use and visually stimulating. The mobile interface is very impressive and easy to use.

The book appears to be free from grammatical errors.

The book is very sensitive to include examples of diversity and culture throughout the textbook and was not restricted to only chapter 8 which discusses culture and communication.

This is a great textbook for a class seeking to cover communication studies with a public speaking component. You could also use this as a foundation for a human communication course, but would need to supplement this book with other reading material. I really appreciate the ease in accessing this textbook on mobile devices - this is a huge advantage of the online platforms that publishers offer for their textbooks which I have found to not be very good.

Reviewed by Berkey Timothy, Instructor, Taylor University on 3/4/19

I appreciate the inclusion of materials chosen for this text. read more

I appreciate the inclusion of materials chosen for this text.

Well within the boundaries of discipline specific knowledge.

I do not foresee this text becoming out of date and any changes would be minimal.

I think my students will value the conversational tone set by the author.

The consistency of this text should add clarity for students.

The sections are consistent with other popular texts.

The flow fits nicely with the construction of the course and material can be presented in a nonlinear fashion well.

Very clean and easy to use.

None noticed.

I see many attempts at cultural sensitivity.

Reviewed by Leigh Kelley, Instructor, Radford University on 2/19/19

I use this textbook in an Introduction to Communication course that covers both Communication and Mass Communication. It does a good job providing an overview of such topics such as history, process, perception, listening, verbal, nonverbal, group and other areas that align with program objectives for our academic unit. This resource ensures all students have immediate access to the content from the first day of class, and allows the instructor to focus on supplementing the material with lectures, discussions and in-class exercises. As mine is a large class I do not use the public speaking chapters. In addition, I use other resources for the Mass Communication topics because of the nature of the discipline.

The content is accurate. I have not noticed any errors, and the author has an unbiased approach to the content, with research supporting the information presented.

The text provides useful and relevant content but will need updates from those who choose to use it. Instructors need to be mindful of current events as they relate to the content. An example would be Including discussion of events such as the 2018 Charlottesville riots, during which marchers carried Nazi symbols and Confederate battle flags, which are an important coda to the "history/past-present/future dialectic” and discussion of controversy over what the Confederate flag symbolizes in the chapter dealing with Intercultural Communication. This can be achieved by updating examples in the text and providing up-to-date content in lectures. Also worth note: I was pleasantly surprised that there were fewer 404 errors than anticipated in the links to external references.

Key takeaways, definitions, highlighted and hyperlinked text provide a great resource for students navigating an introduction to the study of communication. It makes the text accessible, clear and easy to understand. Example and illustrations help communicate key points, and terms are clearly defined.

The organization helps guide readers through the content, lets students focus and organize their studies, and facilitates instructor updates. The organization of content areas into subchapters, learning objectives, key takeaways, suggested exercises, and well-cited sidebars provides a clear and consistent format for the material presented.

There is continuity in the way the text is structured, so that a linear progression through the text allows students to build on prior knowledge. At the same time, important topics have sufficient repetition and reinforcement so that instructors can effectively teach select chapters, and teach chapters out of sequence.

The order of the chapters themselves, as well as the content within chapters, provides a clear and logical presentation of the material. The content builds and extends ideas presented elsewhere in the text.

While students could use any format, I used the .epub file. Charts and images were clear, and digital reading tools made it easy to mark the text, make notes, and reference content as needed. I did not notice any problems with the interface or in navigating through the content.

I did not notice nor was I distracted by grammatical or spelling errors.

This text may limited by freely available photography; instructors should be aware that images in the text heavily features Caucasian subjects. Instructors using this text may want to specifically seek out presentation/lecture images that are more representative. Textual content and examples selected strive to be inclusive.

The textbook is appropriate for an introductory level course in communication. This is a fantastic contribution to the field and is a great resource to ensure students have affordable access to a resource that provides a solid foundation for the study of communication.

Reviewed by Merissa Bunton (Brown), Lecturer of Speech and English, Leeward Community College on 2/14/19

I plan to begin using this book for my Human Communication course. All of the topics I address are adequately covered in this text. When I began my initial review of the book, I loved the online glossary with the easy to navigate "dropdown" menu that quickly links users to the desired topics. Additionally, the learning objectives outlined at the beginning of each section are especially helpful.

The writer's adherence to inclusive language throughout the text demonstrated best practices in modern communication. No glaring errors distracted me from the content.

I appreciated that the book had two separate chapters addressing media and communication. The first of the two, Chapter 15, provided a general, history and overview of the development of media over time (especially as related to technology), theories associated with media, and a section on ethics. The second, Chapter 16, looked specifically at new media. Separating the chapters in this way, I believe, will make the book easier to update and media continues to evolve.

Clarity rating: 4

I like that the wording is approachable for most readers. I would prefer the author(s) not use "we" in the discussions because that word inherently discriminates against those who do not share the same experience as the author(s). Additionally, although key words are highlighted in the text, I would also like to see those same key words defined in the margin or at the end of chapters to help students study as they build their lexicon. The "Key Takeaways" listed at the end of each section are nice.

The writer(s) did a lovely job scaffolding the information throughout the text. Terminology was consistent.

I really appreciate the attention to detail employed when preparing the various sections of the text. As I build my resources for both my online and face to face sections I will be able to embed links easily in my online classroom and handouts for student reading/reference/discussion.

The organization of the first six chapters align exactly with the way I prefer to teach. I love being able to assign chapters to students in sequential order. The division of the two chapters about media and communication, at the end of the book, is perfect for updating. Listing learning objectives at the beginning of each section and key takeaways at the end of each chapter is extraordinarily useful.

Navigation is simple, intuitive, and user-friendly for both digital natives and digital immigrants. The option to download and print a pdf of the entire book is also helpful.

Apart from an occasional error, the book is well edited for grammar and clarity.

The book employs inclusive language throughout with no instances, I perceived, of direct cultural insensitivity.

I look forward to using this book for not only my introduction to human communication course, but as a supplementary resource for many of the English courses I teach as students approach group projects. Specifically, I plan to use the information from Chapter 5 (listening) and Chapter 13 (small group communication).

Reviewed by Valerie Young, Associate Professor, Communication, Hanover College on 1/25/19

Each chapter supports both the "typical" topics in similar breadth and depth as the traditional hybrid Intro to Communication text and I was pleasantly surprised to see the integration of topics within and between chapters. For example, rarely to Communication texts engage with the National Communication Association resources in the way that this one does. The chapters reference NCA's work in learning outcomes, skills, ethics, and employment in the field.

The content is very accurate, from my perspective and background. For instructors who find something missing, it should be easy to supplement with a journal article or two. Personally, the major content areas are fully covered and there are plenty of references to content that is omitted from other Intro texts due to space constraints. I did not notice many (any?) errors or bias in the content during my initial read. The Chapter 16 acknowledges that new tech changes occur rapidly. The author links to a personal blog (no thanks; not my favorite way to update textbook content), and the blog is not written in English.

Plenty of examples are embedded into the text, up to the Obama/2012 election era. It would be fantastic to update the political and social references again to connect with readers and contemporary examples in media.

The book is written in a conversational, approachable writing style that should be appealing to lower-level undergraduate students; it makes for an “easy read” even though chapters are broken down into several sections and the text is plenty lengthy. I could easily assign this text in a 100-200 level course without reservation, based on the clarity of writing. I don't love the occasional use of first-person language/writing, but that's a minor, personal annoyance.

Like a traditional text, each chapter begins with a list of learning outcomes; ends with takeaway summaries and a list of discussion prompts, rhetorical questions, or activities appropriate for the classroom. The learning outcomes and content is consistent with those used in the broader communication field. The text provides a broader scope for the historical framework of our discipline, couching the discipline in rhetoric, as many Intro texts mention the ancient evolution of the field (including technical and mediated communication) rather flippantly. There are not as many journal article source citations as I’d like, and it would be fantastic to link some web content or other content into the citations or as video examples earlier in the text. Some of the chapters have videos embedded; others do not.

I appreciate that the lengthy chapters are easy to divide into sections. Each section is easy to navigate on screen and would allow an instructor to divide reading assignments by chapter subsection, based on the pacing of the course reading assignments. Sometimes, reading the entire nonverbal chapter (for example) can be overwhelming; yet dividing the content into an overview, a focus on types, then competence and context makes the chapter easier to approach in subsections. Each subsection contains subheadings for readability. My complaint here is still praise: even the subsections are very detailed and lengthy. I'd much rather have too much content than too little; however, my students may feel overwhelmed if asked to read more than one or two subsection per class period. With that said, if you've ever hesitated to assign a full chapter of reading per day for fatigue reasons, this modular format will allow you to break apart each chapter and cover content as students keep up with reading subsections.

Excellent organization and flow between topics. Very similar to the previous texts I have used for this level of class. The chapters are presented in a nearly identical order. There are two topics- culture and organizational communication- that are *typically* reserved for separate chapters in other Intro texts. Here, I appreciate that concepts regarding culture and organizational communication are interwoven into several chapters, where relevant- and cultural communication and leadership development have their own chapters, as well. Makes for seamless organization (and plenty of content!).

Interface rating: 3

It is fairly easy to navigate through the pages and subheadings using links at the bottom of the pages. The subheadings would be easier to navigate if a list of chapter subheadings/content appeared on the upper left side of the screen and followed the reader, so that as I read subsection 4.3, I can easily click back to content in 4.2 and 4.4 without scrolling to the bottom of the page. (like the content dropdown menu bar, but one that follows the page and only pertains to the chapter open).This is a minor concern. I do appreciate the links embedded into the chapters; however, as I link backward or forward to content that is already covered (for example, Chapter 15 references Chapter 9; I click on the link and I'm tossed to the beginning of Chapter 9, but it's not simple to navigate back to the area of Chapter 15 where I was at). The cheesy stock photos could be improved. Chapter 16 ends rather abruptly. It would be helpful to have a final page/glossary that links and reviews each chapter's content or learning objectives.

No issues encountered

No issues encountered. I appreciate how several topics are separated out from other chapters and linked in to the chapters where appropriate. We often want our students to draw these links, but it is impossible (literally) in a print copy to do this while reading or studying. Stock photos could be improved. Additional research on under-served / under-studied and non-Western populations, also, could enhance chapters beyond cultural communication.

Reviewed by Christy Takamure, Associate Professor of Speech, CC, Leeward Community College on 1/18/19

This text clearly covers all subject areas and concepts that may be found in most communication textbooks. It is very comprehensive and does not leave out any key terms pertinent in a speech communication course yet, it does not provide too much... read more

The content is accurate, unbiased, and contains supporting research findings. Data and information are current and contextually appropriate.

The content is straightforward with clear definitions. Examples are not clearly dated so modifications or changes can be easily made to the content. Dated information can be easily added to increase relevance to your current students. After teaching communication courses for over twenty years, I have found this text to be all that you would need since you can add any of your own material to supplement the material.

Terms and concepts are clearly defined. There are appropriate explanations if jargons or technical terminology are used. It is easy to understand and straightforward. At the end of each section there are “key takeaways” which summarizes concepts to help the reader identify and remember the main points. It is the perfect text for students at all reading levels.

The textbook is written in the same format and organization from chapter-to-chapter. It is clearly organized and easy to follow. Every chapter is divided into separate sections. Each section includes the learning objectives at the very beginning; text covering the subject; a "getting real" section that connects the topics to the readers to make it more meaningful and relevant; a summary of the "key takeaways"; and exercises to engage the reader with the information.

Every chapter is divided into separate sections that allows the reader to fully comprehend the material. Each section includes the learning objectives at the very beginning; text covering the subject; a "getting real" section that connects the topics covered to the readers to make it more meaningful; a summary of the "key takeaways"; and exercises to engage the reader with the information.

The organization of the text follows a clear, consistent, and logical fashion. Learning objectives before each section helps the reader to identify the key points so that they know what to focus on. The reader will appreciate the straightforward structure of this text.

The text is clear and easy to read. Pictures and illustrations add interest and breaks up lengthy text sections. It is visually appealing.

The text is free of grammatical errors. Terms are clear and technical/jargons are defined.

At the end of each section, there are exercises to possibly use in the classroom. These exercises help to engage the reader to make the concepts more relevant to their lives to make it more meaningful. My student population is very diverse and the exercises allows for open discussions and self-reflections.

I have been teaching communication courses for over twenty years and was ecstatic to discover this textbook that is comprehensive and satisfies the learning outcomes of my communication course. I am certain that my colleagues will appreciate this textbook because of its simplicity, compatibility, and accessibility.

Reviewed by Jonathan Anderegg, Assistant Professor, George Fox University on 1/16/19

This textbook offers a broad look at communication theory, particularly through a rhetorical lens. While the social scientific theoretical side may be a bit lacking, the book makes up for this in the breadth of topics it covers. I appreciated the depth at which it covers issues related to public speaking, like communication competence, speech anxiety, and outline and organizing speeches.

The book definitely has some weak areas, especially as communication theory connects with other social science disciplines like psychology and sociology. However, for introductory communication courses, there are few things that are of concern.

Most of the content of this text is and will be useful for all freshman communication courses for the foreseeable future. The focus is generally on timeless ways humans have connected.

While the content is rich and broad, the overall sense when reading the text is that it's a firehose of content: the reader is often pummeled with term after term. Often, I find that the best communication texts are those that are more narrative in style, which helps many freshman connect with new terms and ideas, especially when they should be connected to what we see in everyday life.

The structure of the book is solid and consistent across chapters. Especially helpful are the key takeaway blocks at the end of every sub-chapter. These unfailingly offer strong summary statements of the important points for each page.

While the text as a whole is too large to be assigned in a semester-long class, the chapters are divided into easily assigned readings that can be arranged as necessary.

I think that as a whole the organization works, although the communication theory - public speaking sections don't seem to mesh well together. One point that I appreciated about this book was that they included the research chapter before the chapter headings on speech organization and outlining. It's a pet peeve of mine when public speaking textbooks begin with organization and outlining and then treat research as a supplemental procedure to support your ideas after you've decided what you want to say.

Overall the text interface is fine and is easy to navigate. When it comes to images, some of the free images used are less than ideal. I would also find a further grounding in actual data and graphs to be more useful than some of the generic imagery.

There are a few typos here and there, but nothing too shocking.

I think the text is acceptable, however there is much to be improved with the strength of examples provided.

This is a decent textbook for communication theory/public speaking hybrid courses. I think it's a solid starting point, but I tend to supplement with my own materials, particularly when it comes to anything on perception or social psychology. I also tend to supplement with a lot of my own material for the persuasion section. However, the public speaking sections are fairly strong as well as the work on interpersonal and group communication. If a bit more work is put into the graphics and images, this book would be much stronger!

Reviewed by Kelly Young, Associate Professor, Wayne State University on 11/30/18

The text does a nice job of discussing most of the common communication areas covered in other similar textbooks. I wish the text would include discussion of health communication and public and personal persuasion or influence, as I feel that the... read more

Content appears to be accurate and error-free. The examples are benign and do not suggest any bias.

I enjoyed the numerous examples given throughout the book. I felt as though they were timely but not obsolete. The content was similarly up-to-date. Not much of the material is at risk of being dated other than the chapter on mass media and technology. However, at this moment, the material seems current, but that could change in a few years.

Clarity in prose and structure is one of the greatest strengths of this textbook. The prose is straightforward and defines keywords in easily understandable ways. The short sections within each unit aids reading comprehension, as each section covers one main idea rather than several concepts or keywords.

The text does not appear inconsistent in its use of terms or framework.

Another strength of this textbook is how well it is organized into smaller units. Each chapter consists of 3 or more units, which allows an instructor to include or exclude units given the flavor of the course. The internal organization of the units are very nicely broken into separate sections that focus on one central idea at a time without significant self-reference.

The individual chapters are well organized. I like how the units within the chapters are organized, in that there is usually a broad opening unit, then a discussion of key concepts, how communication problems occur, then a ‘how to improve your communication’ units. This is very helpful if your aim is to teach a broad course to improve many facets of students’ communication. I do not find this as helpful if you aim is to teach an open survey of communication theory course, but the “improvement” units could be avoided in that case. I found the placement of the public speaking chapters odd. I know the opening of the book lists 5 “forms” of communication (really, they are levels, not forms) and the organizational choice follow these levels. However, given the specificity of these units and how out of place they are with the nature of the survey of the field, it might make sense for them to be located at the end of the book.

In terms of its production value, the book has clean imagines and is well constructed. It is easy to navigate given its table of contents. Hyperlinked table of contents to the chapters and units would be a nice feature, but the lack of it does not seem to limit the book.

The textbook appears to use proper grammar and is free of writing mistakes.

I did not encounter any material that I deemed insensitive or offensive. Indeed, I appreciated that the textbook, in several of its “improving communication competence” units, went out of its way to suggest how students’ can correct their culturally insensitivity or offensive remarks. The only shortcoming of the text in this regard is that most of the communication discipline, we date the beginning of the study of communication to ancient Greece rather than earlier Egyptian culture. But that’s a much wider cultural bias of our field and not unique to this textbook.

This is a very good textbook if you are teaching a hybrid public speaking/communication competence course. Each chapter contains at least one unit that stresses how to improve communication in the 5 “forms” of communication outlined in the first chapter of the book. Also, the book would work well as an introductory survey to communication theory text if you chose to avoid the improvement units and much of the public speaking chapters. I wish the text included more about persuasion theory (either from humanistic or social science perspectives). If it did, it would be a stronger introductory survey book. However, if you are interested in teaching an introduction to the field of communication studies course, the text’s lack of discussion of research perspectives, communication research questions, or the research process at all would require the instructor to include supplemental material in these areas. I wish Chapter 3 on verbal language included more rhetorical/humanistic notions like framing, metaphors, symbolic action, constitutive effect, etc. I was surprised that it lacked this material.

Reviewed by Yuxiang Du, Assistant Professor, Fort Hays State University on 11/29/18

This textbook is more comprehensive than the ones I have used in my basic course classes. It is an ideal textbook for these hybrid courses (interpersonal and public speaking). I am very impressed with its scope and comprehensiveness. Within each topic (chapter), you can find most of important and relevant concepts and theories covered. The challenge for instructors and students might be getting through all the materials in each chapter within a week. However, it is better to have more materials to choose from than having less.

The authors did a great job in achieving accuracy in the text. Theories and concepts covered in the book were accurately cited and discussed.

It is clear to me that the authors made an effort to make this book relevant for students by including examples and stories that the students could relate to. Many of these examples are real world ones which could help students to apply what they learned in real life. These “getting real”, “getting critical”, and “getting plugged in” sections are quite helpful in this regard. As for longevity, there are some dated references and historical timelines in the book that should be updated in the future.

The authors were very clear and straightforward in their writing.

The book showed great consistency in writing, chapter characteristics (length, details), tones, and flow.

Other than the first chapter, each chapter covers a different topic with chapters covering related topics located together. It is easy to pick a chapter or a group of chapters for a particular topic.

Placing public communication related chapters in the middle of the book is somewhat different from the ones I have used before. Usually you would find these chapters located at the end of the book. I also find four chapters are not enough for public speaking centered courses. At least, separate informative and persuasive speaking in two chapters.

I am satisfied with its interface. The only problem I have experienced is the hyperlinked materials in the book. I used a digital PDF copy and found that after I clicked and viewed a photo or a video, it could only return to the title page, not where I clicked in the text.

I have not detected grammatical errors.

The authors’ effort in promoting cultural relevance in the book should be praised. The chapter on culture and communication was well written and consisted of important concepts and examples that could help students to build their cultural competence. The notion of culture and culture as a context was also frequently mentioned and discussed in other chapters such as verbal communication and communication in relationships.

This book is a good textbook option for communication basic courses especially hybrid courses. Its comprehensiveness and real world examples can help students to understand basic communication concepts and apply them in real world situations. My only suggestion is to increase the portion on public speaking.

Reviewed by Stacie Mariette, Mass Communication instructor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College on 6/19/18

This textbook is very comprehensive. I have used it in my Intro to Communication Studies (both seated and online sections) for two semesters. I always omit a few chapters because it is so comprehensive and is too detailed for this particular... read more

And that's a great thing!

Additional details and thought-provoking comments come up in class discussions and papers, based on the depth and context of the textbook. It also prompts thoughtful research into the solid concepts that are covered in our reading, week to week. I really like this textbook for this reason!

This textbook is very accurate. I used a hard-copy resource previously and all the theories, models and concepts – and then some – are covered in this book... and covered quite thoroughly!

This textbook is fabulously relevant in terms of the tried-and-true concepts and the bulk of it will hold up quite nicely, I predict. But some examples and language are a bit dated when it comes to technology as our language evolves so quickly for our online culture (e.g., "flaming" vs. "trolling"). The technology references often are not embedded in the text, but rather in the discussion questions at the end of each chapter and as standalone chapters toward the end of the textbook. A savvy move, making it easy for those of us who may update/remix the OER itself, but the core chapter readings occasionally seem a bit flat without the inclusion of these up-to-date examples.

The writing is clear and very easy to follow. The bulleted lists and charts with tips and guidelines for real-life communication scenarios are definitely the easiest to follow.

In fact, the information is a bit dense/prose-heavy in the chapters without these visual aids, which may be intimidating for some students (despite the ease of reading overall). The subheads do break up the topics well and the images lighten things up, as well.

The consistency of this book is great. I knew just what to expect from the beginning in terms of the format of the chapters/sub-chapters. I like the end-of-chapter discussion questions and summaries and use them frequently when refreshing my memory from semester-to-semester or after a break as I head into lectures.

I teach this textbook in a different from the textbook and that's OK! I only do it because I teach public speaking early in the semester. This book is so modular, though, it's very easy to tailor to the flow of your own course. It does refer readers to different chapters within the text itself from time to time, so beware of that if you remix the chapters in your PDF (or other type of file) to be in the same order as your syllabus.

The book is easy to follow and the sub-chapters make it easy to assign reading to line up with specific topics/class presentations or to mix and match the content for tailoring your own readings.

The only thing on my wishlist is that technology topics be more integrated into the core of each chapter, rather than at the end of each. (Though I see the practical reasons, for update purposes, with how quickly technology evolves.)

For example, Chapter 2 covers online self-presentation in a call-out box at the end of the chapter, but online personas on Instagram/Facebook are often the conversation starter my students need on the topic of impression management. Chapter 6 handles social media and self-disclosure in a similar way – and, again, these online examples are where my students most often and most readily draw comparisons to their real lives when we chat in person.

Online use is very easy. My students typically review the PDF because they can view it on their phones. The links within the Table of Contents easily jumps them from topic to topic. The PDF file itself is a quick download in most cases. I haven't ever had an issue providing it on my learning portal to my students.

The images are black-and-white-print-out-conscious and don’t lose any of their meaning when my budget-conscious students don't want to pay to print a color copy. I love this … it's the small things, right?

I was a copy editor for many years so I am hard-wired to notice grammatical errors. I haven't seen any in this textbook. This makes for an added level of credibility and expertise and clearly indicates that the authors put in the time and care needed.

I also appreciated the tips in the textbook for editing written communication, as they're the same tips I have always shared with my students.

This book does an excellent job of being culturally aware and relevant – and not just in the Cultural Communication chapter. For example, Chapter 2 covers self-perception in individualistic vs. collectivistic societies and over racial/gender differences. Chapter 3, on Language, covers neologisms and slang (an important, fast-moving part of my students' lives). Chapter 4 covers language as culture examples from many countries – some that I hadn't heard before! The book also covers accent bias, code-switching and other real-life examples that my students (particularly those who are bilingual) experience daily. The LGBTQ+/same-sex marriage sections are a bit outdated, due to the publication date of the version of this book that I've been using.

If you have previously used any of the most popular and often-used Comm Studies books, you won't be disappointed. I love this book, both for how it supports the courses I had previously developed and also for how it adds to them with new concepts and examples. The online availability is a big benefit for my students and they let me know how much they appreciate the free option every semester. Even those who print hard copies find that the cost is comparably low, as well.

Reviewed by Heidi Croatt, Professor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College on 5/21/18

I appreciate the comprehensiveness of this text. In addition to including all of the typical topics taught in an introductory hybrid course, the text includes chapters on mass media and technology, as well as how new media impacts our self and our relationships. These topics are increasingly important for students in Communication courses, and I'm happy to see it included in this text.

All content is consistent with well-known and credible research for each topic.

The content is relevant for today's students. There are some examples that might date the content to the 2000's and 2010's, but I don't anticipate that being a problem in the near future. While I appreciate the addition of the media chapters, those will need to be updated more frequently to reflect our evolving technological and social world. Finally, some links throughout the text do not work which can be frustrating for students and give the perception that the text is not up-to-date.

The accessible prose is one of the most attractive features of this text. For students in an introductory course, the text needs to be readable and interesting. The language used to discuss most of the topics is academic yet informal. I think students will appreciate and enjoy the colloquial approach throughout the text.

There is consistency throughout this text. Each chapter is framed similarly which makes it user-friendly and easy to read. I like the learning objectives to start each chapter, and the key takeaways and exercises at the end of each chapter. Some chapters have more images and links than others. The ones with more included media are likely preferred by students.

This is a big textbook, with some long chapters. However, the sub-headings make it easy to assign certain topics at different points throughout the course. It would be fairly easy to rearrange chapters, and even some topics within chapters, without disrupting the reading flow for students.

I am used to teaching the Introductory course in a different order than it is presented in this textbook. I think many instructors rearrange the topics in this course to meet their scheduling needs, assignment needs, and individual preferences. So while I would reorder the chapters, I find this textbook to be in line with existing Intro textbooks.

I appreciate the interface of this text and the different options for reading. Moving from chapter to chapter, or topic to topic is easy with this interface. Some of the links do not work, though.

The text contains no significant grammatical errors.

A variety of perspectives are included in this text, and the language is inclusive. Like most other texts, it could include more diversity in authors quotes, images used, and videos presented.

This is a very good option for an Introductory course textbook. I would have no hesitation adopting this book and I believe students would benefit from the comprehensive content, user-friendliness, and cost savings.

Reviewed by Courtney Anderegg, Assistant Professor, George Fox University on 3/27/18

This text appears to cover all general areas and ideas within the communication field appropriate for an introductory level course. Although the goal of an introductory text is to provide just that -- an introduction -- I felt as though some topics were too surface-level and could have benefitted from a bit more detail. There is not an index or glossary, but I cannot speak to how often those are used in online texts, particularly when the text can be downloaded as a PDF and searched.

The text appears accurate and includes credible, relevant sources.

I feel as though the textbook content is up-to-date and has high relevance, as well as potential for longevity. Some areas of the text will need to be updated (e.g., current examples used), but that is par for the course. It seems as though the text is arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy to implement.

The text is written in lucid, accessible prose with a college student audience in mind. Jargon is adequately defined. In teaching my students the benefit of using non-technical language in their essays and speeches, I point to the language used in the textbook as a good example.

The text appears to have high internal consistency in the terminology used throughout. Additionally, I appreciated the consistency in chapter organization from start to finish.

I appreciate the ability to assign smaller sections of this text without it reading as if my students have missed something. Given that the PDF of the text is 800+ pages, I do not want my students reading this text from cover to cover. Therefore, assigning small sections has been beneficial to making it more digestible for my students.

The overall organization, structure, and flow of the text is fine. However, I do not like how closely formatted some of the headings/subheadings are. It can often be difficult for my students to determine whether a section is a heading or subheading (or sub-subheading).

I really like the online interface. The PDF is a bit unwieldy, but that's to be expected due to its size.

I did not find any grammatical issues during my review.

In general, I did not find the text to be culturally insensitive or offensive. However, it could strive to be a bit more diverse in its examples and in choosing the individuals to include in photographs throughout the text.

Reviewed by Candice Thomas-Maddox, Professor, Ohio University Lancaster on 2/1/18

The text contains 16 chapters that cover all of the basic content typically included in most of the well-known hybrid introductory communication textbooks currently on the market. Each section/topic area within each of the chapters begin with its own set of objectives that provide students with an overview of the topics to be covered - these could also serve as useful study questions for exams. In addition to the concepts and theories presented in each chapter, the text includes text boxes that encourage students to apply content to contemporary examples - each box concludes with Discussion Questions that could be assigned as homework or utilized in online course formats for virtual discussions. Each of the 3-4 sections within each chapter concludes with its own summary (Key Takeaways) and 2-3 suggested activities for students to apply the content during in-class assignments or completed out-of-class. The format of the text provides sufficient content to cover a 16-week class in either face-to-face or online contexts.

All of the content included in the chapters appears to be accurate. Information from both a historical perspective and contemporary research is included to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the topic. At the conclusion of each topic area within each chapter, 8-20 references are provided to allow students to conduct additional research on the topic. These sources range from scholarly journal articles to contemporary news articles published in the popular press to expose students to a variety of sources on each topic area.

Descriptions of the concepts and theories are relevant and applicable to the majority of students - regardless of their status (traditional/non-traditional), age, or other demographic distinctions that contribute to class diversity. Areas that may need periodic updates include the text boxes that are dedicating to providing contemporary examples of topics covered within the chapter. Overall, the text provides a solid foundation of the core concepts that instructors could easily apply contemporary examples as they tailor the course to meet the specific needs of their own student populations. While the discussion questions are written in a way that appeals to a diverse student population, they may occasionally need to be updated to address contemporary issues.

The clarity of the writing style of the text is one of its strongest selling points. Concepts are defined/described in layman's terms that most students can easily relate to their own experiences. Examples that are provided are relatable to the the majority of students. While the key concepts are highlighted in blue font, it would be useful if the text also included a Glossary that students could quickly access by clicking on hyperlinks within the chapters. A unique feature of the book is that topics covered in later chapters (e.g., Media) include a discussion of how the information is related to topics covered in earlier chapters in the text - hyperlinks are provided within the text to direct students back to the earlier chapters for a review/recall of content.

Students will be pleased to find that each chapter is organized and presented in a consistent manner. Each chapter begins with Learning Objectives, followed by content (with key terms highlighted), and concludes with a contemporary example highlighted in a textbox with discussion questions and a chapter summary. Topics are presented in a way so that they build on one another - there is a logical progression from one chapter topic to the next. As mentioned before, chapters that appear later in the text include hyperlinks to direct students back to earlier content - this helps showcase the connections between content areas.

A unique feature of this text is that each chapter is organized into distinct subsections that allow instructors to "select/choose" which topics they want to include in their class. For schools where students may also be taking a separate public speaking class, there is just enough information in the four (4) chapters on the topic to provide them with the necessary foundation to understand the key elements of speeches. Instructors can pick and choose the sections within these (and other) chapters to include. If an instructor wishes to alter the order in which the chapters are included in the course schedule, they can be interchanged or assigned in any order without altering the flow of the text.

While most introductory human communication texts place the public speaking chapters at the end of the book (to allow instructors to skip over them if students are already required to take a separate public speaking class), this text includes the speech chapters in the middle (Chapter 9-12) before covering topics such as small group communication and media in the last four chapters. While the chapter/topic order may not strictly adhere to the typical format of most communication textbooks on the market, this is not a "deal-breaker" when adopting this text because chapters can be presented in any format desired without impacting the readability and flow of the text.

All of the charts, hyperlinks to articles included in the reference lists, and the photos appeared to be clear and in working order. Some of the photos appear to be somewhat dated, but this could be viewed as a positive feature for ensuring the longevity of the book. It does not require frequent revisions to the photos. It might be beneficial to include more "SmartArt" that graphically represents/lists/summarizes the core concepts to appeal to visual learners using charts or tables.

The writing style is clear and concise without excessive examples or confusing details. It is written in a conversational tone that students can easily relate to as they consider how the concepts apply to their own personal examples. No writing or grammatical errors were discovered during my review.

Examples and content covered in the book are respectful of diversity. I would not consider any of the content to be culturally insensitive or offensive. Topics that are of a sensitive nature are presented in a fair and objective way to encourage students to think critically about the communication implications (e.g., hate speech, culturally sensitive language choices, ethical decisions associated with communicating with diverse others). The core content provides a foundation that instructors can build upon as they address diversity topics that are directly relevant to their own student populations. While there is diversity represented in the photos included in the text, it could provide a more comprehensive reflection of diversity (cultural, racial, age, economic).

Reviewed by Jade Olson, Lecturer, University of Maryland on 2/1/18

This book offers a comprehensive treatment of key areas of communication studies. It is an appropriate introduction to the discipline, and would be suitable for an introduction to communication theory course, a public speaking course, or a hybrid model. It covers foundations of communication theory (perception, language and meaning, etc.) as well as a chapter each on listening, interpersonal, nonverbal, verbal, small group, leadership, media, and new media. As well, it offers several chapters oriented toward public/presentational speaking, covering the preparation and delivery of oral presentations in a variety of contexts. It does not contain an index or glossary, but given that most students will access it in a format that allows for a text search, this is not necessarily a major issue. It would benefit from a chapter on communication apprehension/anxiety -- this is treated very briefly toward the end of Chapter 1.

The book is accurate when it comes to objective aspects of communication theory and practice -- in other words, I found almost nothing to be blatantly incorrect, and did not perceive any overt political biases. (The one blatantly incorrect sentence is: "The term transgender includes other labels such as transsexual, transvestite, cross-dresser, and intersex, among others" in Chapter 8). I appreciate that there is a chapter dedicated to communication and culture, prompting students to consider the rest of the book's contents (as well as their own work) through the lens of social constructivism and to think critically about their own biases. Yet, it (like most communication textbooks) is reflective of the dominant western worldview when it comes to concepts like persuasion and reasoning.

The book is relatively up-to-date, though some political references are already somewhat outdated. For example, the first subsection is entitled, "From Aristotle to Obama: A Brief History of Communication." Updating references like these would be very easy to implement. The book's author offers to supplement the chapter on new media on his personal website, but when I followed the included link the site did not load. This chapter in particular already feels a bit outdated -- in the section on new media and interpersonal relationships there is no mention of Snapchat or Instagram (Twitter and Facebook are referenced), and I suspect that students may already find the book to be out of touch in this regard. Table 8.3, displaying "Developments Related to Sexuality, Identity, and Communication" needs to be updated to include the 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges and other recent events.

The writing is clear and accessible for students who are reading at an appropriate college level. Jargon is explained well. My students enjoy the author's use of the first person in many cases, telling anecdotes in plain language that illustrate and animate the concepts being discussed in a more immediate way.

The text maintains consistent vocabulary and structural frameworks. I have not found any internal inconsistencies in the book's language use or explanation of theories/concepts. There are a couple of minor inconsistencies that should not impede student understanding (e.g., references to the "Gay Rights Movement" and also to the "gay and lesbian rights movement").

The book is highly modular. I have adapted it for use in a public speaking course in which my students are reading the chapters related to presentational speaking as well as those on listening and culture. They have read the chapters, and in some cases the sections, out of order with no problem. The book is rarely self-referential, and when it is, the reader does not need to have internalized much of the section being referred to in order to understand the present section.

The structure flows logically. It can be understood as unfolding in six major sections that make sense sequentially or in modules: foundations (Chapters 1-2), basic components of the communication process (Chapters 3-5), communication in context (Chapters 6-8), presentational/public speaking (Chapters 9-12), communicating in groups/organizations (Chapters 13-14), and media (Chapters 15-16).

I have not encountered any problems with the book's interface. I have read it online and downloaded the PDF with no such issues.

The text contains no grammatical errors that I am aware of.

The book strives for cultural relevance and, for the most part, achieves it. In the photographs, people depicted are overwhelmingly white, which is a strike against it in terms of representing communicators from a variety of racial/ethnic backgrounds. I would like to see updates to the section on sexuality, as the standards for inclusive language in this arena change rapidly and the text does currently utilize terms that many consider to be problematic such as "homosexual" (the text explains that this word "can be appropriate in some instances, but it carries with it a clinical and medicalized tone" -- I would argue that the word is not considered appropriate in any context except an historical one). I would also suggest that the large image of the Confederate flag is not a necessary inclusion in section 8.3 -- as a hate symbol, this could be jarring to many readers, to say the least. Finally, the text does occasionally utilize ableist language (e.g., an example speech topic in Chapter 9 is "My Craziest Adventure").

My students have expressed positive reviews of this text. On the whole, they find it to be relevant, accessible, and straightforward. They especially appreciate the author's use of personal observations and stories from the classroom. I have identified in my comments above a few changes that I think would be useful in bringing the text up-to-date and making it more inclusive, and I think instructors who value inclusivity and recency can easily supplement their syllabi and lessons to fill these gaps. In general I do recommend this text, and I find it superior to comparable books from for-profit textbook companies that I have reviewed.

Reviewed by Jessica Martin, Professor, Portland Community College on 8/15/17

After reviewing this text, I believe that it does provide an effective index and glossary. The table of contents are easily able to be found at the very beginning of the online textbook. What is especially nice is that you can easily click over back to the table of contents when you are in the middle of the textbook, making it easy to flip around and move from section to section. I found it helpful that at the beginning of each chapter, the textbook provides a "Learning Objectives" section, where one can easily read what the expected learning outcomes are for the chapter. This will make it easy for both the Professor and the students as to what they are expected to get out of each chapter. I also believe that this textbook accurately covers all necessary areas of Comm 100, as I currently teach this class with a physical book copy that covers the same chapters.

After reviewing the online textbook, I do believe that the information to be accurate. The text accurately covers all of the same type of content that is also covered in my textbook. I wasn't able to notice nearly any errors at all within the text, which was great. What I do especially appreciate about the accuracy of this text is that at the end of each section within each chapter, it has a "Key Takeaways" section, as well as a section for "Exercises." The Key Takeaways section discusses specific terms for students to remember, and the Exercises section is helpful for Professors, as they can use these exercises to create in-class activities.

I do believe that this textbook is up to date, especially because it has incorporated the Chapter titled "New Media and Communication," which a lot of the physical copies similar to this text (Comm 100) have incorporated as well based off of the evolving technology.

I believe that the text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and also provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology that is used. They stuck to the appropriate content for the text and everything flowed well.

I compared this text to the other text that I am using to teach my course, and it appeared to be consistent to that. There were no confusing terms that were used and everything made sense.

There are definitely no enormous blocks of texts without subheadings for this textbook. Each section is divided up appropriately and is also easy to follow along with. I found that everything flew together very nicely. Any time that the author goes into discussion of something new, there is a clear header to identify that.

This text is divided up similarly to the physical textbook that I am using to teach this course this summer. Everything is organized well and is easy to follow along with.

I do not believe that the text has any type of navigation issues. The navigation is easy to use, and it is simply to get from chapter to chapter. One thing I did notice is that it would have been more effective to have more charts available for different topics such as the communication process, non-verbal communication, and so fourth.

I was not able to identity any grammatical errors within this textbook.

I believe that this textbook is not culturally intensive in any way. The chapter that focuses on culture and communication included a variety of examples that are inclusive to a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. All of the other chapters were culturally sensitive as well, as they did not include any inappropriate terminology.

Reviewed by Scott Dunn, Associate Professor, Radford University on 4/11/17

This textbook covers virtually all of the main topics I would expect to see in an introductory communication textbook. The only exception I noted is that there is no chapter on organizational communication, although they do discuss communication... read more

If anything some sections of the book are a little TOO comprehensive. The book itself is quite long, as are the individual chapters. Some chapters go into so much depth they almost feel like they don't belong in a general introductory textbook. For instance, the chapters on media feel like they could come from an introduction to media textbook. Of course, it's a good thing that the book is so comprehensive, but I could see students getting overwhelmed by the length of the chapters.

Likewise, the four chapters on public speaking would be the good basis for a public speaking textbook, but they feel a little out of place here. The rest of the book feels like it's designed for a lecture-based survey course, but the public speaking chapters are very prescriptive, seemingly designed for the kind of class where students are giving their own speeches. I wonder if the book might be too much of a survey for standard basic courses, but with too much emphasis on public speaking for survey courses.

In the PDF version, there is no glossary or index.

I did not note any outright factual errors or bias. There are, of course, some things that are open to interpretation, such as when the author goes into a historical perspective. Some people would likely disagree with the way the author divides up the eras of human history, but the book does make a good argument for the way it divides them up.

There are a few minor instances of outdated information. For instance, Table 8.3 provides a history of acceptance of the LGBT community, but stops with the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell, suggesting that it was written before the recent Supreme Court cases recognizing same-sex marriages. Of course, that's not the author's fault, just the result of the book being a few years old.

I actually expected that the media chapters would have outdated information, but they turned out to be surprisingly up-to-date. The author must have been up-to-date enough at the time the book was published that it hasn't gotten dated.

The book is generally clear and easy to follow. It can be a little dry at times, but no more than any other textbook.The book does a good job of introducing major communication theories, but not nearly enough to overwhelm the students.

I didn't note any inconsistencies in the book.

I have actually used chapters from this book to complement another text in a media-heavy introductory class, so I can say from experience that the chapters work fine on their own. Even within chapters, the shorter subdivisions could be used to direct students to exactly what you want them to read.

Besides the chapters possibly being too long, I don't see any organizational problems.

Using the PDF version, I did note occasional white space between text and pictures, but I think that's unavoidable. I also noticed at least one instance in which a pictures was on one page and its caption was on the next page.

No problems that I saw

I found the book to be culturally sensitive. The book acknowledges the importance of culture to communication throughout.

I think this is about as good as any of the other introductory textbooks on the market. The coverage of media is much better than I've seen in other similar books. If you were using the book in a lecture-based survey class, the public speaking chapters probably wouldn't fit, but since it's an open textbook that's no loss.

Reviewed by Mackenzie Krzmarzick, Communication Instructor, Anoka-Ramsey Community College on 4/11/17

Overall, the comprehensiveness of this text is one of the main characteristics that attracted me to it. When teaching the communication studies basic course (interpersonal + public speaking + small group), textbooks often fall short in one or more of the three topics usually taught in the course, perhaps due to limited space. This text is quite a bit longer than other texts I have used for the basic course, which gives it a greater chance to cover topics in more detail and provides me the opportunity to choose which topics (and how much of which topic) I want to cover in my courses (more so than other texts that only offer a limited discussion of topics). I also appreciate the inclusion of Chapters 15 and 16 about media, which are not always a part of similar texts from publishers.

I did not come across any info that contradicted what I know to be true about the field of communication studies. In addition, I appreciate the care the author took to incorporate credible outside sources and document them (in-text and reference page at the end of each chapter section).

Most of the chapters in this text likely have a reasonable level of longevity. The main chapters that I think will likely need revisions sooner than others are the chapters about media. However, it would be difficult to address the topic of media without needing revisions in the near future, so I do not see this as a weakness of the text. In addition, a few examples in the public speaking chapters (such as a sample speech outline about "going green") could use updates later on, as well.

The author's choice to use words such as "we" and "you" while explaining concepts helps the prose to be more understandable to the reader. However, more complex vocabulary is also used throughout, which can be a benefit or a deterrent, depending on the student population. Because I teach at a community college, my students have a wide range of reading comprehension. For example, they may look at pages 455-456 of the text and see the headings "systematic desensitization" and "cognitive restructuring" and feel overwhelmed, thinking that if they don't understand the heading, then they won't understand the rest of the text in that section. Contrastingly, students with higher reading level may enjoy this feature of the text.

Even though interpersonal/group communication are topics that are often discussed in a different way than public speaking, this author did a nice job of maintaining a consistent writing style throughout. Likewise, reading one chapter gave me an idea of what to expect when reading another.

The modularity of this text was designed in an effective manner. Because this text is longer than many texts produced through publishers (a nice benefit of this text), the length of the text required that the longer chapters be broken into smaller sub-chapters. I find this useful because I may not use the entire chapter and having the chapters broken into sub-chapters helps me to tell students on which parts of the chapter they should focus their attention. It appears as though the author has taken care to determine which sub-topics within chapters make the most sense to be their own sub-chapters.

If I were to use this text to teach my intro to communication basic course, I would likely teach the chapters in a different order than they are presented here. For example, I would teach Chapter 8 after Chapter 2 and Chapters 15/16 after Chapter 8. It's not too much of a problem to just around in the text like that, but I have found that it does tend to confuse students a little.

Aside from the order of the chapters, the content within the chapters does flow well and has been organized with care.

I appreciate that this text can be read on a cell phone (I think that will motivate more students to read it). I printed the text and noticed that students will need a 3" binder for it (something I would want to point out in my syllabus if I were to adopt this text). I did notice that when I printed the text, some of the pictures were too dark and printed in such a way that it was difficult to tell what the picture was showing.

I did not come across any grammatical errors during my review and the writing is done in a very professional manner.

While the content does not appear to be biased or insensitive/offensive, only about 1/3 of the photos of people in the text represented racial diversity (which likely isn't the author's intention; there may have been limited options for open-source images to use in the text). However, this representation of diversity was actually higher than some of the other texts I have been sent by publishers recently. In fact, the explanations and examples throughout the text show that the author has taken care to discuss culture in a fair and accurate manner.

Now that I have reviewed this text and considered each of the items in this review, plus the benefit to my students, I have decided to adopt this text for Fall 2017. I appreciate the hard work and efforts of this author to provide such a high-quality open education resource for students to use.

Reviewed by Shelby Bell, Faculty, North Hennepin Community College on 4/11/17

This text is designed for an introduction to communication course, but I am reviewing it as a possible text for an introduction to Interpersonal Communication course. For this purpose the text provides a useful foundation in communication theory in research, covering communication models and various skillsets. For an intro to IP comm course the book, when compared to texts designed for that purpose, lacks research on specific fields of interpersonal communication, such as "Family," "Friends," "Workplace," and "Romantic Relationships." Even without these chapters I would use this book for an IP comm course as the benefits of an open textbook outweigh the missing chapters and I feel I could use supplemental materials to cover that information.

The text book does not have supplemental materials, an index, or glossary, which might make it more difficult to use for an intro to IP comm course if one is new to the material. However, the text is downloadable in several formats and is thus searchable negating the need for an index or glossary.

The book includes the key information on communication research and theory for an introduction to communications course. Much of this information would overlap with the needs of an Introduction to Interpersonal Communication course, though some specific terms, concepts, and theories may need to be supplemented by the instructor to adapt the text for that purpose.

This book may not be the most "up to date" but in many senses I don't think it should be as an introduction to the field. Most major perspectives in Comm are covered and an experienced instructor could easily build on the foundation laid out in the book to discuss recent research and developments. In this way, I believe the book presents a solid foundation for communication studies students.

I think the book it quite accessible. In comparison to the more expensive books it lacks the up to date media and cultural examples that make reading more engaging for many students. Overall, I actually see the lack of these examples a strong suit of the book as it is not easily dated.

The framework of the book is internally consistent, though I think it takes on too much to have true consistency. Compared to similar books on the market for introductory textbooks I think it may cover a bit too much to provide real consistency. For example, Chapters 1-8 provide common topics for an intro to comm course and cover different places/venues for communication, then Chapters 9-12 serve as a public speaking manual before returning to the kind of overview format for Chapters 13-16. However, as the book is totally free for students this would not at all prohibit me from assigning the book as I can easily choose not to assign those chapters.

Modularity rating: 3

Each chapter has 3-4 subheadings, but the chapters span as many as 50 pages. I think more sub-headings would make the book more approachable, especially for students still learning study skills or who are returning to the classroom later in life. I would mitigate this by discussing reading strategies with my students and assigning the chapters in smaller pieces.

I think the text is as logical and organized as a very broad overview can be. The problem is one of all texts which cover such a broad field.

I downloaded a PDF file of the text and have had no interface issues.

I have not noted a distracting number of erros.

The book is not culturally insensitive or offensive. As an instructor I would add examples to present the topics with more emphasis on social and racial justice than that text.

I think this book could be adapted for many intro-level communication courses. One concern I have is that I would want a hard copy for myself and at 752 pages printing is cost-prohibitive. I've read about instructors working with bookstores to loan out hard-copies of open texts when the copyright allows but with this text the sheer number of pages would make that difficult.

Reviewed by Galyn Carlile, Currently Adjunct Professor, Dean Emeritus, Former Chief Academic Officer, Rogue Community College, Grants Pass OR 97527 on 4/11/17

I currently teach both SP100 Basic Communication and SP 218 Interpersonal Communication and I feel the material is comprehensive enough that with modification and shuffling of chapter modules I could manage to use it for both courses. read more

I feel the content is quit accurate the only concern is that many of the references are to somewhat dated material.: Example: "In fact, since the systematic study of communication began in colleges and universities a little over one hundred years ago, there have been more than 126 published definitions of communication (Dance & Larson, 1976).

Actually I think that the material is very well written in such a way that the instructor using it could rather easily con-temporize the content with supplemental material.

I very much like the content for the fact that it uses contemporary speak rather the egocentric academic jargon.

Very good flow from topic to topic!

Very well compiled and I could easily cherry pic content and flow.

Easy to follow transitions with well defined connections.

Same as stated above - well put together.

Seemed fine to me -but I may not be the judge!

I found no problems here!

I really do believe I could use this material in both intro and interpersonal courses.

Reviewed by Denise Tallakson, Instructor, University of Northern Iowa on 2/15/17

Comprehensive Individualized Curriculum and Instructional Design: Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorders covers a wide range of topics related to working with students with developmental disabilities and ASD. There is no index or glossary but the chapter titles are clear and relate to the overall topic of the textbook.

The content in this textbook is accurate and research based. There are many reputable sources that are referenced and the information supports current information on the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The content is up-to-date, but many of the links were not accessible, which made it hard to get the additional information needed. If those links were updated it would make the text more relevant.

The text is clear and easy to follow, in particular Chapters 1-4. There are some technical terminology used but there are always explanations included. The specific behavioral examples given helped bring clarity and made it easy for teachers to see how to implement the plan with their own students. The templates and charts provided would be useful for educators to use as provided or to adapt to meet their individual needs.

The first part of the textbook was very consistent and had a nice flow. It seemed to change with the information regarding the use of technology. Chapter 5 read more like a technical manual with directions of how to use the technology for adaptive purposes.

The textbook is set up very well so that smaller reading sections could be used in courses. Each chapter has a complete topic that could be used in isolation. Together they offer a cohesive picture of working with students with special needs.

The textbook has a nice flow and starts off with the most comprehensive chapter that sets the tone for the rest of the book. The last two chapters seem the most different, but do offer important information regarding communication and technology.

The only interface problems I found is that some of the links are not live and may be inaccessible. For some chapters that seemed to be a lot of content that may be missing.

There were no grammatical errors.

The text was very culturally sensitive and shared strategies in a positive and productive way for working with students with developmental

This textbook is full of detailed strategies related to Curriculum and Instruction Design for students with developmental delays and students and ASD. Chapter 4 Developing Function-based Interventions is especially beneficial for teachers seeking management strategies.

Reviewed by Kyle Tusing, Associate Professor, University of Arizona on 2/8/17

This text covers the expected topics for an introductory hybrid (communication and public speaking) text, and in the order that those topics are customarily covered (1. introduction, 2. perception, 3. language, 4. nonverbal, etc.). The history of communication going back to ancient times is covered briefly in chapter 1, but not in as much detail as I would prefer. However, few introductory communication texts cover the history of communication in much detail and many ignore history altogether. There are multiple chapters addressing public speaking, which is appropriate for a hybrid text.

The text does not have a glossary or index, but given that the text is available as a searchable .pdf file, a printed index would be redundant. I searched for a few terms and the search function worked well.

The accuracy of the book is excellent. In my reading there was nothing I encountered that caused concern as far as accuracy is concerned. The author(s) are objective, inclusive, and egalitarian in their treatment of topics, so it is fair to say the content is unbiased. The authors also do a nice job of representing communication scholarship from both a social scientific and humanistic perspective.

This version of the text was published in 2013 and the content is currently up-to-date as of early 2017. There are a number of specific instances that will need to be updated in coming years/decades to be accurate as a function of the passing of time, but those cases should be fairly easy to change out with new examples. On page 46 the text refers to the "first presentation" in this class, which supposes that speeches/presentations are a component of the class that uses this text. Other cases of information that may go out of date are references to "google" being a new term, pay stubs, the "recent" Obama/Romney presidential election, and the current ages of individuals who are members of the various generations (p. 678). The text uses a number of URLs. The vast majority of the URLs that I checked worked as intended, but a few of them redirected or were no longer working (e.g., the author's blog in chapter 16).

The clarity of the prose is good. At no point in my reading was there confusion with regard to communication content due to a lack of clarity. One meta-clarity issue concerns the identity of the authors. The authors have withheld their identity, which may present confusion due to the frequent use of the first person by the author(s). In chapter 16 the name of one of the authors is available in a URL that claims to be the author's personal blog. That URL no longer works. Perhaps a standard name could be assigned to the author (e.g., Alan Smithee) and references to the individual authors in the text could be removed.

The consistency of the text is remarkably high. Despite there being multiple authors of the text, the voice throughout the difference chapters and sub-sections is similar. The framework of the chapters is similar, which each chapter being broken down into multiple sub-sections, followed by the references. The photos used to supplement the text have a common theme - realistic, gritty, compelling.

The text rates high in terms of modularity. Each chapter is divided into a minimum of three distinct sub-sections. Within the sub-sections, headings are used frequently to divide up the ideas. The text does refer to/mention other chapters frequently. This occurs most frequently in chapter 1, which refers to all the other chapters, but it also occurs in other chapters (e.g., chapter 3 refers to chapter 1, chapter 15 refers to chapter 1, and chapter 16 refers to chapter 15).

The organization is typical of introductory texts, starting with an introduction and moving through perception, verbal and nonverbal communication, moving on to interpersonal communication and relationships, and then on to public, small-group, and mass communication. This order is logical as the text flows through the forms of communication in order (intrapersonal to mass).

Reading the text on a computer display took a little bit of time to get used to, but after getting used to it the reading went well. The fact that the text is searchable is a great advantage. All the graphics, photos, models, and figures displayed properly.

The grammar is excellent. It is written in a scholarly format but does not confuse readers with undefined jargon or superfluous words. Some texts are too conversational; this text is easy to relate too but does not do so at the expense of credibility.

Multiple potentially controversial topics, such as race, hate speech, disability status, and sexual orientation are covered by the text and are done so in an even-handed, fair manner. The text even points out how using certain specific terms (e.g., handicapped instead of disabled) can have an undesirable effect. Photos are inclusive in that people from various races and ethnicities are pictured, not to mention that people with tattoos (and without tattoos) are also featured.

All in all this is an excellent introductory communication text that would be ideal for a hybrid (introduction to communication + public speaking) communication class. It is comprehensive, well written, and well sourced. It could be used by either a social scientist or a humanist. The text would also work well in an introductory communication course that does not have a public speaking component; the multiple public speaking chapters could be covered in less detail. The text covers a number of recent events and technologies that will need to be updated in the coming years.

Reviewed by Tamara Watkins, Adjunct Instructor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on 2/8/17

The textbook provides a good overview of communication as a discipline. Notably, this text has two chapters that discuss media--"Media, Technology, and Communication" and "New Media and Communication." This in particular is an asset because it... read more

I found no major errors or issues in this text. It is written using inclusive language.

The text's content is fairly up-to-date and is unlikely to be rendered obsolete within a short period of time. Any advances/changes in new media and/or communication theory and research could be easily inserted into the text. Specifically, the "New Media and Democracy" chapter should be updated to include information about the promotion and presence of "fake news" on social media, and how one can develop skills to assess sources. However, as this issue (fake news on social media) has been of significant interest due, in part, to the 2016 US Presidential election, the omission of this information is understandable, and instructors could easily supplement the text with additional resources. The text's authors could also easily edit the content to include this update.

The text is written in a conversational tone that is accessible to readers.

The text is logically and consistently laid out, and each chapter follows the same general structure.

The content of this text could easily be divided into smaller readings assigned at different points during the semester without disrupting the students' progress in the course.

The text is organized in a logical manner that presents content in a way that is easy to read and understand. Chapters end with lists of key ideas, exercises for students to practice what they've learned, and references to cited texts.

Overall, the interface is good. However, some issues might cause reader confusion. For example, key terms (for example, "discriminative listening" in chapter 5) are in red. This is also the color of links in the text, but these terms are not links. Additionally, the use of red can present some issues with respect to accessibility.

This text contains no significant grammatical errors.

This text is written with inclusive language, and it includes examples with a variety of perspectives.

Reviewed by Amandajean Nolte, Instructor, University of Northern Iowa on 2/8/17

This is a comprehensive text that rivals textbooks in the traditional market. It contains the concepts often covered in a hybird/intro communication course. Having taught this course for ten years and reviewed dozens of textbooks, I would have little hesitation in using this textbook in my oral communication course. Often these textbooks feel redundant of each other and being able to choose one that has the information and the best price point is persuasive.

In my estimation, I believe this text is accurate and error free.

The theory and concepts related to the course content are up-to-date and will most likely remain that way for a long time. Any shift in this area would occur for all texts in this area and would require updating all literature in the communication field. The examples and videos are currently great, but I can't help but think those will feel outdated very quickly. Same with any reference to social media that is constantly changing and evolving.

The text does a nice job of defining terms and offering relevant examples while formating the text in a way that makes it easy to read. I also found myself connecting to and enjoying sections, which is a bonus in the reading of a textbook.

The terminology follows itself consistently through chapters and there are frequent references to and from other chapters. One of the benefits of an online text like this one is the easy clickability between chapters and concepts that are much less disconnected than our organizational structure of chapters leads us to believe.

The modularity of the text lends itsself well to the particualr focus of an instructor teaching an intro communication course. It would be simple to piece out the chapters or sections based on one's specific focus.

The organization is consistent from chapter to chapter, which allows for a logical and clear reading of the text.

My biggest concern with the interface is the formatting of the outline chapter and therefore the references. I am a stickler for format, when it comes to this piece of my course and the improper outline numbering format and lack of hanging indent in the references is frustrating. Granted, I could say this is true of other books as well, and I could always supplement this chapter if need be.

I found no major grammatical probelms in the text.

This text does a respectable job of referencing multiple races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. It also does a nice job of not allowing analysis of any of these groups to be locked into stereotyping.

Reviewed by Samuel Cook IV, Adjunct Lecturer, UNC Greensboro on 12/5/16

As compared to similar texts in the traditional textbook market, this book provides just as much comprehension for an introductory communication course/curriculum. All of the general concept areas taught in an introductory hybrid communication course are thoughtfully present, including chapter content geared to modern communication technology concepts and influences on social media. After teaching the hybrid course for almost fifteen years, I would have no issues using this text, relative to including the required concepts of such a course.

In reviewing this text, I have not found any major errors or issues with presented content. Not to say that I could not have missed a model or diagram that was incorrectly presented. Overall, I found the text error-free in my review. But I have found that errors in texts are usually discovered when actually applied in teaching situations. As for bias, there is no discernible concern in my view of a particular philosophy or worldview that would distract from the learning objectives of the text used in a class. Actually, I found myself really enjoying the style of writing, and to my chagrin, realized the textbook author was a graduate of my same MA program!

This text areas focusing on traditional content in the hybrid communication course are up to date, and any changes to field theory would likely occur over a span of years (allowing for effective inclusion in this text, assuming the author will continue to update the text). The chapters that likely will need to be updated sooner of course deal with social media and technology.

The writer presents theory and concepts in a straight forward fashion, without requiring the reader/student to have prior grounding in communication theory. It’s easy to understand, and even enjoyable to follow!

The text follows a consistent pattern for each chapter, with learning objectives noted at the start of each chapter, followed by chapter content, case studies, concept review questions, and exercises. I did find a few examples of printing errors across a few sections, with extra spaces between sections.

Yes, this text could be applied or configured using specific chapters for instruction, leaving out several areas and/or focusing on specific chapters by topic area.

This text is well organized, with learning objectives presented the start of each chapter, followed by chapter content, case studies, concept review questions, and exercises.

I did find a few examples of printing errors across a few sections, with extra spaces between sections.

From my review, I could not find major grammatical problems in the text.

There is nothing offensive or culturally insensitive in this text so far in my review of it. The text is sensitive to diversity and provides excellent examples of situations where people from various background could find challenges in communicating within diverse cultural environments.

Again, as compared to using a traditional textbook from the market, this text, as far as relative content, could be just as effective. It could help in saving students on costs for another textbook, especially one used for an introductory course. My two concerns: 1. There are no boldfaced or italics key terms identified in text, which could leave the student not seeking out the concepts/theories for class discussion or application in activities or tests. While the learning goals at the start of each chapter (just about) provides this service, I feel the author should include a key term or concept summary for each chapter. 2. Given the emphasis today (actually, make that requirement) in colleges on taking the traditional hybrid communication course and applying the course in completely online or partly web-based classes, it would be helpful to have some consideration for a delivery platform for speeches or online discussions. And, that is probably where the open textbook concept, at least in this case, has to rely on the school’s default learning management system platform or other learning software platform.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Communication Studies
Chapter 2: Communication and Perception
Chapter 3: Verbal Communication
Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication
Chapter 5: Listening
Chapter 6: Interpersonal Communication Processes
Chapter 7: Communication in Relationships
Chapter 8: Culture and Communication
Chapter 9: Preparing a Speech
Chapter 10: Delivering a Speech
Chapter 11: Informative and Persuasive Speaking
Chapter 12: Public Speaking in Various Contexts
Chapter 13: Small Group Communication
Chapter 14: Leadership, Roles, and Problem Solving in Groups
Chapter 15: Media, Technology, and Communication
Chapter 16: New Media and Communication

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies overviews the time-tested conceptual foundations of the field, while incorporating the latest research and cutting-edge applications of these basics. Each chapter will include timely, concrete, and real-life examples of communication concepts in action.

A key feature of this book is the integration of content regarding diversity and organizational communication in each chapter through examples and/or discrete sub-sections. Discussions of diversity are not relegated to feature boxes. Also integrated into the content are examples that are inclusive in terms of race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, marital status, religion, and other diverse identity characteristics.

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How to Improve Communication Skills for Better Interaction

Did you know that a staggering 93% of communication is non-verbal? Yes, you read that right. While words are undeniably important, the way we say them, our body language, and even the tone of our voice play a crucial role in conveying our thoughts and emotions. In a world where effective communication can make or break personal and professional relationships, mastering this skill is paramount. Whether you're looking to excel in your career, strengthen your connections, or simply become a more persuasive communicator, this article is your gateway to practical strategies and tips on how to improve your communication skills.

How to Improve Communication Skills: Short Description

In this article, you'll explore why are communication skills important and their pivotal role in our lives. From unraveling the importance of effective communication to breaking down the core components of these skills, this article is your comprehensive guide. Discover practical strategies, fascinating facts, and essential book recommendations to enhance your ability to connect, persuade, and succeed!

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Exploring What Are Communication Skills

Communication skills are the foundation upon which our ability to interact with others is built. At its core, communication is the process of exchanging information, thoughts, ideas, and emotions with clarity and understanding. But what makes up these essential skills?

Verbal Communication: This is the most obvious aspect involving the words we choose, the tone we use, and the way we structure our sentences. Effective verbal communication ensures that our message is clear, concise, and easily comprehensible.
Non-Verbal Communication: Often underestimated, non-verbal cues such as body language, facial expressions, and gestures play a significant role in conveying our feelings and intentions. They can either complement or contradict our verbal communication, making them a crucial aspect of overall communication skills.
Listening Skills: Communication is a two-way street, and active listening is a vital part of it. It involves not just hearing words but understanding the speaker's perspective, asking questions, and showing empathy. Effective listeners can provide thoughtful responses and foster meaningful conversations.
Written Communication: In our digital age, written communication is more prevalent than ever. This includes emails, text messages, reports, and even social media posts. Effective written communication requires clarity, proper grammar, and an understanding of the recipient's expectations.
Interpersonal Skills: These skills encompass our ability to interact with others, build rapport, and maintain healthy relationships. Empathy, conflict resolution, and negotiation fall under this category, as they are crucial for navigating social interactions successfully.
Presentation Skills: For professionals, being able to convey information persuasively and engagingly is vital. Presentation skills involve structuring content effectively, using visual aids, and delivering information with confidence.

Why Good Communication Skills Matter

Effective communication skills are far from being mere soft skills; they are the lifeblood of our personal and professional lives. According to our experts, here's why they matter:

Career Advancement: In the workplace, the ability to communicate effectively can be a game-changer. Whether you're giving a presentation, collaborating on a project, or resolving conflicts with colleagues, strong interaction abilities are essential. They can lead to promotions, better job opportunities, and increased job satisfaction.
Building Relationships: Communication is the cornerstone of any healthy relationship, be it with family, friends, or romantic partners. Good communication fosters trust, understanding, and empathy. It helps resolve conflicts and ensures that everyone's needs and feelings are heard and respected.
Conflict Resolution: Disagreements and conflicts are inevitable in any human interaction. However, those with strong interaction skills can navigate these situations with grace and effectiveness. They can defuse tension, find common ground, and reach mutually beneficial solutions.
Personal Growth: Mastering effective communication skills can lead to personal growth and self-awareness. When you can express your thoughts and feelings more clearly, you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your needs. This self-awareness can lead to increased self-confidence and improved mental well-being.
Influence and Persuasion: Whether you're a salesperson trying to close a deal or a leader inspiring your team, the power of persuasion is rooted in effective communication. The ability to articulate your ideas persuasively achieved through understanding how to improve your communication skills, can have a significant impact on your success in various aspects of life.

How to Improve Communication Skills: Strategies for Success

Discover the concrete strategies you need to improve communication skills. This guide provides actionable tips, from refining your listening skills to improving your verbal and non-verbal communication. By the end, you'll be equipped with the tools to become a more influential and empathetic communicator, setting yourself up for success in both personal and professional spheres.

Engage as an Attentive Listener

Listening is more than just hearing words; it's about understanding the speaker's message, emotions, and perspective. Being an attentive listener is a skill that can significantly improve your communication:

Give Your Full Attention: When someone is speaking, put aside distractions and focus on them. Make eye contact and give them your undivided attention. This simple act shows respect and genuine interest in what they're saying.
Avoid Interruptions: Resist the urge to interrupt or finish the speaker's sentences. Let them express themselves fully before you respond. Interruptions can be frustrating and can hinder effective communication.
Ask Clarifying Questions: Don't hesitate to ask questions for clarification. If something is unclear, seek more information with open-ended questions like, 'Could you explain that further?' or 'Can you give me an example?'

Strive for Clarity and Brevity

Use Simple Language: Avoid jargon and complex vocabulary, especially when communicating with a diverse audience. Simplicity often leads to better understanding. For instance, instead of saying, 'I'll optimize the process,' you can say, 'I'll make the process more efficient.'
Organize Your Thoughts: Before communicating, take a moment to organize your ideas. Structure your message logically, starting with the most important points. This makes it easier for others to follow your thoughts.
Consider Your Audience: Tailor your message to your audience's level of expertise and familiarity with the topic. Adjust the level of detail accordingly. For instance, when explaining a complex concept to a non-expert, provide a simple analogy or real-life example to enhance understanding.

Plan and Get Ready in Advance

Improving communication skills often involves some level of preparation. Whether you're giving a presentation, having a difficult conversation, or even participating in a casual discussion, planning in advance can boost your confidence and ensure your message is well-received:

Outline Your Key Points: Before any important conversation or communication event, create a simple outline of the key points you want to convey. This can help you stay on track and ensure you cover all the essential information.
Anticipate Questions: Think about potential questions or concerns your audience might have. Preparing answers in advance not only demonstrates your expertise but also helps you respond confidently during the conversation.
Practice if Necessary: For significant presentations or speeches, practicing your message is essential. It's one of the effective time management tips to allocate time for rehearsal. This helps you refine your delivery and reduce nervousness, making your communication more effective. If you find yourself short on time or need additional assistance, consider seeking support from professionals who offer services where you can pay for essay .

Monitor Your Tone

Your tone of voice and body language can convey as much, if not more, than your words. Being aware of your tone is crucial for effective communication:

Be Mindful of Your Tone: Pay attention to the tone of your voice. Is it friendly, neutral, or confrontational? Adjust your tone to match the message and the situation. For example, when giving feedback, a constructive and empathetic tone is usually more effective than a critical one.
Watch Your Body Language: Your body language, including gestures, posture, and facial expressions, can either support or contradict your words. If you're saying one thing, but your body language says another, it can create confusion or mistrust.
Consider Cultural Differences: Different cultures may interpret tone and body language differently. Be aware of cultural nuances, especially in cross-cultural communication. What is seen as friendly in one culture might be seen as intrusive in another.

Pay Attention to Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal cues often speak louder than words. Your body language, facial expressions, and gestures can convey a wealth of information to those you're communicating with. Here's how to leverage nonverbal communication effectively:

Maintain Eye Contact : When engaged in a conversation, maintaining appropriate eye contact is a hallmark of good communication skills. It demonstrates attentiveness and shows that you are actively participating in the interaction.
Use Open and Inviting Body Language: Your posture can communicate whether you are open to conversation or closed off. Keep your arms uncrossed, stand or sit with an open stance, and use friendly gestures to show your receptiveness.
Match Your Nonverbal Cues with Your Message: Ensure that your nonverbal cues align with what you're saying. For example, if you're delivering good news, your facial expressions and body language should reflect positivity and enthusiasm.

Articulate Clearly and Minimize Ambiguity

Clear and unambiguous communication is essential to prevent misunderstandings. Ambiguity can lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Here's how to articulate your message clearly:

Be Specific: Instead of vague statements, provide concrete details. For example, rather than saying, 'We should meet sometime next week,' say, 'Let's meet on Tuesday at 3 PM.'
Summarize and Recap: After conveying important information, summarize the key points. This reinforces the message and ensures that everyone is on the same page.
Ask for Clarification: If you're unsure whether your message has been understood, encourage others to ask questions or provide feedback. This proactive approach can prevent misunderstandings.

Cultivate Your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a significant role in effective communication, which can also be an engaging topic for narrative essay topics . It involves recognizing, understanding, and managing your own emotions, as well as empathizing with the emotions of others. Here's how to cultivate your EQ for better communication:

Self-awareness: Take time to understand your own emotions and how they influence your communication. Recognize your triggers and biases.
Empathy: Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Try to understand their emotions, perspectives, and needs. Show empathy by acknowledging their feelings.
Emotion Regulation: Learn to manage your emotions during conversations. Avoid reacting impulsively when faced with challenging or emotional situations.
Conflict Resolution: Use your emotional intelligence communication to navigate conflicts constructively. Focus on finding mutually beneficial solutions rather than escalating disputes.

Establish Eye Contact

Eye contact is a powerful nonverbal communication tool that can convey confidence, attentiveness, and trustworthiness. When used appropriately, it enhances the quality of your interactions. Here's how to establish effective eye contact:

Balance Engagement: When engaging in a conversation, strike a balance with eye contact. Avoid staring intensely, which can be uncomfortable, and also refrain from completely avoiding eye contact, which may signal disinterest.
Maintain Natural Intervals: It's natural to break eye contact occasionally, especially during moments of reflection or when transitioning between thoughts. These brief breaks help maintain a comfortable and natural flow of conversation.

Remove Filler Words and Avoid Hedging Language

Filler words (such as 'um,' 'uh,' 'like,' and 'you know') and hedging language (phrases like 'I think,' 'sort of,' and 'maybe') can weaken the impact of your message and make you appear less confident. Here's how to eliminate them while also understanding how to improve communication skills overall:

Record Yourself: To become aware of your use of filler words and hedging phrases, record your conversations or speeches. Listening to these recordings will help you pinpoint instances where you rely on these verbal crutches. This practice not only aids in reducing their use but also enhances your overall communication skills.
Pause Instead: Instead of resorting to filler words when you need a moment to gather your thoughts, embrace the power of well-placed pauses. Pauses not only eliminate the need for filler words but also make you appear more thoughtful and composed in your speech. This can also improve your grasp of idiom figurative language and the nuances of effective communication.

Project Confidence

Confidence in communication can inspire trust and credibility. It's not just about what you say but how you say it. Here are some ways that will not only help you project confidence in your communication but also teach you how to be confident in school :

Maintain Good Posture: Stand or sit up straight with your shoulders back. Good posture not only makes you appear more confident but also helps with breath control for clear articulation.
Use Gestures Purposefully: Gestures can enhance your message, but use them purposefully and naturally. Avoid excessive or distracting movements, which can undermine your confidence.
Practice Positive Self-Talk: Believe in yourself and your message. Replace negative self-talk with affirmations that boost your self-confidence.

Communication Skills: Intriguing Facts and Stats

Communication is a universal aspect of human existence, but it's also a fascinating field of study filled with surprising facts and statistics. Here are some intriguing insights into the world of communication:

Words Convey Only a Fraction: While words are essential for communication, research suggests that they only make up about 7% of our message's impact. The tone of voice and nonverbal cues, such as body language and facial expressions, account for the remaining 93%. This underscores the importance of the way we say things.
The 7-38-55 Rule: Communication researcher Albert Mehrabian proposed a rule stating that in conveying feelings and attitudes, 7% comes from words, 38% from tone of voice, and 55% from body language. While this rule is often debated and may not apply universally, it highlights the multifaceted nature of communication.
Listening Is Challenging: People generally remember only about 25-50% of what they hear, according to research by Edgar Dale. This statistic emphasizes the importance of active listening skills for effective communication.
Texting vs. Talking: In the digital age, similar to the digital transformation in higher education , texting has emerged as a predominant mode of communication. Surprisingly, a study by the Pew Research Center found that adults aged 18-29 send and receive an average of 88 text messages per day, compared to just 17 phone calls. This shift in communication methods highlights the evolving landscape of human interaction.
The Power of First Impressions: Studies have indicated that people form first impressions within just 7-17 seconds of meeting someone. This quick judgment underscores the significance of nonverbal cues and initial interactions in communication.

Books on Communication Skills

If you're eager to further enhance your skills and delve deeper into the art of effective interaction, there is a wealth of valuable books on communication skills available. Here's a selection of recommended reads:

'Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High' by Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, and Ron McMillan: This book offers practical strategies for navigating high-stakes conversations with confidence, focusing on maintaining dialogue and achieving mutual understanding.
'How to Win Friends and Influence People' by Dale Carnegie: A classic in the realm of interpersonal communication, this book provides timeless advice on building positive relationships, influencing others, and becoming a more effective communicator.
'Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life' by Marshall B. Rosenberg: Dr. Rosenberg presents a compassionate and empathetic approach to communication, emphasizing the importance of connecting with others on a deeper level through mindful dialogue.
'Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds' by Carmine Gallo: Drawing from TED Talks, this book uncovers the techniques used by some of the world's most engaging speakers, offering practical advice for improving your public-speaking skills.
'The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism' by Olivia Fox Cabane: Charisma is a valuable asset in communication, and this book explores how to develop and exude charisma to enhance your interactions with others.

Where to Enhance These Skills

Understanding how to improve communication skills can be greatly facilitated through online educational platforms that offer courses, workshops, and resources. Here are some reputable platforms where you can hone your skills:

Toastmasters International: Toastmasters is a renowned organization that focuses on improving public speaking and leadership skills. They offer in-person and online meetings, providing a supportive environment for practicing and enhancing your communication abilities.
Dale Carnegie Training: The Dale Carnegie programs offer comprehensive training in interpersonal skills, public speaking, and effective communication strategies.
Skillshare: Skillshare features an array of classes in communication-related topics, including storytelling, effective email communication, and interpersonal skills.
MasterClass: MasterClass provides access to lessons taught by renowned experts in various fields. You can find courses on communication by experts such as Chris Voss, a negotiation expert and former FBI hostage negotiator.
TED Talks: While not a traditional educational platform, TED Talks offer a treasure trove of inspiring and informative talks on communication-related topics. These talks can provide valuable insights and ideas for enhancing your skills.

Additionally, if you're specifically interested in Harvard free online courses , you might want to explore its offerings, which often include communication-related subjects among their diverse range of offerings.

Concluding Remarks

By applying the strategies and insights discussed here and exploring educational resources, you can become a more confident, empathetic, and impactful communicator. With practice and dedication, the journey to enhancing your communication skills is well within reach, offering the potential for greater success, meaningful relationships, and personal growth. Additionally, expanding your social circle in an academic environment can further refine your interpersonal skills, so be sure to check out our article on how to make friends at college .

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The Six Keys to Positive Communication

When I was 15 years old, I enrolled in a program to study English in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, also known as Iowa.

Having grown up in France and Switzerland, I spoke zero English. In Iowa, I couldn’t understand what people were telling me, and I couldn’t express myself. I couldn’t connect with people, I couldn’t create interactions, I couldn’t build friendships. I faced some of the most difficult months of my life because I was in some ways mute, and in some ways deaf.

But that experience taught me the most beautiful aspect of human communication. As I learned to speak, as I learned to listen, as I learned to connect, I was able to create a social network around me. It was human communication that set me free.

Fast forward to today, and I have spent my whole career researching and sharing what I know about effective ethical communication. Some questions that have animated my work include: What communication behaviors exemplify our best potential as humans? What are some small actions that will help us interact more effectively? What communication behaviors have a butterfly effect?

Based on my research, I’ll share six concrete behaviors that you can enact in your life today to improve your communication. At work or at home, these tips can help you start to inspire and influence the people around you. They can help you grow and change yourself, allowing you to deepen your relationships and create a better social world around you.

1. Greet to create human contact

In most people’s minds, communication is a mode of transmission: You have an idea to send out, and once the message is sent, you have accomplished the goal of communication.

But communication is more than transmission; it’s also creation. It creates experiences and builds relationships. If we take away communication, we take away relationship. In fact, I would propose that when you communicate, you are doing the work of relationship. You are relating .

The work of communication often starts with greeting, which is a simple but significant behavior: the moment when you initiate the process of making contact. One of the most disrespectful things a doctor can do when they meet with a patient is not greet them . When educators greet their students, it actually affects learning . And the best managers and leaders create opportunities for connection : They check on their employees and ask how they’re doing. They’re constantly in the process of building relationships.

As part of the New Zealand Language at Work project, researchers studied over 500 emails from two organizations: one company that was experiencing a lot of conflict, low morale, and turnover, and another with a very positive culture. After looking closely, the researchers noticed something striking: In the organization where people did not get along, the emails sounded like this:

The meeting is at 3:00 p.m.

That’s it. But in the company where people were getting along, the emails sounded more like this:

Hi everybody, Hope you are doing well. Looking forward to seeing you at our meeting on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Have a great week. Warmly, John

The content is the same, but the little details that we add help us manage our connections with other people. Communication oils the social wheels; it is not just a mode of transmission.

To put this into practice, try initiating contact with three people that you do not know very well, but who are stakeholders in your organization; they can be anybody in the organizational hierarchy. Greet them. Ask them how they’re doing; set up a Zoom call or a lunch; take a little bit of time to connect with them. If you practice this, then you’d be able to create deeper connections with people around you and expand your network of influence.

2. Ask to discover the unknown

When we ask questions, we are going on a quest. We are putting ourselves in a position to discover more, to learn from a position of humility and curiosity.

On a basic level, we can distinguish between closed-ended questions and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions—“Do you like blue or yellow?”—tend to narrow and control human interaction. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, tend to expand and give people freedom to decide what to share and what not to share—like “Tell me about some of your favorite experiences in your life” or “What conversations have impacted you?”

One way of improving your communication is to learn to flip your questions from closed-ended to open-ended.

On annual reviews, for example, it’s very tempting to say, “Did you have a good year?” But what if we flip the script and ask, “What can we do to help you reach your potential? What can we do this year to serve you and help you grow?” I learned this from an organization called Performance Group Management in Little Rock, Arkansas. With those questions, not only was the organization able to retain their employees, but they were able to find ways of helping them grow internally and build what has been widely celebrated as a very positive culture.

As another example, I do some research with Heifer International, which is trying to help create personal transformation in individuals around the world and help them end poverty in their own communities. Instead of asking, “Do you need help?,” they begin the process of change by asking people, “What are your dreams? What are your hopes?”

3. Compliment to affect people’s sense of self

The single most important truth in the field of human communication is that what we say, what we do, affects people. It affects who they are, in the moment, and it affects who they become. I think a lot about this as the father of three young children.

Complimenting is just one behavior among many that illustrates our capacity for affecting people in a positive way.

Sometimes, when I do trainings, leaders ask me how many compliments they should give to get their staff to do what they want. But compliments should not be used in a robotic way. Instead, I am advocating for a way of being. Complimenting is the choice to affect who people are and who they become, their sense of self. In fact, research suggests that we underestimate how good compliments make people feel.

“What we say, what we do, affects people. It affects who they are, in the moment, and it affects who they become”

What is the best compliment that you have ever received? What has someone said to you that has positively impacted you? In my research , we have found that often those moments come from leaders, managers, supervisors, or teachers. When people we look up to say something about us that resonates, we take it in; we integrate it.

To put this into practice and make your own mark, you can think of three people that you really value around you, and deliver a meaningful compliment to them about their strengths. Or you can send an email to your team and say, “I want to celebrate the work that you’ve done, the strength that you’ve shown, especially as we respond to a global pandemic.” Communicating positively is about being intentional. As a leader, a parent, a partner, or a friend, we can all choose to use our words to do a little good.

4. Disclose to deepen relationships

The second important truth about communication is that the connection and closeness we feel with others is not a state that we can hold on to; it’s something we do. And the way we go about enacting this sense of love and collegiality is by the act of disclosure: revealing how we think, how we feel, and who we are in an authentic way.

Not all disclosure has the same function, but it does have some common elements. First, the disclosure needs to be authentic. It has to reflect this congruency between what you feel on the inside, and what’s happening on the outside. It has to be communication that’s truthful, honest, and personal, that reflects what you think and what you value.

It has to have integrity, and, more importantly, it has to be human. The more your experience can reflect our common humanity, the more it’s likely to resonate with other people when it’s spoken.

Research by Robert Ulmer, who is an expert in crisis communication at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, suggests that when leaders practice open and honest disclosure, they’re able to respond much more effectively to crises. In one case he studied , Malden Mills CEO Aaron Feuerstein immediately responded to a fire affecting several manufacturing buildings by communicating openly and publicly with his stakeholders: “We’re going to continue to operate in Lawrence. . . . We had the opportunity to run to the south many years ago. We didn’t do it then and we’re not going to do it now.” Being open and honest shows that we care about our stakeholders and want to learn from the crisis.

To put this into practice, think of somebody that you can text right now to share that you’re grateful for them. Be open and be honest with them. You can just say, “I’m thinking of you, and I just wanted you to know that I’m grateful to have you in my life.” Pay attention to the feelings and thoughts going on inside of you— should I do it, should I not do it, how are they going to respond? Despite all that, in this moment you can choose to express your gratitude. That’s disclosure.

5. Encourage to give support

Human communication, I would argue, is just as tangible a way of giving as giving money. We use communication to give love. We use communication to give affection. And when we choose to encourage others, we are using communication to give people the social support they need to develop and succeed .

I believe that we can transform any ordinary moment into an extraordinary one by what we say and share with other people, no matter what our role is.

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Here’s an example from my own career. For many years, whenever my students struggled, I would always say, “Hey, why don’t you just ride the wave a little?” Then, during one incredibly hard year of work, I got to my office and found an email from my wife. Inside was the message, “Ride the wave, baby,” with a Photoshopped picture of me on a real surfer. I remember that moment to this day.

That is the power of encouragement. What we say and do can make an impact not only in that moment, but as a source of support for years to come.

6. Listen to transcend differences

Learning how to become a better listener is not a small feat, but experts agree that it’s a common trait of good leaders. If you can choose to listen deeply , you can transcend the perceived differences that exist between you and other people.

You can learn to listen more deeply by maintaining a high degree of openness to other people’s perspectives and viewpoints. It also requires withholding judgment of people and their actions. Psychologist Carl Rogers called this “ unconditional positive regard ”: a way of looking at people with warmth, without any conditions. In order to listen deeply, you have to cultivate deep empathy, the ability to look at other people’s perspectives not to see whether they’re right or wrong, but to understand their vantage point.

Finally, you have to learn how to give somebody your full attention. Physically leaning in with your body will start the process of deeper listening. If you get really frustrated, take your hand, put it underneath the table, and open it slightly—a physical gesture of openness. Listening can be uncomfortable, but there is a lot to learn if we quiet everything going on inside of us and turn our attention to other people.

I believe that if you practice positive communication, it’s going to help you grow as a professional and as a person, create high-quality relationships at work and at home, and lead more effectively. When you take these small actions, you’re beginning a butterfly effect. You’re starting to change the script on your interactions, which affects the relationships that you care about, the groups you work in, and the communities you belong to. And if we do this together, we will co-create a better society for ourselves and our children.

This essay is based on a talk that is part of the Positive Links Speaker Series by the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations. The Center is dedicated to building a better world by pioneering the science of thriving organizations.

About the Author

Julien C. Mirivel

Julien C. Mirivel, Ph.D. , is professor of applied communication at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, an author, and a professional speaker. His mission is to inspire people of all walks of life to communicate more positively at work and at home. To learn more, visit julienmirivel.com .

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Interpersonal Communication — Interpersonal Communication: A Key Component for Personal and Professional Growth

Interpersonal Communication: a Key Component for Personal and Professional Growth

Categories: Interpersonal Communication

About this sample

Words: 707 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 707 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Definition and importance of interpersonal communication, core components of interpersonal communication, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, emotional intelligence, barriers to effective interpersonal communication, strategies for improving interpersonal communication, active listening techniques, cultural sensitivity and awareness, emotional intelligence development, case studies and real-life examples, example 1: miscommunication leading to conflicts at work, example 2: cross-cultural communication challenges in a global team.

Beebe, S. A., & Masterson, J. T. (2021). Communicating in small groups: Principles and practices. Pearson.
Gudykunst, W. B., & Kim, Y. Y. (2017). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural communication. Routledge.
Mayer, J. D., & Salovey, P. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In P. Salovey & D. J. Sluyter (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Educational implications (pp. 3-31). Basic Books.

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Relationships

Why Communication Matters

We communicate to create, maintain, and change relationships and selves..

Posted July 15, 2021 | Reviewed by Vanessa Lancaster

Why Relationships Matter
Find a therapist to strengthen relationships
How we communicate helps relationships get off on the right foot, navigate problems, and change over time.
In communication, we develop, create, maintain, and alter our relationships.
We communicate to work our way through family changes and challenges in verbal and non-verbal ways.

I remember seeing a poster on my junior high classroom wall: “Communication is the Beginning of Understanding.” This spoke to me at the time. Yet, like so many people, I had never really thought much about communication. I would have described communication as sending and receiving messages.

Communication Is More Than Sending and Receiving Messages

In reality, communication is often about transmitting information. We send and receive messages with people in our lives. Daily, much of our communication consists of coordinating schedules, “What time are you getting home for dinner?” and negotiating whose turn it is to do the dishes, pay the bills, or take dinner to a friend who is ill. We send messages like, “It is your turn to let the dog out” and receive messages like, “Don’t forget to get dog food at the store” (if you have not guessed, a lot of the messages in my house are about the dog).

We might also blame problems on communication, talking about “communication breakdowns” or on a “lack of communication.” If we think about communication in these ways, we have missed so much that is important about communication. We have neglected how and why communication matters.

Communication Matters to Creating and Changing Relationships

We become aware of how Communication Matters when

We confront issues with work-life balance.
We experience positive events like the birth of a baby or winning an award.
We have a friend does who does not do or say what we expect.
We have disagreements over religious beliefs or political values.

Both positive and challenging events affect, reflect, and change our identity and the identity of our personal and family relationships. What do I mean by this? How did these relationships come into being? Well, think about the last time you started a new friendship or had a new member join your family. Through what you and the other person said and did, what we’d call verbal and nonverbal communication , these relationships took shape.

Sometimes relationships develop easily and clearly. They are healthy and pleasant. Other times, relationships develop in stress and storm and may be healthy or not. How we communicate helps relationships get off on the right foot, navigate problems, and change over time.

What is important to understand is that relationships are talked into (and out of) being. In communication, we develop, create, maintain, and alter our relationships. As we communicate, we become and change who we are. Think about how you have grown and changed as you communicate at home, at work, with friends, and in your community.

Communication Matters to Relationship and Family Identity

As we communicate, we co-create relationships and our own identity. As you think about your close relationships and your family, you can likely recall important events, both positive and negative, that impacted how you understand your relationship and yourself as a person.

Consider this example: one of my college students described a childhood family ritual of going out on the front lawn on Christmas Eve. The family sang Christmas carols and threw carrots on the roof for Santa’s reindeers. The family still does this annual carrot-throwing ritual in adulthood. You can picture them bringing their sometimes confused new partners and spouses out in the snow to throw carrots onto the roof and sing.

Why does this family still throw carrots and sing? Through this seemingly silly ritual, the family celebrates who they are as a family and the togetherness that is important to them. The family creates space for new people to join the family. Through their words and actions, members of the family teach their new partners how to be family members through carrot throwing and other vital experiences.

I am sure you can point to experiences that have been central to creating your relationships and your identity.

Communication Matters as We Face Change and Challenges

We also communicate to work our way through family changes and challenges. Family members or others may have different expectations of what our family and personal identity or should be. This is especially true when a family does not fit dominant cultural models, such as single-parent families, multi-ethnic families, stepfamilies, LGBTQ families, or adoptive families.

Rescue Relationships by Choosing the Right Words

For me, becoming a stepfamily was highly challenging. We became a stepfamily when I was 12 years old. My mother had recently died, and my Dad surprised us, kids, introducing us to the woman he wanted to marry. We no longer matched the other families in the neighborhood where we’d lived most of our lives. We certainly did not feel like a family overnight.

It took my stepfamily several years to create an understanding of what it meant to be a family. As we interacted, and with many mistakes and some successes, we slowly came to understand what we needed and expected from each other to be a family.

For all of us, relationship and family identity is constantly developing and changing. In my case, I remember my stepmom reminding me to wear a jacket when going out in the evening, even into my 40s, and giving me advice about my health. At some point, our roles changed, and now, as she moves toward her 80s, more often than not, I am in the role of asking about her health and helping her with significant decisions. What it means to be a mother or daughter and what we expect of each other and ourselves change as we interact.

Communication Matters . Whether we are negotiating whose turn it is to feed the dog, how to become a parent, how to interact with a difficult co-worker, or how to celebrate with a friend who won a major award, it is in communication that we learn what to do and say. This is what I will write about in this blog as I reflect on what I have learned as a professor and researcher of interpersonal and family communication. I invite you to go on this journey with me. I hope to give you insights into your communication.

Communication Matters. Communication is the Beginning of Understanding . It is an exciting and ever-changing journey.

Baxter, L. A. (2004). Relationships as dialogues. Personal Relationships, 11 , 1-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2004.00068.x

Braithwaite, D. O., Foster, E. A., & Bergen, K. M. (2018). Social construction theory: Communication co-creating families. In D. O. Braithwaite, E. A. Suter, & K. Floyd. (Eds.). Engaging theories in family communication: Multiple perspectives (2nd ed., pp. 267-278). Routledge.

Braithwaite, D. O., Waldron, V. R., Allen, J., Bergquist, G., Marsh, J., Oliver, B., Storck, K., Swords, N., & Tschampl-Diesing, C. (2018). “Feeling warmth and close to her”: Communication and resilience reflected in turning points in positive adult stepchild-stepparent relationships. Journal of Family Communication, 18 , 92-109. doi: 10.1080/15267431.2017.1415902

Dawn O. Braithwaite, Ph.D., a professor of communication at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, studies families and close relationships, especially step- and chosen families.

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Essays About Personal Growth: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

If you’re writing essays about personal growth, our guide’s article examples and prompts will help stimulate your creative thinking.

Personal growth is looking at ways to improve yourself mentally, socially, spiritually, emotionally or physically. It is a process where we envision a better version of ourselves and strive to realize that ideal self. Personal growth demands the setting of personal goals and ensuring routine progress. The work toward personal development involves a great deal of hard work and discipline as we push our existing skills and strengths to a higher boundary while reducing our underlying weaknesses.

Read our essay examples and prompts below to help you produce a rich and creative essay about personal growth.

5 Essay Examples About Personal Growth

1. is it really too late to learn new skills by margaret talbot, 2. i’ve completed hundreds of 30-day challenges. here’s what i’ve learned by tara nicholle-nelson, 3. i was a self-help guru. here’s why you shouldn’t listen to people like me by michelle goodman, 4. how to craft a personal development plan that inspires meaningful results by scott jeffrey, 5. personal development and the power of feedback by emily marsh, 10 prompts on essays about personal growth, 1. why is personal growth important, 2. take up a personal growth challenge, 3. your personal growth journey, 4. personal growth among successful people, 5. personal growth for leaders , 6. personal growth at work, 7. best personal growth books, 8. strong motivation for achieving personal growth.

“… [H]e decides to throw himself into acquiring five new skills. (That’s his term, though I started to think of these skills as “accomplishments” in the way that marriageable Jane Austen heroines have them, talents that make a long evening pass more agreeably, that can turn a person into more engaging company, for herself as much as for others.)

Learning new things may not be a cup of tea for those in their middle ages. To get out of established expertise, be looked down on as a novice, and push the brain to work double time may even be a dreary and intimidating process. , But Journalist Tom Vanderbilt, award-winning writers, and Nobel Prize recipients prove that satisfaction is worth it for personal growth and fulfillment.

“I think of Challenges as self-directed projects to change my behavior or spark some personal growth or development I’m clear that I’d like to have. Sometimes I want a mindset shift or want to make (or break) a habit, or I just have a sort of big project I want to sprint to finish…”

Why are we so drawn to self-imposed challenges? For one, it’s a competition only between you and yourself, giving room for flexibility in the rules you set. It provides structure to your goals, chunks your bigger long-term self-growth goals into gradual and doable daily tasks, provokes a sense of self-accountability, and helps you focus your energy on what matters most.

“Apparently, I learned, gurus are people too, even gurus lining the self-help shelves of friendly neighborhood bookstores. They aren’t infallible, all-knowing oracles above worrying about their generous muffin top or widening backside. They are businesspeople — businesspeople with books, keynotes, and openings in their consulting practice to peddle”

From abhorring gurus to becoming one and then hating the industry much more — this is the story of a self-help book author who realizes it was herself who needed the most advice for personal growth. But, as she creates a facade of a well-balanced life to establish her credibility, things turn dark, almost costing her life.

“When entertainment, distraction, and workaholism consume our attention, something doesn’t feel right within us… To have a full and meaningful life requires us to open to more dimensions of ourselves. And a Personal Development Plan can help us do just that.”

Everyone strives for personal growth. But once we jump at it, some wrong ingredients may spoil the sense of fulfillment we expect. The right process involves navigating your potential, creating a larger vision, selecting areas to focus on, setting your schedule, and monitoring your progress. You might also be interested in these essays about motivation .

“Without feedback, we would learn very little about ourselves, in or out of work. The feedback process is like holding a mirror up to yourself; that’s why it can be uncomfortable at times. You have to be prepared to listen to and acknowledge whatever reveals itself.”

Hearing feedback is critical to personal growth. Negative feedback is constructive in losing our bad habits. However, purely positive feedback is non-progressive and dangerous if we only seek to affirm how we regard ourselves.

We can never be perfect. But we can always progress. In your essay, explain why nurturing a growth mindset in life is essential. What long-term benefits can you reap daily from wanting to be a better person? How does it affect the mind, body, and overall wellness? Answer these while citing studies that outline the essence of personal growth.

Essays About Personal Growth: Take up a personal growth challenge

Take up any challenge you find exciting and feel up to. Then, write about your experience. If successful, offer tips to your readers on how one can prepare their body, mind, and discipline to stick to the goals. If you did not complete the challenge, don’t worry! Your failure can still be a learning experience that contributes to personal growth and is worth writing about. In addition, you can add what areas of yourself you would like to improve on if you ever take up the challenge again.

Talk about your goals and your daily efforts to reach this goal. It could relate to acing a test, your sports team winning or professional success. Of course, there will be a handful of challenges in any journey toward a goal. What were the obstacles and distractions that tried to keep you off track? Share these with your readers and how you strived or are striving to conquer them.

When you see people already at the height of their careers, you’ll find some continuing to walk out of their comfort zones and reach for the next higher mountain. For this essay, explain the connection between striving for personal growth and success. Then, provide a list of everyday habits among successful people that others could consider adopting.

Leaders must adapt and address problems efficiently and decisively as they move through a fast-changing landscape. Elaborate on how the pursuit of personal growth helps leaders deliver in their enormous role in organizations, companies, and communities.

If you firmly believe that growth at work translates to personal growth, it would be less hard for you to get by at work. But this gets a bit more complex if your feel that your work is no longer satisfying your self-actualization needs and even limiting you. For this prompt, help your readers determine if it’s time to quit their job and continue their journey for personal growth elsewhere. If you want to address companies, offer recommendations enabling their employees to grow and have a vision for themselves. You may also suggest how managers can keep an open line of communication so that personnel can relay their self-development needs.

Essays About Personal Growth: Best personal growth books

We all have that book that has given us a new kind of energy that made us feel and believe we can do anything if we put our heart into it. We keep these books close to our hearts, serving as a reminder of other bigger goals ahead of us when the going gets tough. Create a numbered list of the books that have captivated you and helped you realize your potential. Talk about the best quotes that struck the chord and the thought racing in your mind while reading them.

When you tap onto your inherent and external motivation for a much-needed push, it may be easier to turn bad moments into something that helps advance personal development plans. For your essay, explain how motivation can be a bridge to get you to your growth goals.

If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .

For help with this topic, read our guide explaining what is persuasive writing ?

Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.

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Communication is key in the workplace. Here's how to improve

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Why is communication important in the workplace?

7 common types of communication in the workplace

The benefits of good communication in the workplace

8 reasons to work on your communication skills

8 ways to develop communication skills at work

How to improve communication when working remotely.

Communication, communication, communication. We all know it’s important, but communication skills can be challenging to develop and implement at work. The rise of remote and hybrid work hasn’t made it any easier, either.

Yet, effective communication at work can be transformative for individuals, teams, and businesses. We’re here to show you why communication is important in the workplace and how to start building your and your team’s communication skills today.

Why is effective communication important in the workplace?

Communication in the workplace is important because it boosts employee morale, engagement, productivity, and satisfaction. Communication is also key for better team collaboration and cooperation. Ultimately, effective workplace communication helps drive better results for individuals, teams, and organizations.

To take it a step further, specifically as a manager, building good communication skills has profound short- and long-term benefits for your organization. An effective communicator is able to motivate their team to get more done with better results and fewer misunderstandings. And who doesn’t want fewer misunderstandings?

All of these things can contribute to the company’s success — and to your own personal success as a leader.

Not all work communication is made equal. We’ve all had the experience of sitting through a boring, lengthy meeting with the thought, “This should have been an email.”

Different communication channels are ideal for different types of communication. Depending on the type of information being conveyed, those different channels can enhance — or detract — from how it is received. An effective communicator will develop different skills and tools to match the type of communication needed.

1. Leadership communication

Leaders often deliver one-way communications to their teams. The goal may be to inform or update, such as a memo about a new company policy or a change in direction. Leaders also often communicate to persuade, encourage, and inspire commitment. They often communicate through stories more than data.

2. Upward communication

Managers (and team members) often have to communicate with their own managers and with other leaders who are not in their direct chain of command. These may take the form of memos/emails, reports, or a slot in a standing meeting. Regardless of the format, these types of communications should be considered more formal.

3. Updates

Since they’re brief by nature, updates often fall short of being a type of strong communication. Use a visual tracker or dashboard to carry the load, and save your verbal or written commentary for drawing the audience’s attention to what is most important — typically, what requires action or further involvement from them. This might include surprises, obstacles, and potential risks, as well as wins.

4. Presentations

These formal communication events tend to receive the lion’s share of attention, for good reason. Presentations are communication tools that are typically aimed at a larger audience with higher stakes. They have objectives like informing, influencing, and persuading. In addition, many people fear public speaking , and thanks to TED and other series, we have a high expectation for entertainment as well as insight.

5. Meetings

Meetings, whether large or small, are a critical part of a workplace’s internal communication strategy . They’re also one of the least understood and most overused types of communication. Effective meetings build synergy between teams and quickly communicate information that would have a high potential to be misunderstood in another format (like email). The best meetings are highly collaborative and leave participants feeling energized, not drained.

6. Customer communications

Communicating with customers can run the entire gamut discussed above, from one-offs to face-to-face , virtual, spoken, or written, formal to ad hoc. In general, all of the considerations of communication among employees go double for customers. Be deliberate and plan your messages to provide what your customer needs, in the way they prefer, and create a positive impression for the company and the product.

7. Informal interactions

Informal communications include the emails and chats you engage in all day: making requests, asking for information, responding to requests, and giving or receiving support and guidance. In addition to moving the work of the organization forward, these informal communications have secondary objectives of forming social connections , building culture, establishing trust , and finding common ground.

woman communicating with male coworker at desk (1)

When employees are directly involved in work products and initiatives, it helps to foster a sense of ownership in the company’s future. It also makes them want to work to improve things like the company’s profitability, customer satisfaction, and brand.

Let’s take a look at some ways that building your communication skills cascades down through your organization — and directly impacts its bottom line.

1. Better engagement

Better communication results in greater employee engagement , which is a key metric for employee productivity and potential retention. It reinforces that your people are key contributors and people who the company values for their unique skills and experience. In other words, their contribution — and input — truly make a difference.

2. Increased morale

Team members with low job satisfaction take more time off of work, are less productive when in-office, and often negatively impact the productivity of other employees when they are present. However, when an employee has an understanding of the work that they have to do and how it connects to the overall success of the team, they bring more energy and pride to their work.

3. Improved productivity

Better communication techniques help employees to better comprehend their roles, which in turn helps employees perform their assigned duties better. Resources and time can be saved through these techniques, therefore getting more work done and reducing stress .

4. Reduced churn

From customer support representatives to senior technical staff, experience equals value to customers and to the company. And no organization wants to waste the huge costs of recruiting and training good employees by having them leave quickly. As a key factor in employee satisfaction and engagement, communication adds value to the organization by reducing the turnover of skilled and seasoned staff members.

5. Greater loyalty

Longer-term, keeping employees for many years can add strength to the company and impact the bottom line. Many jobs require years of experience before an employee has sufficient expertise to drive innovation, solve critical problems , and lead others. How an employee feels toward the company — based on how they feel they are treated and valued as individuals — impacts how loyal they will be.

6. Better collaboration

Most companies today use technologies that don’t require team members to be in the same room, the same building, or even the same country. This shift presents new communication challenges, which means managers can facilitate collaboration by helping groups communicate effectively when using the latest technologies.

7. Fewer workplace conflicts

Many conflicts originate with miscommunication . Poor communication can create negative relationships or even toxic or hostile work environments . Building clear communication can improve company culture and prevent misunderstandings between managers and employees . This includes honing and refining communication styles that focus on listening to others, having empathy, and considering individual differences.

8. Greater motivation

Psychologists have found that unless people understand the “why” of a concept, they will be less likely to understand or remember it. The same goes for many aspects of people’s work lives. As a manager, one key communication skill is hearing the “why” and following up with a “because.” This approach will help you motivate employees .

coworkers meeting communicating and shaking hands in an office (1)

Now that you understand the importance of good communication at work, you need to know how to develop those skills. Remember: effective communication is about active listening — while it may seem counter-intuitive, a “listener-first” approach will often help you structure the delivery of your message.

Here are 8 more tips for developing your communication skills .

1. Think it through

There are many communications frameworks, but if you want to improve your communication skills, start by getting in the habit of thinking through these 5 questions for any communication you create:

Why are you communicating?
Who is the receiver, audience, or participant?
What is your goal or objective?
What do you want the recipient to do as a result of the communication?
What format will best accomplish your goal?

If you struggle to answer these five questions, you should spend some additional time thinking about how and why you’re communicating. Then, test your understanding with co-workers or your manager.

2. Give it time

Plan what you want to say and review your communication to make sure it’s actually doing the job you need it to. For written communications, especially, this means: revise, revise, revise. Remember, great communication might seem effortless, but it rarely is.

3. Make it easy

Workplace communication almost always has a larger goal. People are busy. Don’t make them work too hard to understand what you are saying and what you need them to do. State your objective and main point from the beginning of a presentation or written communication so that your audience knows where you’re going. Then fill in the details.

4. Simplify

While you don’t want to condescend or “dumb it down,” in everyday work communications, be mindful of not making the other party work too hard to understand. Find a clear, simple phrasing to encapsulate your point. Repeat it at the beginning, middle, and end, and consider using a simple visual or metaphor to make your point clear and memorable.

5. Experiment and diversify

Work on developing different tactics for different communication needs. Focus on experimenting with one aspect of your communication at a time. For example, spend a week paying extra attention to how you structure informal communications. Then spend a week trying different structures for formal meetings or updates.

6. Practice and reflect

Be deliberate about reflecting on what goes well and what doesn’t in your day-to-day communications. Maybe an email to your manager didn’t go well. Can you see how it might have been misinterpreted? What would you do differently next time? Similarly, if a conversation with a co-worker didn’t yield the expected results, try to identify whether you clearly communicated what you needed.

7. Consider the full package

Consider recording yourself through a few interactions to gain insight into what your full package is communicating in your daily interactions with your team. Do you make eye contact? Is your facial expression relaxed and confident, or tense? How’s your body language? Do you leave time for questions and clarification?

8. Seek feedback

Ask a few trusted co-workers and your manager to rate your communication skills. Start by asking them to rate (i.e., on a scale of 1-10) your written and spoken communication separately. Then ask these 3 questions:

What one thing should I start doing to communicate better with you?
What one thing should I stop doing in my communications with you?
What one area or skill should I work on to improve how I communicate in this organization?

woman in yellow and headphones smiling on virtual call (1)

Communicating well is even more important for leaders and managers during remote work . Doing it well can help build trust and connection with your team and avoid some of the frustrations that come from miscommunication.

Here are a few areas to consider to improve remote communication:

1. Clarify expectations

State expectations upfront and repeat them at the end of a communication . Even better, ask the other person to restate their understanding of your expectations.

2. Engage in 2-way flow

Being remote can make it easier for employees to check out and disengage. Be deliberate and creative about giving others a role in communication. Ask questions, use polling and ranking tools, and solicit responses in the form of emojis, gifs, or one-word descriptors.

3. Remember the power of in-person

A lot can be misinterpreted in the flat space of text without additional cues like tone of voice and facial expression. Don’t default to communicating solely through text or chat. A well-crafted team Zoom call or in-person meeting can establish a better connection and shared understanding, giving others a chance to surface areas of misalignment.

4. Focus on quality

People may feel protective of their time when working remotely, so make sure that live events are well-thought-out. Send agendas, meeting objectives, or background reading ahead of time to help people prepare to have productive conversations.

5. Create an informal space

Assuming good intentions and a sharing culture are both foundational for effective day-to-day communication at work. That said, they’re hard to build and maintain without opportunities for casual interaction like happy hours or non-work Slack channels .

6. Show you care

You don’t have to spend a lot of time checking in with people and asking about their personal lives. But, now more than ever, it’s worth reminding yourself that the recipients of your communications are real people who have their own challenges, distractions, hopes, and fears. Before getting on a video call or firing off an email, try picturing that person on the other end.

Start communicating better today

Every year communication tops the list of skills in demand by employers. There's a reason. Communication is what makes our professional and personal relationships go smoothly. It's how we show care, catalyze change, and get things done. Business coaching for your team and yourself can help with this skill.

That's reason enough to improve — and keep improving — these important skills. Luckily, we can all learn to communicate better.

Boost your team's communication

Explore coaching techniques to enhance workplace dialogues and foster productivity.

Allaya Cooks-Campbell

With over 15 years of content experience, Allaya Cooks Campbell has written for outlets such as ScaryMommy, HRzone, and HuffPost. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a certified yoga instructor as well as a certified Integrative Wellness & Life Coach. Allaya is passionate about whole-person wellness, yoga, and mental health.

How to handle gossip in the workplace and encourage communication

10 essential workplace skills for success, leverage love languages at work to improve your office culture, foster strong communication skills to enjoy professional success, what is nonverbal communication 10 different types (with examples), improve your interpersonal communication skills with these 6 tips, team collaboration 101: learning the art of working together, 30 communication feedback examples, 18 effective strategies to improve your communication skills, similar articles, why workplace flexibility matters and 4 ways to offer it, what is asynchronous communication, 6 proven ways to create a culture of engagement, feedback in communication: 5 areas to become a better communicator, transparency in the workplace: what it is (and what to avoid), 8 types of internal communication (and 4 factors that matter most), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Essay on Interpersonal Communication Skills

Introduction

Communication has become an integral part of life and must-have skills. We need interpersonal skills not only to interact with each other in the context of the workplace, families, relationships, and nations, but also to transmit information and knowledge. According to Koprowska, (2020), interpersonal communication is defined as exchanging information, knowledge, feelings, and thoughts exchanged between two or more people. Individual use various of communication methods; words, body language, tonal variation, facial expressions, and gestures. Using effective interpersonal communication by an individual helps in personal growth, promotes a close relationship, promotes wellness, reduces stress, and improves the quality of life (Koprowska,2020). This essay focusses on showing the importance of effective interpersonal communication skills and emerging skills learned over the trimester incorporating feedback received from peers.

Paraphrasing and Summarizing

Repeating back in my words what the client said helped to bring the client awareness to his/her cognitions, emotions, and behaviors awareness. It encouraged the client to go deeper into the conversations and demonstrate empathy. According to Koprowska, (2020), paraphrasing and summarizing are more to repeating the words and interpreting the client’s emotions and behavior.

Reflection of content and feeling

Reflection of content involved reflecting back the content of what the client has said by picking the most important content information, but not repeating what the client has said, while the reflection of feeling is reflecting on the perceived emotional affect of the client such as tears or change in the tone (Destler, 2017). Combined reflection of content and feeling to bring feelings, cognitions, and behaviors awareness. Using appropriate words to reflect the client’s content and feelings was crucial to the success of the counseling sessions, for instance, ‘You are sad because of bullying at the work and the decision to leave your family and friends, if you accept the new job offer.’

Active listening skills

Counselors used active listening skills to help the client recognize that the counselor is listening attentively, interested in what the client is talking about, understanding and encouraging the client to continue talking (Geldard, & Foo,2019). Active listening skills include: nonverbal responses such as nodding, maintaining eye contact; using encouragers to continue talking such as ‘yes’, ‘really’, ‘ I understand’ which shows the attitude and approval, or disapproval; matching the language to the appropriate age group such as the use of vocabulary that the client will understand.

Use of questions

Designed the suitable questions at an appropriate time to meet different clients’ need. When working with the adults, one should be careful not to overuse questions to avoid turning the counselling into interrogation but a conversation (Destler,2017). Similarly, to young people to maintain interests in the session. There are two types of questions: an open question seeks a descriptive answer while a closed question demands a yes or no answer. Both types of questions encourage a conversation and make the client to self-disclosure. Moreover, the type of questions asked by the counselor makes him/her approachable and builds trust.

Importance of Effective Interpersonal communication skills

Personal development

Human beings are complex social beings. We develop social skills through continuously interacting with others. Social skills are primarily affected by predisposing factors; thoughts, feelings, and perceptions are learned and shaped by our social groups (Geldard, & Foo,2019). In my role play and course materials provided helped me to develop practical communication skills; listening skills: how to encourage others to talk about themselves without interpreting, experiences and reflection of feelings: early experience affects an individual’s perceptions, and perceptions do not change easily (Biglu, et all.,2017). One can only help another by using effective interpersonal skills to ensure the intended information, the other person understands thoughts. Likewise, interaction requires one to understand the other person’s point of view, as well as your own’s view to give advice by making other person feels that their opinions, thoughts and ideas matter.

The development of effective interpersonal skills has helped me express myself in the most convincingly way; strengthening the bond among my friends; to speak clearly to make people understand what I intend to communicate; improve body language (Biglu, et all.,2017). Apparently, shaping my personality has boosted my self-esteem and self-confidence and in realizing my purpose of helping people in daily challenges.

Problem solving

Different problems require different problem-solving skills. For instance, solving a problem requires understanding the problem and effective verbal, listening, and persuasion skills. Excellent interpersonal communications ensure smooth discussion among the team, weighing the cons and pros of different alternatives and choose the best alternative (Khademian, & Tehrani, 2017).

According to American Psychological Association, 40% of clients do not trust their counselors in the counseling industry. They do not share all the information for fear of confidentiality breaches. Effective communication help to build the trust, relationship in the workplace by assuring, and explaining the obligation of confidentiality in the law.

Personal relationships

Building healthy relationships in the personal and workplace requires effective interpersonal communication skills, coordination to work as a team. Creating and maintaining personal relationships requires respecting other person’s point of view; thoughts, knowledge, ideas, paying attention to their feelings by observing how they communicate, this builds trust among the friends (Khademian, & Tehrani, 2017).

Effective management and leadership

An effective leader should possess skills to foster an interpersonal relationship, trust and communicate clearly. Poor communication irritates and confuses workers while performing their duties, waste time while revisiting issues already shared (Hardjati, & Febrianita,2019). Managers are in charge, should ensure cooperation at executing tasks and responsible for his/her team. Therefore, the need to build trust and transparency by effectively communicating to the employees and creating a culture of positivity.

Recognizing good work

Good interpersonal communication skills are essential for personal coaching in the workplace. Helping each other perform their duties successfully, identifying the good work and encouraging each other to perform their level best as well as working on weaknesses (Biglu, et all.,2017). Asking questions instead of giving direct orders at the workplace requires effective interpersonal communication skills.

Must-Have Interpersonal Communication skills

Employees are recognizing the importance of micro-soft skills and nonverbal communication skills. The following are soft skills and nonverbal communication skills I have gained or polished include; communication courtesy, flexibility, integrity, interpersonal skills, attitude, professionalism, responsibility, teamwork, and work ethic (Biglu, et all.,2017).

Importance of observing non-verbal clues

Nonverbal clues; facial expressions, gestures, body movement and postures, eye contact, tone variation are powerful interpersonal communication tools. Observing the nonverbal clues helped me know when to start a conversation by establishing a rapport; someone needed a break, was confused hence need more explanation, want to contribute, and know whether trust exists in the discussion (Anggeraini, & Farozin,2019).

Ineffective interpersonal communication

Ineffective interpersonal create barriers and prevent the sharing and understanding of message communicated. In cases where people are restricted to sharing by cultural taboos of non-talking issues, mainly caused by lack of trust, frustration, and problems neglected (Khademian, & Tehrani, 2017). To show respect for their culture and talk openly about how they have restricted people from talking, and encourage cooperation.

Poor conflict management and problem-solving skills result in finger-pointing, blaming each other for not achieving the set objectives, and misdirected anger to other team members. According to Koprowska, (2020), can solve this by learning how to bring people’s mistakes indirectly, not pointing fingers. The manager can talk about his/her mistakes before criticizing the other person, and learning to disagree with the other person’s perceptions, and remaining calm.

It is satisfactory to say that effective interpersonal communication skills are essential towards achieving goals in an organization and personal development. Employees exhibit poor performance at the workplace as a result of ineffective interpersonal communication from the manager. The directives from the leaders ensure the proper performance of duties at the workplace. Effective interpersonal communication skills enhance personal and professional growth, builds trust and positivity, recognizes good work and effective management. This enhances the reliability and accuracy of information thus yielding an efficient working environment.

Destler, D. (2017). The Superskills Model: A Supervisory Microskill Competency Training Model. Professional Counselor , 7 (3), 272-284.

Geldard, K., Geldard, D., & Foo, R. Y. (2019). Counselling adolescents: The proactive approach for young people . Sage.

Hardjati, S., & Febrianita, R. (2019). The power of interpersonal communication skill in enhancing service provision. Journal of Social Science Research , 14 , 3192-3199.

Khademian, Z., & Tehrani Neshat, B. (2017). The relationship between interpersonal communication skills and nursing students’ attitudes toward teamwork. Sadra Medical Journal , 5 (2), 99-110.

Biglu, M. H., Nateq, F., Ghojazadeh, M., & Asgharzadeh, A. (2017). Communication skills of physicians and patients’ satisfaction. Materia socio-medica , 29 (3), 192.

Anggeraini, D., & Farozin, M. (2019). Interpersonal communication skills and self conﬁdence of secondary school students: findings and interventions. KnE Social Sciences , 140-145.

Koprowska, J. (2020). Communication and interpersonal skills in social work . Sage.

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The Importance of Effective Communication: Some Food for Thought

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Nikola A Baumann, The Importance of Effective Communication: Some Food for Thought, The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine , Volume 1, Issue 4, 1 January 2017, Pages 460–461, https://doi.org/10.1373/jalm.2016.021865

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Having been active in the Society for Young Clinical Laboratorians (SYCL) 2 for several years, the opportunity to give something back as a speaker at the SYLC Workshop preceding the 2016 AACC Annual Meeting was an honor. The SYCL workshop centered around the theme of communication and leadership, and I was asked to provide insight into effective communication with staff and trainees—a rare chance to reflect on the soft skills that we all use every day. These are the skills that some believe can't be taught. This may be true, but time spent on thoughtful contemplation of what we do and how we do it is usually time well spent. Researching and reflecting on this topic has raised my awareness of the importance of communication, including communication challenges such as providing constructive feedback and listening. Below, I attempt to share my findings and my experience.

Mind the say-do gap.

Make the complex simple.

Find your own voice.

Be visible.

Listen with your eyes as well as your ears.

Notice that these 5 habits have little to do with what one says but rather how one says it. Keeping your message simple and genuine will go a long way. In addition, more than half of communication is nonverbal including body language, gestures, and eye contact. It is important to be aware of what you are saying nonverbally. Even a brief moment of checking your email during someone's presentation conveys a nonverbal message. Styles of communication vary. An excellent article by Mark Murphy distills communication into 4 styles: analytical, intuitive, functional, and personal ( 2 ). Although no style is superior, effective communicators know how to recognize and match their communication style with their audience whether it be their boss, peers, direct reports, or trainees.

As leaders and educators, some of our most valuable and formative communication will be in the form of feedback. Statements such as “great job” and “well done” are easy to give and are certainly well received. However, the receiver may be left wondering what specifically they did that was great and wondering if there are areas that could be improved. When giving feedback, it is important to be positive (if it is genuine), be specific, be immediate (or at least timely), and be tough if needed, but not mean (or rob the recipients of their dignity) ( 3 ). In many cases, the person receiving the feedback recognizes what is going well and what is not, so start by asking for his or her perspective. Ask them how they feel they performed or if there are areas they want to improve upon. This step opens the door for constructive feedback without a defensive atmosphere. Formative feedback should be given in private and not in the hallway or in front of peers. And although it is often a delicate process, honest assessment of a person's progress can lead to substantial growth and improvement.

In my experience, the most underused and least perfected communication skill is listening. In professional settings, individuals with authority should listen more (i.e., talk less). I have a favorite quote: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” (Stephen Covey). To illustrate the truth of this statement, I asked the SYCL workshop attendees to pair up and do an exercise in listening. Each pair chose one person to be a speaker and one to be a listener. The speaker was asked to talk about any topic they wanted to for 2 minutes. The listener's job was to listen and not say a word. Just listen. As I watched this exercise unfold, I observed listeners who were struggling not to speak, desperately wanting to share their own story, offer their advice, and provide their feedback. On discussing the activity, attendees felt that “just listening” was difficult and far more challenging than speaking. This is more food-for-thought in our daily interactions.

Finally, it was indeed a rare (and somewhat terrifying) opportunity to stand in front of the next generation of leaders and be asked to provide them with a few personal golden nuggets of professional advice. Initially, it was overwhelming, but once I really thought about what I have found to be important in my professional interactions, the following came to light: ( a ) Say what you mean and mean what you say (even when it's easier to say what you think people want to hear). ( b ) In leadership and management relations, a “unified front” will make your job easier and your team more confident. Conversely, a “divided front” will do the opposite—create division in the work unit and drain positive energy from the team. ( c ) Don't tip-toe around the hard stuff, it won't go away. ( d ) Be real. And perhaps most importantly, ( e ) wrap it all up in a package of kindness.

Society for Young Clinical Laboratorians.

Author Contributions: All authors confirmed they have contributed to the intellectual content of this paper and have met the following 4 requirements: (a) significant contributions to the conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; (b) drafting or revising the article for intellectual content; (c) final approval of the published article; and (d) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the article thus ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the article are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Authors' Disclosures or Potential Conflicts of Interest: Upon manuscript submission, all authors completed the author disclosure form. Employment or Leadership: None declared. Consultant or Advisory Role: None declared. Stock Ownership: None declared. Honoraria: N.A. Baumann, AACC. Research Funding: None declared. Expert Testimony: None declared. Patents: None declared.

Forbes /Leadership, Susan Tardanico. 5 habits of highly effective communicators [internet] . http://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/11/29/5-habits-of-highly-effective-communicators/#428f682225fc (Accessed July 2016).

Forbes /Leadership, Mark Murphy. Which of these 4 communication styles are you? http://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2015/08/06/which-of-these-4-communication-styles-are-you/#6dd000f11ecb (Accessed July 2016).

Entrepreneur. www.entrepreneur.com (Accessed July 2016).

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Is Your Workplace Communication Style As Effective As It Could Be?

Knowing your personal communication style—and adapting that style to the needs of your team—will help avoid misunderstandings and keep your team operating at peak effectiveness.

Mary Sharp Emerson

Your communication style and how you communicate with your team plays a critical role in how effective you are as a leader.

When thinking about how you communicate as a leader, it’s easy to focus on the basics. And indeed, there are many things you can do to improve your communication skills .

However, truly effective communication requires a more comprehensive approach than simply choosing your words carefully.

Your communication style can have a tremendous impact — positive or negative — on your ability to lead teams and organizations. Developing the ability to adapt your style to meet the needs of your team will help to create a positive workplace culture that motivates your team to work together for common goals.

Once you understand your own communication style, you can begin to assess — and help your team members assess—their communication styles.

This knowledge will help you — and your team — develop flexible communication techniques to improve how you communicate with your team and how your team communicates with each other.

Types of Communication Styles — and How to Work With Them

People are more complex than any typology or framework. While we can divide communication styles into four types, most people don’t fit 100 percent into one particular category.

Still, a framework can be a useful way to assess your own style, and it offers a useful tool to discuss communication tactics with your team.

Here’s an overview of the four different styles of communication, and what they mean for your workplace:

Direct

The direct ( analytical or dominant ) communicator prefers direct, no-frills communication, backed by hard facts. They are highly focused on the end result and are generally risk-tolerant.

What you should know : Direct communicators can be intense and very blunt. They lack subtlety and are uncomfortable with ambiguity. They are more likely to give commands than make polite requests. They struggle with small talk and emotional decision-making.

When working with a direct communicator: it’s most effective to be clear and concise, and avoid unnecessary details. While dominant communicators must continually work on patience and sensitivity, co-workers should try to avoid taking their bluntness and lack of subtlety as personal criticism.

Functional

The functional communicator (conscientious, sometimes also called analytical) likes process, precision, and details. They analyze a project or problem from multiple perspectives to ensure that every possible angle has been considered.

What you should know: Functional communicators enjoy learning and demonstrating new skills. They thrive in environments with clear expectations, firm deadlines, and the opportunity to work independently.

When working with a functional communicator: expect them to ask many questions before they feel comfortable moving forward. They may struggle with “big picture” thinking if they feel it’s not well thought-out. Like the direct communicator, they are uncomfortable with small talk and emotional decision-making.

Browse all Communication programs.

Collaborative

Collaborative communicators are sometimes called harmonizers (also steady or intuitive). They are focused on people over end results. Their goal is to find solutions that work for everyone.

What you should know : Collaborative communicators work best in an environment that prioritizes cooperation, loyalty, and stability. They are great at thinking about the big picture, but can struggle with decision-making. They may not feel comfortable moving forward until everyone on the team has had a chance to provide input.

When working with a collaborative communicator : ensure that you listen before issuing directives; they will resist being told what to do if they feel their perspective has not been heard. Because they can, at times, struggle keeping track of small details, managers and co-workers should be prepared for multiple follow-up conversations throughout a project to help harmonizers make decisions and stay on track.

Influencer

The classic “people person”, the influencer (personal or expressive communicator) believes that the emotional connections among team members bring success. They focus on building interpersonal relationships and are great collaborators.

What you should know : Influencers are more focused on “the why” than “the how”, and are excellent visionaries. They prefer informal discussions to formal meetings, and enjoy friendly small talk among team members. They are very comfortable expressing their feelings and navigating emotional decision-making.

When working with an influencer: enable them to collaborate to maximize their potential. They may need help developing practical solutions. Because they can struggle with details and follow-through, organizing projects with short timeframes can be helpful.

Not sure where you fit into this framework?

Online questionnaires such as the DiSCProfile or LeadershipIQ can help you with your self-assessment. And a group activity focused on communication styles can be a great team-building exercise.

Adopting Flexible Communication Styles

Wherever you fall in this framework, your goal should be to adapt your style of communication to meet the needs of your employees.

For example, many leaders are naturally direct communicators.

However, a direct communication style may be counterproductive when working with employees who lean toward a steady or influencer-style of communication. For an influencer, for example, an unwillingness to share weekend plans may be seen as lack of interest in their well-being. A direct, “tell-it-like-it-is” style of communication may be interpreted as overly critical to an employee who is sensitive to criticism, no matter how constructive.

How can you adopt a more flexible communication style?

Be honest with yourself about how you communicate. Honest self-assessment, as difficult as it can be, is always the first step to embracing necessary change.

Analyze past miscommunications to think about what went wrong. Again, be honest about the part your communication style might have played in that situation. Identify ways that you might have approached the situation differently to achieve a more constructive outcome.

Practice active listening . Active listening requires clearing your mind of potential responses so you can really hear the other side of the conversation. Repeating back what you heard (“what I hear you saying is…”) before you reply lets the other person know they were heard.

Improve your emotional intelligence . Emotional intelligence involves self-awareness, self-control, and social awareness. If you can improve your own emotional intelligence, you’ll find yourself more capable of adapting your communication style to meet the needs of others.

Take a professional development program focused on communication. Program instructors can guide self-assessment, offer new communication techniques, and provide an outside perspective on how to become more flexible in how you communicate with your team.

Misunderstandings and miscommunications are an inevitable part of human interactions. However, by thinking about how you communicate — as well as what you communicate — you can create a team environment conducive to open, productive, professional conversations. And doing so will keep your team engaged and your organization on the road to success.

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How Does Communication Help in Improving Your Personality?

Communication is an essential skill that everyone needs to develop and master to get ahead in life. Sometimes we assume that other people know how we feel or interpret our non-verbal cues, but this isn’t always the case.

Taking the time to communicate your feelings and your thoughts can save you from unnecessary conflict and help you build stronger relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Here are seven reasons why communication is important.

Why Communication is Important

Helps build and maintain relationships.

Communication is an important part of the human experience. It helps us build and maintain relationships with others. We can share our thoughts, ideas, and feelings to better understand how we relate to each other.

It's also important because it allows people who may not be able to hear or speak, a chance to feel like they are a part of society.

We are also able to develop new skills by communicating with others and understanding what they say in return. Effective communication is something that can help us grow as individuals, help us make decisions more quickly, and allow us to explore our creativity more fully.

Aids in Problem-Solving

Communication is important in a business for several reasons. One reason is that it aids in problem-solving. When there are problems, the best way to solve them can be to communicate with people and let them know what the problem is and what the possible solutions could be.

This way, everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinions on how they feel should be done and if they have any ideas or thoughts. It also helps when employees are on break or late coming into work because they can then let someone know what has happened so that others can take over their responsibilities while they get back on track or get started with their day.

Increases Understanding

Communication is important because it helps us understand each other. It provides a way for us to express our thoughts and feelings, and to be sure that the person listening understands what we are saying. For example, when we try to get someone's attention in a crowded room, we might say excuse me or hey.

This tells the person that they should listen to us now because we have something important to say. Similarly, if someone asks us for help and we don't answer, then they may not feel comfortable asking again.

Finally, if one of our friends needs something from us but it takes too long for them to get in touch with us, then they may become angry or frustrated with what feels like a lack of concern from their end.

Prevents Misunderstandings

How to improve my personality and communication skills ? Communication is key in any relationship. This includes friendships, romantic relationships, and business partnerships. Without communication, misunderstandings can happen. When there are misunderstandings, people may feel hurt or misunderstood and may not be able to move past them.

People will also tend to lose respect for one another when there are misunderstandings because they will think that the other person does not care enough about them to communicate properly.

If you communicate properly with your partner, friend, or business partner, it will help them trust you more because they know that you care enough about them to take the time to talk things through when issues arise. There's nothing worse than having a misunderstanding that can't be resolved so make sure to have an open dialogue with anyone who means something to you.

Creates Clarity

Communication skills in personality development might be one of the most important factors in your relationships, but it's often overlooked. There are many ways you can improve your communication skills and make your relationships better. Here are some tips to help you:

Be more expressive in what you say - use more words to explain yourself and show how you feel.
Listen actively - don't interrupt or advise unless it's asked for and take the time to hear what they're saying before responding.
Ask questions - get their perspective on things by asking them about their thoughts and feelings on an issue, rather than assuming you know what they're feeling.
Practice active listening - repeat back to them what they said so that they know you heard what they were saying.

Encourages openness

When communication breaks down, there are a variety of ways that it can affect your business. For example, if you have a team and someone isn't providing input or feedback to the project, then the progress will be slowed.

If you're on a customer service line and no one answers the phone, then people will be unhappy with your service. The list goes on and on.

It's the key to a successful relationship

Communication skills in personality development are vital to any relationship but are especially important in a marriage. You're going to have disagreements and arguments, which can be frustrating and hurtful, but if you don't communicate those feelings then your partner will never know how you feel.

And when it comes to something as important as your marriage, it's best not to keep things bottled up. Not only does communicating your feelings make for an emotionally healthier marriage, but it also makes for a more fulfilling one.

So, take the time to talk about your worries and concerns with your spouse, and let them know what they mean to you.

Communication skills in personality development are the most important skill that you need to have to interact with your colleagues and friends, from conversation starters to goodbyes, communication plays a very important role in our daily lives and also helps in improving our personality as well. Communication helps us to develop relationships with people and also play an important role in shaping our personality, so today we are going to discuss 10 ways how does communication help in improving your personality? Let’s take a look!

1) Helps You Connect With Others

When you communicate with others, you can get your thoughts and feelings out in the open. This will allow you to have a better understanding of yourself and those around you. As you do this, you will likely see things in a different light and find new ways of looking at them.

Communication skills in personality development also help you build relationships with people and learn more about who they are. People need to be able to form connections with others so that they can learn more about themselves. With all of these benefits, it is easy to see why communication is so important for improving your personality.

2) Develops Your Listening Skills

Listening is an important skill that can help you in your personal and professional life. When you are listening to someone, it is a sign that you care about them and want to know what they have to say. If you are not listening, it can make the speaker feel undervalued or unimportant. It also means that they might not be able to communicate effectively with you if they can't get your attention.

Listening is more than just hearing the words that are said; it means paying attention to what's being communicated through body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions too. This helps people feel heard and understood on a deeper level which can lead to a greater rapport between two people.

3) Helps You Understand Yourself Better

Communication and personality development is a two-way streets. When you share your thoughts, feelings, and needs with others, they are allowed to understand you better. It also allows you to gain more insight into yourself by observing how others react to your words.

You may be tempted to think that people who don't react positively are wrong or that they just don't get you, but the truth is that there's always something good in what other people say because they see something in you that you might not see in yourself.

One of the best things about communication and personality development is being able to hear new perspectives on an issue from someone else.

4) Makes You More Confident

Communication and personality development is one of the most important aspects of any relationship. It can make you more confident, as well as understanding, and compassionate.

When you listen to other people and share your thoughts and ideas, it's a way of showing them that you care about what they have to say. This will make them feel valued and respected which in turn will boost their self-esteem.

Not only will this improve the quality of their life, but it will also help them see things from a different perspective.

If they're angry or frustrated with something, having someone who understands them might just be enough to show that person another side of the story. And not just because someone is giving advice, but because the act of communication shows an interest in what the person has to say.

A good example of communication and personality development would be when someone tells you about how something makes them feel and then ask for feedback on whether or not it made sense (whether or not it was accurate). If you validate their feelings by saying yes and agreeing with them, then this creates a feeling of trust between both parties.

5) Helps You Handle Criticism Better

When people criticize you, it's natural to get defensive. But there are many ways to respond to criticism that can help you become a better person:

Listen and think before responding. If the criticism is valid, thank the other person for their input.
Ask questions if you want more detail on what they're saying or why they see it that way.
Remember that nobody has all the answers and we all have different perspectives on things.
Admit when you're wrong and apologize if necessary.
Look at your mistakes with a sense of humor - it'll make them easier to deal with in the future!
Learn from your mistakes and find ways to avoid them in the future by reflecting on what happened.

6) Makes You A Better Leader

A person's communication skills help them become a better leader. For example, if you are in a leadership position and need to share information, you should always start by sharing what you know and focusing on the facts.

You want to be able to go into detail about the situation that is happening but make sure not to share too much information so that others are not overwhelmed with data they do not need to know.

When communicating with your team members, it is important that everyone feels heard and valued. It may take some time for people to get used to this new way of communication, but once they do it will pay off in the long run. People will feel more comfortable coming up to you when there is an issue because they know that their voice matters.

7) Makes You More Creative

There are many ways that communication can help you to improve your personality. One of the benefits is that it can make you more creative. This is because communication helps to develop your imagination and creativity skills. It also opens up new opportunities for you to learn about different cultures and things that you may never have heard of before.

This will expand the way that you see the world, which in turn makes it easier for you to use your creativity in a new way, as well as be more imaginative and creative in general. Another way that communicating with other people has helped me with my personality is by boosting my self-confidence. Because when I communicate with people I am opening myself up to them and telling them things about myself or getting them to open themselves up to me so I feel like we connect on some level.

That way when I talk to people, they are not just strangers anymore; they are friends to me who know something about me and vice versa.

8) Helps You Handle Conflict Better

Communication is a process of transferring information from one entity to another. It has two functions. One is to share thoughts, feelings, and emotions with others to make them understand what you are feeling or thinking about.

The other function is to convey messages and instructions for actions. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communication includes speaking, listening, and writing whereas non-verbal communication includes gestures, facial expressions, and body language.

Communication and personality development helps in improving your personality because it helps you handle conflicts better in society. You can communicate with other people without any fear or anxiety which will help you feel good about yourself as well.

9) Teaches You Empathy

Communication is a key to success in many aspects of life. It can make or break relationships, and it can change the dynamics at work. But there's another benefit of communication that you may not have considered: improving your personality.

Many different elements contribute to our personalities, but communication is a large part of how we express ourselves. Whether you're sharing your thoughts on something or expressing your opinion, it affects how other people see us and judge us. The way we communicate conveys information about our attitudes and personality traits, so it shapes how others see us as well as what they think of us.

If you want to improve your personality in any way, start by paying attention to how you communicate with others and what you say when you talk.

10) Encourages Lifelong Learning

Communication is often seen as one of the most important skills in life and it's not hard to see why. Learning how to communicate effectively means learning how to listen, debate and talk with people of different backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. It means being able to express your thoughts and feelings clearly so that you can be understood by others.

How to improve my personality and communication skills ? By learning how to communicate, we also learn how to make ourselves vulnerable without fear of judgment or rejection. We learn that communication is a two-way street where both parties have the opportunity for expression.

But what does this have anything to do with improving your personality? Surprisingly, communication can help you improve your personality because it helps you understand yourself more deeply and lets you know what you need for you to feel better about yourself.

We deliver a cutting-edge curriculum based on field research and scientific methodologies that focus on providing participants with practical solutions that they can apply immediately in their careers or personal lives. Our programs are designed to empower people to overcome their fears around talking in front of others, expressing their ideas clearly, dealing with difficult people or conversations skillfully, resolving conflict productively, being more persuasive when needed, etc.

We believe we have something valuable to offer everyone; whether you're just starting in your career or looking for a fresh perspective on how you approach communication at work then we've got something for you! If you want to improve your ability to talk to other people then we can help! If you want more confidence when giving presentations then let us teach you how! We've got what it takes to make your next event or conference a success; contact us today!

Interpersonal communication plays an essential role in enhancing your personality because it helps you build your reputation. Communication skills help you achieve success at work and in your personal life, which ultimately improves the quality of your life. If you communicate effectively with others, they trust and respect you more, and they may ask you to take on additional projects that lead to further opportunities for growth and development.

Our School of Meaningful Experiences (SoME) has created and delivered communication programs to meet the demands of the modern-day workplace. Effective communication is an essential skill for today's modern professionals and leaders. With it, you can confidently manage conflict, collaborate with others and successfully develop yourself.

Why is personality development important in communication?

Personality development is important for communication because it helps you understand how you are perceived by others. It can also help you set boundaries and expectations so that people know what to expect from you. The more knowledge about your personality, the easier it is to communicate with others.

What is the importance of personality development?

Personality development is important because it helps you understand yourself better. The goal of personality development is to help create a more well-rounded, self-aware person. It's also a way to improve your communication skills and manage your emotions more effectively.

What is the main goal of personal development?

Personal development is a process that allows us to improve our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The goal of personal development is to become the best possible version of ourselves. Through self-reflection and changing habits, we can learn more about who we are and what we want in life. This process helps us achieve both emotional growths as well as intellectual growth.

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Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

100 Words Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

Types of Communication Skills

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250 Words Essay on Effective Communication Skills For Professional Growth

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Effective Communication and Professional Growth

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Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

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Table of Contents

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How to Improve Communication Skills for Better Interaction

How to Improve Communication Skills: Short Description

Ready to Master the Art of Written Communication?

Exploring What Are Communication Skills

Why Good Communication Skills Matter

How to Improve Communication Skills: Strategies for Success

Engage as an Attentive Listener

Strive for Clarity and Brevity

Plan and Get Ready in Advance

Monitor Your Tone

Pay Attention to Nonverbal Communication

Articulate Clearly and Minimize Ambiguity

Cultivate Your Emotional Intelligence

Establish Eye Contact

Remove Filler Words and Avoid Hedging Language

Project Confidence

Communication Skills: Intriguing Facts and Stats

Books on Communication Skills​

Where to Enhance These Skills

Concluding Remarks

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Related Articles

The Six Keys to Positive Communication

1. Greet to create human contact

2. Ask to discover the unknown

3. Compliment to affect people’s sense of self

4. Disclose to deepen relationships

5. Encourage to give support

The Science of Happiness at Work

6. Listen to transcend differences

About the Author

Julien C. Mirivel

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Interpersonal Communication: a Key Component for Personal and Professional Growth

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