Communication in Everyday Life: A Survey of Communication / Edition 3

by Steve Duck, David T. McMahan

Overview

Communication in Everyday Life: A Survey of Communication offers an engaging introduction to communication based on the belief that communication and relationships are always interconnected. Best-selling authors Steve Duck and David T. Mc Mahan incorporate this theme of a relational perspective and a focus on everyday communication to show the connections between concepts and how they can be understood through a shared perspective. Students will learn how topics in communication come together as part of a greater whole, as well as gain practical communication skills, from listening to critical thinking and using technology to communicate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506315164
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/24/2017
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Steve Duck taught in the United Kingdom before taking up the Daniel and Amy Starch Distinguished Research Chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa. He has been a professor of communication studies, an adjunct professor of psychology, and a former Dean’s Administrative Fellow and is now Chair of the Rhetoric Department. He has taught interpersonal communication courses, mostly on relationships but also on nonverbal communication, communication in everyday life, construction of identity, communication theory, organizational leadership, and procedures and practices for leaders. More recently, he has taught composition, speaking, and rhetoric, especially for STEM students. By training an interdisciplinary thinker, Steve has focused on the development and decline of relationships, although he has also done research on the dynamics of television production techniques and persuasive messages in health contexts. Steve has written or edited 60 books on relationships and other matters and was the founder and, for the first 15 years, the editor of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. His book Meaningful Relationships: Talking, Sense, and Relating won the G. R. Miller Book Award from the Interpersonal Communication Division of the National Communication Association. Steve cofounded a series of international conferences on personal relationships. He won the University of Iowa’s first Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award in 2001 and the National Communication Association’s Robert J. Kibler Memorial Award in 2004 for “dedication to excellence, commitment to the profession, concern for others, vision of what could be, acceptance of diversity, and forthrightness.” He was the 2010 recipient of the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Helen Kechriotis Nelson Teaching Award for a lifetime of excellence in teaching, and in the same year was elected one of the National Communication Association’s Distinguished Scholars. He received the NCA’s 2019 Mark L. Knapp Award in Interpersonal Communication for career contributions to the study of interpersonal communication. He hopes to make it to the Iowa State Fair one day.

David T. Mc Mahan received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 2001. With research focusing on the social aspects of media and technology, personal relationships, and rhetorical criticism, he is the author of multiple books, and his research and scholarship have been published in numerous academic journals and edited volumes. He was named a Centennial Scholar by the Eastern Communication Association. David has taught courses that span the discipline of communication, including numerous courses in interpersonal communication and personal relationships, media and technology, communication education, theory, and criticism. He has been honored to receive multiple awards for his work in the classroom. A tremendously active member of the discipline, David’s his extensive record of service includes President of the Central States Communication Association, Editor of the Iowa Journal of Communication, and Consulting Editor of the Journal of Communication Pedagogy, along with membership and activity on a vast number of academic committees, executive boards, and editorial boards. He will serve as President of the National Communication Association in 2021. David hopes to one day have the winning entry in the Super Bull competition at the Iowa State Fair.

Table of Contents

I. COMMUNICATION FOUNDATIONS
1. An Overview of Communication
Learning Outcomes
Everyday Communication and the Relational Perspective
What Is Communication?
Communication Is Symbolic
Communication Requires Meaning
Communication Is Cultural
Communication Is Relational
Communication Involves Frames
Communication Is Both Presentational and Representational
Communication Is a Transaction
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
II. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
2. Identities, Perceptions, and Communication
Learning Outcomes
Basic Assumptions of Identity Creation
Identities and Perceptions
Transacting Identities: Communication and Performance
Transacting Identities: Self-Disclosure
Transacting Identities: Other People
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
3. Verbal Communication
Learning Outcomes
How Is Verbal Communication Symbolic?
Kenneth Burke’s Pentad
Functions of Verbal Communication
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
4. Nonverbal Communication
Learning Outcomes
Misconceptions About Nonverbal Communication
What Is Nonverbal Communication?
The Functions of Nonverbal Communication
Types of Nonverbal Communication
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
5. Culture and Communication
Learning Outcomes
How Can Culture Be Identified and Studied?
Structure-Based Cultural Characteristics
Transacting Culture
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
6. Listening
Learning Outcomes
Why Is Listening Important?
Active Listening
Engaged and Relational Listening
Critical Listening
Recognizing and Overcoming Listening Obstacles
Listening Skills
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
III. COMMUNICATION CONTEXTS
7. Personal Relationships
Learning Outcomes
What Are Personal Relationships?
Benefits of Personal Relationships
Initiating Relationships: Attraction and the Relationship Filtering Model
Developing and Maintaining Relationships
Coming Apart
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
8. Family Communication
Learning Outcomes
Families as . . .
Change and Disruption in Family Life
Families Communicate!
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
9. Groups and Leaders
Learning Outcomes
What Is a Group?
Characteristics of Groups
Group Development and Decision Making
Group Decision Making Is About Relationships
Leadership
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
10. Communication and the Workplace
Learning Outcomes
Learning About the Workplace
Going to Work: The Workplace as a Special Frame
The Workplace as a Culture
The Workplace as Relationships
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
11. Health Communication
Learning Outcomes
Culture, Society, and Health
Health Communication
Patient–Provider Relationships
Social Networks and the Primary Health Goals of Support
Media, Technology, and Health
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
12. Technology and Media in Everyday Life
Learning Outcomes
Perceptions of Technology and Media
The Relational Uses of Technology and Media
Cell Phones and Relationships
Maintaining Relationships and the Internet
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
13. Interpersonal Influence
Learning Outcomes
Presenting to Others and Relating to Audiences
Sequential Persuasion
Emotional Appeals
Compliance Gaining
Fallacious Arguments
And So . . .
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
14. Interviewing
Learning Outcomes
Preparing for an Interview
Interviews
Pre-Interview Responsibilities
Beginning an Employment Interview
Asking the Questions During an Employment Interview
Answering the Questions During an Employment Interview
Concluding an Employment Interview
Post-Interview Responsibilities
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Appendix: The Discipline of Communication
Learning Outcomes
The Development of a Discipline
The Emergence of Areas of Study
Coming Together as Communication Studies
Future of Communication and the Relational Perspective
Methods of Studying Communication
Social Scientific Approach
Interpretivist Approach
Critical Approach
Areas in the Discipline of Communication
Final Thoughts and Your Future
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

The easy-to-read, conversational style of the writing, which has carried over from the first edition…has been very well-received by our students.

Martha Antolik

Duck and Mc Mahan’s text is an excellent book for the undergraduate introductory course surveying the discipline of communication studies. The writing style and level of presentation are appropriate for the undergraduate audience.”

Natalia Rybas

Incredibly relevant easy to use starter text”

Tracy Schorle

This text provides depth and breadth of information for new COMM scholars. It provides relevant thought-pieces that could create valuable class discussion tied to course concepts. ”

Carla J. Harrell

I think it’s a great text for an introductory course. It is accessible, easy to read, and complete. ”

Vicki L. Karns

"Communication in Everyday Life is an excellent textbook for first year students in communication disciplines. It provides students with an understanding of how communication processes work and play and how it is important to use communication skills depending of different context or scenarios. The book includes practical exercises and challenging questions suitable for the networked society we currently live in.

Lina Gomez

Clear, clean, interesting and practical – an enjoyable, intellectual read across every chapter. Duck and Mc Mahan do a wonderful job of incorporating the fundamentals/core research, theories, and perspectives of the discipline with clarity, accessibility, and creative applications to the personal and social lives of our students. This text is more than an introduction to our discipline and its subsumed areas of specialization (i.e., health, org, family/interpersonal, media); it is a great starting point for framing one’s thinking for a career of communication theory and research scholarship and practice. There is no other text that better addresses the everyday communication that creates and recreates our personal and relational identities across a variety of contexts. ”

West Virginia University - Christine E. Rittenour

This book provides a well-written and interesting look at all aspects of communication. My students actually enjoy reading it!”

Donna L. Halper

This textbook provides a unique perspective on communication that allows students to become more aware of the impact of communication in their lives.”

Heidi L. Muller

"Communication In Everyday Life is a student-focused, student-minded text that approaches communication not as an abstract process, but as the primary mechanism which defines our lives and our reality.”

Andrew F. Rosbury

This text is an excellent choice for an Introduction to Communication Studies course—it is understandable, relatable, and does a great job integrating current research in a variety of communication contexts.”

Lisa Weckerle

A very comprehensive survey of interpersonal communication on a wide array of levels that is easy to understand and is appealing to any audience.”

Christopher H. Smejkal

Communication in Everyday Life is a wonderful resource for students aspiring to learn more about relationships, media, and communication. It is practical and reminds readers of the many ways we can improve our communication skills to better serve us in areas such as the workplace, family settings, and healthcare. With tremendous attention to detail, the text is an excellent foundation for students as they begin studying communication.”

Alison N. Novak

“Communication in Everyday Life delivers on the promise of its title: it demonstrates to students through explanation, research, and well-chosen examples how communication is the fabric of relationships, which emerge, exist, and end in everyday interaction. This book helps students to understand how they create their identity, their relationships, their families, their cultures, and their careers through everyday communication. It balances theory and insight with tools to improve communication skills, and it therefore offers a tremendous practical benefit to students.”

Lance Brendan Young

"A fun and thorough conversation about communication. "

Brigit K. Talkington