Communication in Everyday Life: A Survey of Communication

by Steve Duck, David T. McMahan

Overview

Communication in Everyday Life: A Survey of Communication explores fundamental concepts, theories, and skills, enabling readers to apply the material to their personal and professional lives. With a thematic integration of the relational perspective and a focus on demonstrating its direct relevance to their own everyday communication, authors Steve Duck and David T. Mc Mahan help learners build a strong foundation in communication concepts, theory, and research, while developing practical skills such as listening, critical thinking, effective use of technology, understanding nonverbal communication, creating persuasive strategies, and managing group conflicts. With updated coverage of media and technology, new examples, and updated references, the Fifth Edition offers timely insights into modern communication topics central to everyday life.

Also available in Sage Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality Sage textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Learn more about 978-1-0719-7613-5, Communication in Everyday Life: A Survey of Communication - Vantage Digital Option, Fifth Edition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544349855
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	12/10/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	44 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

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

Preface
A Personal Note to Readers
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Part I: Communication Foundations
Chapter 1: An Overview of Communication
Exploring Communication: Everyday Communication and the Relational Perspective
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 Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Part II: Communication Skills
Chapter 2: Identities, Perceptions, and Communication
Basic Assumptions of Identity Creation
Identities and Perceptions
Transacting Identities: Communication and Performance
Transacting Identities: Self-Disclosure
Transacting Identities: Other People
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 3: Verbal Communication
Verbal Communication Is Symbolic
Verbal Communication Is Cultural
Verbal Communication Is Relational
Verbal Communication Involves Frames
Verbal Communication Is Both Presentational and Representational
Kenneth Burke’s Pentad
Verbal Communication Is a Transaction
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 4: Nonverbal Communication
What Is Nonverbal Communication?
The Functions of Nonverbal Communication
Types of Nonverbal Communication
Misconceptions About Nonverbal Communication
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 5: Culture and Communication
Points to Consider When Studying Culture
Culture as Structure
Structure-Based Cultural Characteristics
Transacting Culture
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 6: Listening
Why Is Listening Important?
Types of Listening
Styles of Listening
Recognizing and Overcoming Listening Obstacles
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Part III: Communication Contexts
Chapter 7: Personal Relationships
What Are Personal Relationships?
Why Do People Form Relationships?
Initiating Relationships: Attraction And The Relationship Filtering Model
Developing Relationships
Maintaining Relationships
Coming Apart
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Terms
Communication And You
Technology Connections
Chapter 8: Family Communication
Families as Structures
Families as Systems
Families as Transacted
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 9: Groups and Leaders
What Is a Group?
Characteristics of Groups
Group Development and Decision Making
Group Decision Making Is About Relationships
Leadership
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 10: Communication and Work
Learning About Work
Work as a Special Frame
Work as a Culture
Work as Relationships
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 11: Health Communication
Health Communication
Patient–Provider Relationships
Social Networks and the Primary Health Goals of Support
Media, Technology, and Health
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 12: Technology and Media in Everyday Life
Perceptions of Technology and Media
The Relational Uses of Technology and Media
Phones and Relationships
Maintaining Relationships and the Internet
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 13: Public and Interpersonal Influence
Presentations: Understanding Audiences
Presentations: Convince and Actuate
Sequential Persuasion
Emotional Appeals
Compliance Gaining: Goals
Compliance-Gaining: Strategies
Fallacious Arguments
Learning Outcomes Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Chapter 14: Interviewing
Interviews
Cover Letters and Résumés
Pre-Interview Responsibilities for an Employment Interview
Beginning an Employment Interview
Asking the Questions During an Employment Interview
Answering the Questions During an Employment Interview
Concluding an Employment Interview
Learning Objectives Revisited
Key Concepts
Glossary
Communication and You
Technology Connections
Appendix A: The Discipline of Communication
Glossary
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

It is a very straightforward and easy to follow textbook that introduces the field to students. I like that students don't find the textbook daunting to read and everything is written in a very accessible and friendly tone.

Rosie Jahng

A solid broad overview of the communication discipline that is very accessible to students.

Alyssa Davis

One of the most user-friendly, conversational, and relatable introductions to communication texts I've ever used.

Donna L. Halper

"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

“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 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

"A fun and thorough conversation about communication. "

Brigit K. Talkington

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

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

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

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

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

Incredibly relevant easy to use starter text”

Tracy Schorle

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

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

"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