Updated in its 12th edition, Communicating: A Social, Career, and Cultural Focus offers a comprehensive blend of basic communication theory, research and skills, with a strong emphasis on relationship communication (social), workplace communication (career) and intercultural communication (culture). This highly regarded introduction to communication text introduces the basic principles of communication and applies them to interpersonal, group, interviewing, and public speaking contexts. The new edition features an increased emphasis on electronically-mediated communication and the impact of technology on our daily communication, a significantly updated research base and a reorganization of the public speaking chapters.

Table of Contents:
CHAPTER 1–THE HUMAN COMMUNICATION PROCESS   COMMUNICATION DEFINED THE COMPONENTS OF HUMAN COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION AS A SYSTEM MODELS OF COMMUNICATION THE MEDIA AS COMMUNICATORS COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE FIRST AMENDMENT SPEECH ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 2–FOUNDATIONS OF VERBAL LANGUAGE   ORIGINS OF HUMAN LANGUAGE THE LANGUAGES WE USE USING VERBAL LANGUAGE IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 3–NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION   SOURCES OF NONVERBAL SIGNS EMOTIONAL INFLUENCES ON NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION VERBAL AND NONVERBAL RELATIONSHIPS CATEGORIES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION USING NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION YOU AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 4–LISTENING   THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING THE LISTENING PROCESS PURPOSES OF LISTENING LISTENING APPREHENSION IMPROVING YOUR LISTENING IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 5–THE SELF AND PERCEPTION   SELF-TALK SELF-CONCEPT COGNITIVE PROCESSING PERCEPTIONS THE SELF NEED DRIVES AFFECTING COMMUNICATION COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION THE ROLE OF CULTURE ON SELF-COMMUNCIATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 6–INTERPERSONAL AND ELECTRONICLLY MEDIATED COMMUNICATION   BASIC CONCEPTS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION SELF-DISCLOSURE THE SELF AND OTHERS SEEKING APPROVAL GAINING COMPLIANCE EMOTIONS AS A FACTOR IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION POWER AS A FACTOR IN INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION MALE/MASCULINE-FEMALE/FEMININE COMMUNICATION SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND BULLYING RELATIONSHIPS ELECTRONIALLY MEDIATED COMMUNICATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 7–INTERPERSONAL SKILLS AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT   PARTICIPATING IN CONVERSATIONS GIVING DIRECTIONS REQUESTING EXPRESSING EMPATHY DEALING WITH INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT CRITICISM APOLOGIZING IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 8–THE INTERVIEW   THE INTERVIEW AND THE ROLE OF THE PARTICIPANTS TYPES OF INTERVIEWS IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 9–THE CONCEPTS OF GROUPS   GROUPS DEFINED GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS TYPES OF GROUPS GROUP OPERATIONS MAKING GROUP DECISIONS  DECISION-MAKING TECHNIQUES GROUP SETTING MEDIATED MEETINGS IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 10–PARTICIPATING IN GROUPS   CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN GROUPS THE GROUP PARTICIPANT THE GROUP LEADER AND GROUP LEADERSHIP IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 11–PUBLIC SPEAKING:  PLANNING THE MESSAGE   THE LISTENABLE SPEECH PREPARING A SPEECH:  AN OVERVIEW PARAMETERS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING ETHICS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING ANALYZING THE PARAMETERS OF SPEECHES  MODES OF PRESENTATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 12–PUBLIC SPEAKING: DEVELOPING THE MESSAGE   SOURCES OF INFORMATION SUPPORTING MATERIAL USE OF THE WORLD WIDE WEB TECHNIQUES FOR PRESENTING SUPPORTING MATERIAL  IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 13–PUBLIC SPEAKING: STRUCTURING THE MESSAGE   STRUCTURE OF A SPEECH THE INTRODUCTION THE CENTRAL IDEA THE BODY THE CONCLUSION ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF ORGANIZING THE SPEECH TRANSITION INTO THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSION ROLE OF CULTURE ON SPEECH STRUCTURE IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 14–PUBLIC SPEAKING:  THE INFORMATIVE SPEECH   THE ROLE OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING CLASSIFICATIONS OF INFORMATIVE SPEAKING INFORMATIVE BRIEFINGS QUESTION-AND-ANSWER SESSIONS SPEECHES OF INTRODUCTION THE INFORMATIVE PROCESS IN ACTION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 15–PUBIC SPEAKING:  THE PERSUASIVE SPEECH   PERSUASIVE SPEAKING THE PROCESS OF PERSUASION PERSUASIVE STRATEGIES ROLE OF INFLUENCE IN PERSUASION CLASSICAL COMPONENTS OF THE PERSUASIVE MESSAGE LOGICAL ARGUMENTS THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN PERSUASION PSYCHOLOGICAL APPEALS STRUCTURE OF THE PERSUASIVE MESSAGE INTRODUCTION BODY CONCLUSION CULTURE AND PERSUASION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS   CHAPTER 16–PUBLIC SPEAKING: PRESENTING THE MESSAGE   SPEAKING WITH CONFIDENCE ASPECTS OF ORAL AND PHYSICAL SPEECH PRESENTATION PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY/STAGE FRIGHT PRESENTING VISUALS IN A SPEECH REHEARSING THE SPEECH DEALIING WITH DIFFICULTIES DURING A SPEECH THE ROLE OF CULTURE ON SPEECH PRESENTATION IN CONCLUSION LEARN BY DOING KEY TERMS