Striking a unique balance between skills and theory, "Intercultural Competence provides students with the background and confidence to succeed in today's multicultural environment. Blending both the practical and the theoretical, the concrete and the abstract, this textbook is both enjoyable to read and thoroughly researched. By clearly explaining different theories and the significance of cultural patterns and having students practice what they learn via examples in the book, "Intercultural Competence better prepares students to interact in intercultural relationships. New to the Fifth Edition Approximately half of the " Culture Connections" boxes are new to this edition and provide students the opportunity to 'feel' some aspect of intercultural competence. impact of new information technologies on intercultural communication has been expanded in the new edition. Each of the pedagogical features in the text has been revised and updated to help students learn important interculturalcommunication concepts effectively. Nearly half of the photographs are new to this edition. Each photo has been selected and placed to highlight more clearly the concepts and issues being illustrated. Praise for "Intercultural Competence "Because Lustig and Koester both provide the essential communication theory but also provide increasingly good examples from persons of different cultures speaking in their own voices. . .[the competition] falls short of giving students the richness of reading that this book does." "C. Thomas Preston, University of Missouri -- St. Louis