RENT TEXTBOOKS

Each chapter concludes with “Summary.”

I. INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION.

1. The Communication Tradition.
In the Time of Aristotle: A Brief History of Communication Study.
Communication Today: Contemporary Departments of Rhetoric and Communication Theory.

2. Definitions, Models, and Perspectives.
Defining Communication.
How Models Help Us Understand Communication.
It All Depends on Your Point of View: Three Perspectives.
What to... MORE Look for When You Look at Communication.

II. LISTENING AND LANGUAGE.

3. Decoding Messages: Perception, Information Processing, and Listening.
What Is Perception?
Information Processing: Communicating for Clarity.
Listening: How Receivers Can Improve Decoding.

4. Encoding Messages: Spoken Language.
What Is Language?
The Subsystems of Language.
Pragmatic Styles and Structures.
Language and Social Identity.
Language Choices and Pragmatic Effects.

5. Encoding Messages: Nonverbal Communication.
What Is Nonverbal Communication?
The Nonverbal Codes.
Increasing Nonverbal Skills.

6. Interpersonal Communication.
What Is Interpersonal Communication?
Managing Interpersonal Communication.
Relational Development: Stages in Intimate Dyads.
Increasing Relational Skills.
Becoming a More Responsible Communicator.

7. Group Communication.
What Is a Group?
Managing Group Communication.
Group Development: Phases in Problem-Solving Groups.
Strengthening Group Discussion Skills.
Becoming a More Responsible Communicator.

8. Organizational Communication.
What is an Organization?
Managing Organizational Communication.
Developing Organizational Culture.
Increasing Organizational Skills.
Becoming a More Responsible Communicator.

9. Public Communication.
What Is Public Communication?
Audience Adaptation and Source Credibility.
Constructing Valid Arguments.
Preparing and Presenting the Public Speech.
Increasing Public Speaking Skills.

10. Communication and the Mass Media.
What Is Mass Communication?
How Audiences and Media Messages Interact.
Media Formats and Logics.
Emerging Communication Technologies.
Becoming a More Responsible Communicator: Ethics and Mass Media.

11. Intercultural Communication.
What Is Culture?
Barriers to Intercultural Communication.
Adapting to New Cultures.
Becoming a More Open Communicator.

Appendix: Methods of Discovery.
How Is Communication Research Done?
Four Popular Research Methods.
Learning More about Communication.

Author Index.

Subject Index.