Fundamentals of Human Communication

What factors shape our views and those of others? How do we distinguish between differences that are substantive and will affect our relationships and those that only feel strange because they are new and different? In the absence of formal instruction, we learn through trial and error. Unfortunately, the error is frequently not perceived as such--particularly when it is part of so "natural" a process as communication. James McCroskey and Virginia Richmond present the essentials of interpersonal communication in a concise but thorough, readable book with numerous examples to attract the reader's attention to exactly what communication is and what it is not. The authors provide a solid introduction to the cognitive aspects of the communication process, orientations toward communication, the importance of nonverbal communication and messages, and the critical contexts within which interpersonal communication occurs. Clues to the communication process aid readers in understanding others and in assessing and improving their own communication skills.