Communication Research

The following is an edited version of a discussion that will appear in The Nonverbal Communication Book to be published soon (Kendall Hunt).   But, I thought it might be of interest more generally--to anyone teaching or taking or contemplating taking a course in nonverbal communication. The exercise at the end should prove useful for stimulating class discussion.   The Benefits of Studying Nonverbal Communication   The ability to use nonverbal communication effectively can yield a variety of both general and specific benefits in your social and your workplace lives. First, let�s identify some general benefits and then some more specific benefits. Some General Benefits The general benefits span the entire range of your communication life whether online or face-to-face, whether personal or workplace. First, it will improve your accuracy in understanding others, those who are from your own or similar culture as well as those who are from cultures very different from your own...

Here is a brief update on the topic of self-concept/comparison with others that I included in the new editions of my Interpersonal Messages and Essentials of Human Communication. For those using a previous edition or any book for that matter, I thought this might prove a useful addition.   Even though written just a few months ago, there is much that has happened in the meantime. And so I thought this might make a useful class discussion in the interpersonal or hybrid courses�simply asking:   In what other ways do social media encourage/make easy/facilitate our comparing ourselves to others? And, more important, what is the impact of this on self-concept, self-esteem, and so many of the other concepts were cover in these basic courses? Comparisons with Others Another way you develop your self-concept is by comparing yourself with others. When you want to gain insight into whom you are and how effective or competent you are, you probably look to your peers. For example, aft...

  Here is a list of 25 skills of interpersonal communication--25 things a competent interpersonal communicator should know how to do--that I used on the inside cover of my Interpersonal Messages book. But, I thought such a list might be useful more generally as a starting point for discussing what students can expect to learn to do or learn to do better than they now do it from a course in interpersonal communication. Needless to say the list is incomplete.   1.       Communicate with an awareness of how the interpersonal process really works. 2.       Communicate in intracultural and intercultural situations with cultural awareness and sensitivity. 3.       Increase self-awareness and self-esteem. 4.       Increase your accuracy in forming impressions of others and in managing the impressions you give to others. 5.       Regulate your listening bet...

http://www.housesittingjobs.com/blog/12-secrets-for-maintaining-a-happy-marriage-after-kids/ Here's an interesting list of advice for a happier relationship after children, much of it useful communication advice. My concern is the post's limitation to "marriage." Are these "12 secrets" not applicable to domestic partnerships or other relationship types? It's a good example of how marginalized "non-marriage" relationships are.  

  An old television game show from the 1950s, Name that Tune , pitted 2 contestants against each other. The objective was for one contestant to name the tune the orchestra would play in fewer notes than could the other contestant. In this exercise, the objective is similar; it�s to find reliable information most efficiently, in as few mouse clicks or in as short a time as possible. For example, you might count the number of mouse clicks (or touches of a touch screen) as one point each. [Typing words into a search engine would be free and wouldn�t cost any points.] The more clicks you use, the less efficient your search. Another measure of research efficiency and one that would be easier to use in the classroom would be the time it takes to find the answer.   The learning objective here is for students to acquire efficient research strategies to find reliable information in an interesting and active way, in a way that will engage them rather than put them to sleep�as most ...