Communication Research

I was recently invited to review a book, How to Gracefully Exit a Relationship by Frank Love, a popular/trade book, rather than a textbook. I�m happy to do so because it echoes much of my own feelings about what we call relationship dissolution and that is that it isn�t necessarily a bad thing. Lots of relationships end because they should end, because they�re no longer productive or rewarding. Further, there are things you can do to dissolve a relationship effectively/gracefully. This is a short book and can easily be read in one sitting but it covers a wide range of topics such as understanding how you would prefer to be told �it�s over,� negotiating your relationship, unrealistic expectations, the problems with manipulation, expressing your desire to exit the relationship, dealing with an unreasonable partner, dealing with children, and dealing with yourself.

  Conversation is something we engage in everyday, often without thinking about the process itself. Yet, there are conversations that may create difficulty, apprehension, and an uncertainty about how to proceed. Here are a few such conversational situations: small talk, making introductions, giving and receiving compliments, giving and receiving advice, making excuses, and offering apologies. What follows is a brief discussion of each of these conversational situations, some suggestions for making them go more smoothly and effectively, and brief exercises to practice the skills. As such it can easily be used as a unit in a course in Interpersonal Communication [or Introduction to Communication] and in fact much of this comes from my Interpersonal Messages, Interpersonal Communication Book, and 50 Communication Strategies books.   Small Talk Small talk is pervasive; all of us engage in small talk. Sometimes, we use small talk as a preface to big talk. For example, before a...

Take a look at this article. It's a great example to use in class to illustrate the differences in cultural rules within the United States/Canada and the consequences of violating them. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/justin-bieber-revenge-blackhawks-fans-step-singer-face-234024433.html

Here is a guest post on communication during conferences. Hope you like it.   How to Hold Your Own During A Conference   In the fast-paced world of business, every meeting is an important meeting.   Mobile applications and web conferencing makes any location a suitable location for a business meeting, and true success comes from being able to transition seamlessly from one environment to the next.   All the practice and preparation won't change the fact that how well you engage your peers is more important than the content of your presentation, or the polish of your pitch.     Surviving the On-The-Spot Skype Interview   Holding your own in a conference boils down to holding your own in a conversation.   This means being able to act natural, confident, and relaxed while still focusing on the topic of the meeting.   More often than not, speaking comfortably and confidently comes from speaking with others � often.     Conversing with ...

    The current issue of Harvard Business Review (July/August, 2013) is devoted to �Influence: How to get it, How to use it.� One of the best articles is an interview with persuasion expert, psychologist Robert Cialdini who offers six principles of persuasion (as he has in his other excellent works, Influence: Science and Practice and Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive , with Noah Goldstein and Steve Martin): 1.       Liking . You�ll be more persuasive if people like you. 2.       Reciprocity : If you help others, they will help you. 3.       Social Proof : If you tell people that others are doing what you want them to do, they�ll be more apt to do it as well. 4.       Commitment and consistency : If you get people to make a commitment, they will try to follow through. 5.       Authority : People are persuaded by experts even though ...