Communication Research

Here are two additional exercises that may prove useful in the discussion of power and interpersonal communication.  As I mentioned in the previous exercises in power post, these topics are covered in depth in Chapter 12 of The Interpersonal Communication Book, but are covered in different ways in other texts as well. So, they may be useful in just about any interpersonal communication or human communication course. Credibility Select a YouTube video of a person giving a talk, leading a meeting, advertising a product, or otherwise attempting to inform or persuade others and analyze the person�s credibility or believability by completing the following table. Dimensions of Credibility Verbal and Nonverbal Messages of Credibility Does the person appear competent, knowledgeable, and expert? (no) 1     2     3     4    5     6     7 (yes, very) What specific...

Here are two exercises that may prove useful in discussing power and interpersonal communication.  These topics are covered in depth in Chapter 12 of The Interpersonal Communication Book, but are covered in different ways in other texts as well. So, they may be useful in just about any interpersonal communication or human communication course. They cover "resisting power" and "types of power." Resisting Power In each of the following situations, pressure is being put on you to do something you really don�t want to do�at least not right now. You need to resist this pressure but not damage the relationship. For each situation, identify 2, 3, or 4 possible choices, and then indicate which choice you�d take and why. 1.        Your dating partner is pressuring you to make a commitment about moving in together but you�re just not ready now though you�d like to keep it open as an option in the future. 2.        Your parents, who ...

Throughout the communication literature there is much research, theory, and discussion on small group leadership. There are even textbooks in group and team leadership. But, there�s little on conversational leadership. Who leads a simple social conversation? What makes a conversational leader? [By �conversational leader� I simply mean someone who controls and literally leads the conversation in the direction he or she desires.] What does a conversational member do that results in attaining leadership? Here are a few thoughts on conversations that are largely face-to-face, though with minor adjustments, they can easily apply to social networking conversations. 1.       The conversational leader chooses the topics of the conversation. Actually, the conversational leader not only chooses the topics but changes them. 2.       The conversational leader speaks differently�more loudly usually and in more varied and animated style. 3.  ...

Here is a wonderful infographic on mental disorders in children, sent to me by Katherine Rose--an area that is clearly relevant to communication but which we seldom address. http://www.topmastersineducation.com/forgotten-children/  

  Here�s an interesting study I found in the current issue of the Harvard Business Review (November 2013). It should prove useful in nonverbal communication but really in any course in which ethics, power, or environment are considered. In brief, the study explored the relationship between the size of one�s chair (which allows for body expansion or encourages contraction) and the tendency to engage in unethical behavior. For example, random selected participants were placed in large or small chairs. All the participants were purposely overpaid but 78% of those in expansive postures kept the extra overpayment while only 38% of those in contractive postures did. Well, there is much more to the study which you can read at http://www.andyjyap.com/#!reserach/cm8a -- the website of the lead author, Andy Yap. The HBR discussion, however, is also interesting because it�s a part of their feature, �Defend Your Research� and so there�s a brief 2-page interview with Yap in which he explains so...

  The current issue of Inc . (October 2013) has a wealth of information on public speaking, persuasion, and leadership that I think students will relate to easily. Among the articles are How to make people believe, How I conquered public speaking anxiety, The pose that�s worth 1,000 words (on rhetorical gestures), Rallying the troops (on motivation), Secrets of a great TED talk, Give the audience more of what it wants: less (on PechaKucha), Both simple and true (on storytelling), What kind of leader are you?

Kendall-Hunt has put up a website for my  The Nonverbal Communication Book.  ( www.KendallHunt.com/devito ).   The website has links to the Preface, the TOC, and a sample chapter--(click "Samples"). I chose the chapter on temporal communication--Time Messages. This sample chapter is open access and so students as well as instructors can use it. It's a really very different nonverbal communication textbook and that's why I wanted the chapter made available online. If anyone does use it in class or just looks at the chapter--as student or instructor, I'd sure appreciate hearing any reactions, negative as well as positive.

    Here is a portrait of the poor professor�and by implication, the good professor--as seen by students, at least as noted on some 100+ professors as rated by students on RateMyProfessor. My method was simple: I examined the comments on some 100+ professors at random. I simply plugged in a school�some colleges and some universities, some public institutions and some private or religious--and selected names, some male and some female�at random. Nothing terribly scientific but reasonably fair, it seems. I then grouped the comments into general categories, though, as you�ll see, there is considerable over-lapping. The portrait of the professor who is not well liked that emerges is amazingly clear. Students regularly note similar traits and behaviors that they consider �poor teaching.� Here are ten characteristics that seem to be identified over and over again. These also suggest�to my mind at least--that students� expectations for professors are realistic, reasonable, and achie...

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...