Communication Research

Here's a good example of the importance of using appropriate and inappropriate cultural identifiers. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/06/03/bill-maher-hbo-host-slammed-for-use-n-word.html

This discussion of prosocial communication is a preliminary version of a section I'm considering adding to the new edition of The Interpersonal Communication Book . It would be the final section of the last chapter. I'd be very interested in hearing what you think of this section. Any comments, positive or negative, will be greatly appreciated. Prosocial Communication    In Chapter 10 we looked at the dark side of interpersonal relationships (jealousy and relationship violence) and, in this chapter, we looked at the misuses of power (sexual harassment, bullying, and power plays), other �dark� sides. As a counterpoint to these �dark� sides we need also to highlight the more positive sides of interpersonal communication and relationships or what we might call prosocial communication . Here we consider the nature of prosocial communication, the factors that influence or inhibit such communication, some examples of prosocial communication, and some of its potential effects. The Na...

Here is something I'm very proud of. Thank you Champ Ravirath. Champ Ravirath Yesterday at 2:00am  �  Bangkok, Thailand  �  ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? � Thesis � 267 pages �  Joseph DeVito  Your IC approach was published in Thailand as training methodology! See Translation

Cultural Identifiers Here's a good example of the value of learning the appropriate cultural identifiers and the embarrassment that follows from not learning/using them from the Olympics. In brief: the announcer said:  �She gives a hug to Lili,� Marlowe [the sports announcer] said. �That is her husband. She married Lili in 2013.�

Reducing Communication Apprehension Here's a novel method for rehearsing your speech and for reducing your communication apprehension.

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Here is a brief public speaking exercise built around the theme of distinguishing two things. The main purpose of the exercise is to illustrate some principles of organization and can be used as a regular prepared/researched speech or as an impromptu speech. For this exercise, the speeches should be organized in either of these two ways. Organizational Patterns Introduction A basic orientation as to what will be discussed Body I.                      Item No. 1 (e.g., muffin) A.       Property No. 1 (e.g., ingredients) B.       Property No. 2 (e.g., appearance) C.       Property No. 3 (e.g., taste) II.                    Item No. 2 (e.g., cupcake) A.       Property No. 1 (e.g., ingredien...

Here�s an interesting article that I just ran across while researching trends in public speaking. Lisa B. Marshall identifies 7. I paraphrase these in brief but the article is worth reading especially if you�re teaching public speaking. 1.        Public speaking in the business world is becoming more casual. 2.        Audiences no longer can be viewed as passive recipients of a speaker�s message but are listeners who want to participate. 3.        Speakers are addressing smaller audiences with more focused presentations. 4.        Webinars are increasing but so are live presentations. 5.        Videos are being increasingly incorporated into public speaking presentations. 6.        Technology is playing an ever increasing role in public speaking. 7.        The white b...

The textbook as many of us have known it, it on the way out and the digital/widgetal textbook is in. Well, not exactly, just yet but it�s coming. This brief description of what�s happening may be of some value to those new to this type of textbook but also to those who intend to write a textbook as well as to students who want to know why the change is happening. All of the major publishers and a variety of smaller publishers are engaged in creating these interactive textbooks. They�re all betting that this is the wave of the future and will become standard in the not very distant future. The Digital/Widgetal Textbook A digital textbook is simply an e-book, a book that can be read on your computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. Except for the fact that it can be accessed electronically, the digital textbook is little different from a print book. A widgetal textbook (see glossary at the end of this post), on the other hand, is not only digital but interactive.  This interactivity is the...

In Interpersonal Messages , I include this discussion prompt. The Cultural Defense Consider these two cases (Sikora, 2001): (1) A Chinese immigrant discovers that his wife has been unfaithful. In a rage, he kills his wife. His defense was that this is the way his culture has taught him to react to infidelity. (2) An Iraqi family flees to the United States to avoid a dictator and while in the United States their daughters (ages 13 and 14) are wed to Iraqi men in their 20�s, and their parents are charged with child abuse and delinquency of a minor. Their defense was that they were simply following Iraqi tradition which permits marriages of young girls of this age. If you were on the jury listening to these two cases, how would you respond? More generally, how do you feel about �cultural defenses�? Are there some cultural defenses you�d accept and others you would not? More recently there appeared this news item of a man who prevented a rescuer from saving his drowning daughter so that s...