Communicating Well

Book excerpt: Communicating Well: A Fundamental Toolkit offers a full conceptual framework to help students become skilled communicators in relationships, groups, as public speakers, and as media users. Conceived and authored by a diverse team of veteran communication professors, Communicating Well provides students a concise yet thought-provoking set of tools and tips for realizing their potential as communicators across settings. After introducing readers to the communication process, the book addresses how perceptions of self and others impact communication. Students are provided important tools for verbal and nonverbal communication, including ways to truly listen, and emerge better prepared for interviews, relationships, working in groups, public speaking, and skillfully using media. Additionally, this edition features new chapters on intercultural communication and mediated communication. The book features updated concepts of culture and social capital that are particularly relevant in today's global world. Communicating Well is written for basic communication courses at the introductory college level. It can also be used for classes in psychology, sociology, and education, or any course that emphasizes the relational, social, and professional significance of communicating well.