Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life: A Practical Introduction, Second Edition is the first communication theory textbook to provide practical material for career-oriented students. The inclusion and analysis of real-world case studies illustrate the application of theory in a variety of professional settings. Whereas other communication theory texts have a more academic focus on theory or research methods, this book is specifically designed to introduce communication theory in a tangible way. The featured theories are those that have strong pragmatic value and clear applicability to communication and business practitioners. Particular emphasis is placed on theories of intrapersonal communication, interpersonal interaction, intercultural encounters, persuasion, leadership, group communication, organizational behavior, and mass communication.

Updated Edition of Bestseller! Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life is the first communication theory textbook to provide practical material for career-oriented students. Featuring new case studies, updated examples, and the latest research, the Fourth Edition of this bestseller introduces communication theory in a way that helps students understand its importance to careers in communication and business. Real-world case studies within each chapter are designed to illustrate the application of theory in a variety of professional settings. Give your students the SAGE edge! SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning.

Updated Edition of Bestseller! Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life, by Marianne Dainton and Elaine D. Zelley is the first communication theory textbook to provide practical material for career-oriented readers. Featuring new case studies, updated examples, and the latest research, the Fourth Edition of this bestseller introduces communication theory in a way that helps you understand its importance to careers in communication and business. Real-world case studies within each chapter are designed to illustrate the application of theory in a variety of professional settings. New to the Fourth Edition All case studies now include specific questions about ethical issues associated with the narrative of the case and how knowledge of theory can help you negotiate these ethical dilemmas. The simulated “Education as Entertainment Theory” includes apps and other new media forms of educational content, keeping you up-to-date with the latest technology. Four new case studies have been added to show you how the theories are tied to recent events. The cases are titled: 1. “You’re Fired” 2. “Bad Move” 3. “Million Dollar Manipulation” 4. “The (New) Media Culture Wars” New research and scholarship for all theories can be found in the “Chapter Summaries” and “Research Applications” of each chapter. Numerous political examples have been added to reflect the increasingly divergent political rhetoric in the United States.

References -- Chapter 8: Taking It to the Next Level -- Focus Groups as a Feminist or Critical Method -- Interactive Focus Groups -- Leaderless Discussion Groups -- Focus Groups as Delphi Method -- Focus Groups in CBPR (Community-Based Participatory Research) -- Mini-Groups -- Larger Groups ("Town Forums") -- Preexisting or Bona Fide Groups -- Multiple or Ongoing Group Sessions -- Different Settings (Living Room vs. Conference Style) -- Focus Groups as Part of Multiple or Mixed Methods Research -- Summary -- References -- Index

Comprehensive, innovative, and focused on the undergraduate student, this textbook prepares students to read and conduct research. Using an engaging how-to approach that draws from scholarship, real-life, and popular culture, the book offers students practical reasons why they should care about research methods and a guide to actually conduct research themselves. Examining quantitative, qualitative, and critical research methods, the textbook helps undergraduate students better grasp the theoretical and practical uses of method by clearly illustrating practical applications. The book defines all the main research traditions, illustrates key methods used in communication research, and provides level-appropriate applications of the methods through theoretical and practical examples and exercises, including sample student papers that demonstrate research methods in action.

This broad-ranging textbook provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to using communication theory in real-life communication activities. Planned communication, both interpersonal and through the mass media, is a standard facet of modern life. It is as evident in public health campaigns on smoking, drugs or AIDS as in commercial advertising and public relations. This textbook outlines how such communication can be informed by an understanding of the theories of communication that have evolved over the last thirty years. How are ideas diffused through the mass media and other channels of communication? How does the audience read a message? What is known about the impact of different ways of handling a communication ca

Interpersonal Communication's unique goals-based approach allows for an accessible, practical presentation of the latest research, introducing the most current theories and ideas in the field while keeping students firmly rooted in the real world of people and relationships.

Communication is the most complex and elevating achievement of human beings. Most people spend up to 70 percent of our waking hours engaged in some form of communication. Listening and responding to the messages of others occupies much of this time; the rest is taken up by talking, reading, and writing. An additional consideration is the rich assortment of nonverbal cues humans share, which also constitute a form of communication. All together, the stream of verbal and nonverbal information that bombards our senses is composed of as many as 2,000 distinguishable units of interaction in a single day. The kinds of interaction change constantly: morning greetings, cereal labels, bus signs, charts, traffic lights, hate stares, graffiti, coffee shop chat, gestures, laughter, and head nods: The themes are endless. All of this constitutes subject matter for the study of communication.The book seeks to acquaint students with a basic understanding of the process of human communication. The breadth and scope of subject matter is adaptable to a number of approaches to the first course in communication, whether theoretical, practical, contemporary, or traditional in orientation.The framework of this book introduces five topics of central interest to the field of communication theory. Part I describes the process of communication as it unfolds in face-to-face environments. Part II considers the symbolic significance of interpersonal behavior. Part III examines the organization of communicative acts and shows why human interactions tend to become more synchronous over time. Part IV explores the complex problem of understanding other people, demonstrating the tendency of understanding to become intersubjective. Part V accounts for the communicative significance of several basic human environments--communities, organizations, media, institutions, and culture.

This book offers students a comprehensive, theoretical, and practical guide to communication theory. Croucher defines the various perspectives on communication theory—the social scientific, interpretive, and critical approaches—and then takes on the theories themselves, with topics including interpersonal communication, organizational communication, intercultural communication, persuasion, critical and rhetorical theory and other key concepts. Each theory chapter includes a sample undergraduate-written paper that applies the described theory, along with edits and commentary by Croucher, giving students an insider’s glimpse of the way communication theory can be written about and applied in the classroom and in real life. Featuring exercises, case studies and keywords that illustrate and fully explain the various communication theories, Understanding Communication Theory gives students all the tools they need to understand and apply prominent communication theories.

Never HIGHLIGHT a Book Again! Virtually all of the testable terms, concepts, persons, places, and events from the textbook are included. Cram101 Just the FACTS101 studyguides give all of the outlines, highlights, notes, and quizzes for your textbook with optional online comprehensive practice tests. Only Cram101 is Textbook Specific. Accompanys: 9781412976916 .