preface
vow is a fascinating time to teach human communication. The field of
interpersonal communication is evolving as new channels for communi-
cation develop; mediated communication is redefining the term group, making
organizations flatter and generating new challenges for leadership and conflict
management; public speaking is becoming a more crucial communication tool
in too many professions to list; and the discipline as a whole is evolving at what
seems like light speed, especially as scholars work to keep up with the profound
changes wrought by technology. Our goal for Real Communication is to capture
the dynamic and evolving nature of our discipline in a way that truly engages
students while encouraging them to assess their own communication experiences
and to consider the communication concepts at work in the world around them.
As scholars, we see communication concepts at work every day—in our inter-
actions with others, in the screenplays of the films and TV shows we watch, in the
carefully choreographed language of political campaigns, and in the subtle and bla-
tant messages of advertising and marketing. But as instructors, we know that mak-
ing these connections clear to students can be a challenge, especially in a course
that requires us to cover diverse areas of the field (some of which may be outside
of our area of expertise or research interest) all in approximately fourteen weeks.
Perhaps the most disheartening comment we hear from students and from col-
leagues—who find themselves pressed for time and depending on their textbook to
cover the basics—is that the course materials don’t reflect real life or the real world.
As one student told us some years ago, “I just don’t see myself or anyone like me in
the book we used. It’s filled with examples about fake people. It’s not real.”
We developed Real Communication in response to those challenges. With
this text, we wanted to reimagine the human communication course and what
an effective textbook for it might look like. The answer came in addressing the
course challenges: we have to make it real, make it relevant, and help students
make sense of the course. This was the birth of Real Communication: An Intro-
duction, inspired by our colleagues and students who reminded us that a truly
effective book would give a cohesive view of human communication—and the
discipline that studies it—and that it would feel, well, real. Books about hypo-
thetical people will never drive home the point that effective, appropriate, and
ethical communication can truly change our personal and professional lives.
The content of the book itself is the result of years of interactions, of commu-
nicating with students and colleagues, all in the service of creating the best possible
introductory text. We include the strongest and most relevant scholarship—both
classic and cutting edge. To create a truly innovative and effective learning tool for
the introductory course, we applied the content and scholarship to real and com-
pelling people. We talked to students, instructors, and professionals from aroundN
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