Book Preface

Whether we are communicating in professional settings, with family or friends, with persons whom we love, with colleagues at work-and school, or with strangers, the presence or absence of effective communication plays a crucial part in determining how both our interactions and our relationships evolve.

We hope to help foster an appreciation of the kinds of communication understandings and skills needed to help students function as competent communicators in the 21st century. We all bring different backgrounds and experiences to the exploration of communication. We can use our past to enrich our present exploration of the myriad roles that communication plays in our professional and personal, online and offline lives. To this end, our approach and organization strengthen students in their pursuit of learning how communication works by giving them a way to explore how to:

(1) assess the extent to which they are prepared to meet the challenges posed by their living in an increasingly socially diverse society

(3) identify how media and technology are changing the nature of the communication environment in which they interact

Building on the Strengths of Earlier Editions: A 21st Century Approach The 7th edition is our first edition in the new century. Thus the reader will find consistent attention given to how technology shapes our individual communication styles and our communication culture in general. The book also uses technology to help students-from understanding communication basics to mastering skills. New to this edition are E-Searches, Media-Wise boxes, and Listen to This, View This, Read This exercises. The first two have been added to emphasize the importance of media and technology in the totally wired, ethically challenged world that is our common arena. This last feature has been added to help students apply their learning to content with which they are comfortable and at home.

In order to meet the needs and reflect the interests of an increasingly diverse student audience, and to encourage critical inquiry, we continue to pay significant attention to the influence of culture and the importance of ethics. This attention is reflected in chapter content as well as in Exploring Diversity and Ethics and Communication boxes, and Thinking Critically exercises that appear throughout the text. These three features support content and are designed to prompt student questioning, compel students to become involved, and serve as promoters for individual assignments or group or class discussions. Now more than ever before, it is essential for students to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how culture and technology are shaping their communication experiences. It is equally important for them to understand the ethical issues related to communication and to able to think critically and speak cogently about them.

Because we believe that people learn best when they are actively involved, we continue to offer a wide selection of Skill Builders-learning activities that appear both in the text and in the instructor's manual for use in or outside of class. We developed these Skill Builders to help students look at communication, assess its effects, and experience the insights and practice they will need to become strong communicators. Instructors report that they find these exercises help make the study of communication active, exciting, involving, and rewarding. Of course, we do not expect any instructor to use all the Skill Builders or exercises, or even all the chapters contained in the text in a single course or semester. The text has built-in flexibility, so that each instructor is able to choose those that fit the needs of her or his own students and the time available.

ll the special features-Skill Builders, Exploring Diversity, Ethics and Communication, Media-Wise, E-Search, Thinking Critically, and Listen to This, View This, Read This exercises-are listed in the table of contents so that instructors and students can locate them easily.

publisher has also made a special effort to design and produce a book that students will enjoy reading. The way information is presented affects students' level of interest. Thus, we have aimed to create a book that exhibits clarity of language, encourages reader participation, and does so in a lively, colorful format. As always, we have tested the materials incorporated in the text with students of different ages, cultures, and ethnic groups. We have also retained several popular pedagogical feathers from the previous editions. Each chapter begins with a preview of behavioral objectives that illuminate the material, establish goals, and prepare the readers for the concepts that will be introduced. Within the chapters, students are periodically expected to complete self-assessment scales to evaluate their own attitudes and reactions and to measure their mastery of skills. The chapters also present a broad range of career-oriented examples. Of special interest are the marginal comments and questions, which, like the boxes, help arouse students' curiosity and prompt them to ask and answer questions. Also included in the margins, and new to this edition, is a running glossary. At the end of each chapter is a summary, now keyed to chapter objectives, that recapitulates the content and relevant skills that were emphasized. Also included at the book's end is a glossary designed to help students master the field's vocabulary.

always, we found working on this seventh edition of Communication Works both challenging and fun. We hope you enjoy the new information and exercises we include. We would love to hear from you. You can reach us via email at: gamble@carroll.com