Presents six generalizations on using humor in public speaking. (PD)

A review of communication models and research reveals four areas of communications skill: listening, empathy, non-verbal communication, and expressive abilities. Models of listening behavior suggest that, rather than being a passive activity, listening involves sorting stimuli and encoding messages, analyzing listener needs, and assessing speaker…

Examines research from several fields and evaluates techniques for managing discomfort when making presentations. (Written for business communication teachers and presentation-skills trainers in business.) (PD)

Uses the following four approaches to review interpersonal communication research conducted by speech communication scholars: (1) dialog, (2) cohesion, (3) message process, and (4) rhetoric. Helps to clarify why different approaches are used in teaching interpersonal communication courses. (PD)

Twenty years of research in interpersonal communication have provided teachers with a basis for identifying the competencies that should be taught in introductory interpersonal communication courses, including empathy, social composure, and conflict management. However, other issues such as "performance vs. knowledge," the affective dimension, and…

This paper describes the methodology employed to study videotapes of presentations made by President George Bush during the crisis in the Persian Gulf. Analysis of President Bush's language in relation to the events of the Gulf War was undertaken. Videotapes were used because they allowed for analysis of nonverbal communication as well as verbal…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet presents a holistic view of learning focused on the development of oral communication. The first section of the booklet provides a rationale for increasing oral communication skills instruction, and discusses the…

Debate paradigms, which at one time established standards to help judges evaluate arguments and rules to guide debaters' argument choice and strategy selection, no longer offer consistent guidance for either judges or debaters. An increased emphasis on creativity and flexibility has led to a general unwillingness to use a rigid debate format. The…

This paper defines communication assessment in terms of the four characteristics of communication identified by John Daly, which propose that: (1) communication is interactive and dialogic; (2) communication occurs in real time; (3) communication is inherently contextual; and (4) communication is personal as well as social. The paper then examines…

Effective communication between teachers and students is a very complex skill. In order to draw conclusions about effective youth-adult relationships, four research studies (Adolescent-Adult Relationships; Best and Poorest Junior High School Student-Teacher Relationships; Elementary School Teachers' Perceptions; and Comparison of Two Good…

The essays in this volume enunciate the pressing need for a theoretical framework for the study of technical communication. The first part of the volume provides an overview of extensive ways to study technical communication. Subsequent chapters discuss humanistic approaches to technical communication, the history of technical communication,…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet provides teachers, administrators, and curriculum planners with suggestions for ways to develop more effective oral communication instruction in the content areas as well as speech classes. Following a brief…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet focuses on how children and young adults make meaning in speech and writing and on ways teachers can encourage their language development. Following a brief introduction, the first major section of the booklet…

Based on the premise that effective teaching depends on successful communication, this booklet discusses the nonverbal dimension of communication. The booklet contends that humans use nonverbal communications for the following reasons: (1) words have limitations; (2) nonverbal signals are powerful; (3) nonverbal messages are likely to be more…

The proceedings of a conference designed to give researchers and educators the opportunity to discuss issues affecting public education, this report opens with a description of the Research and Development Exchange Coordinating Group's initial efforts to address teacher concerns in oral and written communication instruction. It then lists…