Rocca's (2010) extensive literature review suggests that some students are reticent in voicing their opinions due to the fear of rejection by their peers when using the persuasive approach and for believing that their voice does not matter in public settings. Similarly, Arnot and Reay (2007) often find an imbalance of power, which fosters the…

In this unit activity, students understand that social presence-one's ability to project a personality through computer-mediated communication-is critical for creating an effective online learning environment (Christen, Kelly, Fall, & Snyder, in press; Jorgensen, 2002; Kehrwald, 2010; O'Sullivan, Hunt, & Lippert, 2004). Without…

As an emerging interest area, positive communication scholarship focuses on issues of happiness and well-being in a variety of social contexts. Borrowing from positive psychology and happiness literature (Lyubomirsky, 2008), positive communication research explores expressions of gratitude, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, as well as issues…

The "What Would You Say?" (WWYS?) exercise was developed to help students reflect on and improve their message response choices in the moment, as prompted by fictionalized interpersonal scenarios from films. Video clips were chosen to exemplify situations that were identified by students in a pilot study as situations in which they or…

This single class activity described here: (1) illustrates the importance of interdependence in groups; (2) can be used to measure group productivity and performance; (3) can encourage groups to engage in group learning; and (4) can facilitate group cohesion for newly formed groups. Students will be working in groups for the majority of their…

Evidence that K-12 schools had successfully integrated conflict resolution into curricula (Johnson & Johnson, 2004; Stevahn, 2004) includes students' resolution of personal conflicts and improved academic performances (Johnson, Johnson, Dudley, & Magnuson, 1995; Stevahn, Johnson, Johnson, Green, & Laginski, 1997; Stevahn, Johnson,…

Research finds that student effectiveness can be related to how well a student interacts and communicates in the classroom, supporting the notion that student-student interaction is important (Frymier, 2005; Poulou, 2009). According to Sidelinger and Booth-Butterfield (2010), student-student connectedness (defined as "a supportive and…

Listening is a core component of developing effective communication skills. Thus, a common objective of many basic communication courses is to help students become better listeners (Johnson & Long, 2007). Often, the teacher's goal is to show students that there are different listening styles or preferences and that people decode messages…

As a central area of study within the discipline, theories of interpersonal communication are the bedrock of many introductory textbooks designed for use in undergraduate courses on communication and communication theory (Griffin, 2012; Littlejohn & Foss, 2010; Miller, 2004; West & Turner, 2010). Though undergraduate students are, of…

Most interpersonal communication course textbooks include a section or chapter on the topic of self-disclosure. Students are normally introduced to elements of self-disclosure, such as a definition, functions, or reasons for self-disclosure, risks of self-disclosure, and the role of self-disclosure in relationships. Historically, research on…

The exploration of secrets summons the adage that ''what someone doesn't know won't hurt them.'' While this phrase implies that keeping secrets can be advantageous, it also foreshadows another consideration: secrets have the propensity to hurt others (Caughlin, Scott, Miller, & Hefner, 2009). Despite this, the act…

Communication teacher scholars have traditionally focused attention on the power of language in written or spoken narratives as situated in particular contexts. Increasingly, however, scholars are espousing a vision-based epistemology that recognizes the relationship between seeing and knowing, and in doing so foreground the political relationship…

This essay derives from a course called ‘"The Rhetoric of Native America,’" which is a historical-critical survey of Native American primary texts. The course examines the rhetoric employed by Natives to enact social change and to build community in the face of exigencies. The main goal of exploring a native text (particularly, Simon Pokagon's…

This article describes an activity whose objective is for students to gain self-awareness related to the ways in which humans (consciously or not) alter their self-presentation depending upon the context, thereby maintaining different "faces." Also, this activity aims to highlight effectiveness related to different modes of nonverbal…

To many students, theory can be confusing and difficult to retain. Therefore, instructors who put emphasis on theory in their courses and lectures must find new ways for students to connect to the sometimes obscure material. Through a hands-on approach to learning theory, students may be challenged to examine their own beliefs and knowledge…