Used by more than a million students, LOOKING OUT, LOOKING IN, Twelfth Edition, continues its outstanding tradition of combining current information with a fun, reader-friendly voice that links course topics to your everyday life. You'll discover the reasons to improve your interpersonal skills and sharpen your critical understanding of the communication process through diverse and compelling examples that illustrate how communication skills can affect both the world around us and our own lives. Improve your relationships and your future career success, with the only text that offers the tools that have been proven to build better communication skills for almost 30 years!

Adler (communications, Santa Barbara City College) and Proctor (communications, Northern Kentucky U.) continue to apply the lessons of daily life and social issues to the academic field of personal communication, adding new material on relational dynamics, culture and gender, technology, diversity and other topics to this edition. They use analyses of film and other popular media, case studies, readings and commentary to cover such "inward-looking" topics as creating and presenting the self, understanding perception, thinking and feeling, and communicating as well as in the "outward-looking" material on understanding language and nonverbal communication and listening. The material on relational dynamics includes considering the issues of intimacy and distance, improving communication climates and managing interpersonal conflict. They provide a glossary and a superior index, along with cross-references for readings and other distinct materials.
Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Adler (communications, Santa Barbara City College) and Proctor (communications, Northern Kentucky U.) continue to apply the lessons of daily life and social issues to the academic field of personal communication, adding new material on relational dynamics, culture and gender, technology, diversity and other topics to this edition. They use analyses of film and other popular media, case studies, readings and commentary to cover such "inward-looking" topics as creating and presenting the self, understanding perception, thinking and feeling, and communicating as well as in the "outward-looking" material on understanding language and nonverbal communication and listening. The material on relational dynamics includes considering the issues of intimacy and distance, improving communication climates and managing interpersonal conflict. They provide a glossary and a superior index, along with cross-references for readings and other distinct materials. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ron Adler is a professor at Santa Barbara Community College where he teaches interpersonal communication, business and professional communication, and communication theories. In addition to teaching, Adler has co-authored and has edited several textbooks that address communication contexts and topics including interpersonal communication, small group communication, public speaking, assertiveness, and social skills. In addition to writing and teaching, he works with professional and business people to improve their communication on the job.Russell F. Proctor II is currently a professor at Northern Kentucky University where he has taught since 1991. He primarily teaches courses in Interpersonal Communication (basic and advanced), Small Group Communication, and Interviewing. He won the university's Outstanding Professor Award in 1997. He is the author of articles and textbooks focusing on interpersonal communication and communication education. He serves as coordinator of the Speech Communication program and advisor to the Speech Communication Club.

1. A FIRST LOOK AT INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION. Why We Communicate. The Process of Communication. Communication Principles and Misconceptions. The Nature of Interpersonal Communication. What Makes an Effective Communicator? 2. COMMUNICATION AND IDENTITY: CREATING AND PRESENTING THE SELF. Communication and the Self-Concept. Presenting the Self: Communication as Identity Management. 3. PERCEPTION: WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET. The Perception Process Influences on Perception. Common Tendencies in Perception. Perception Checking. Empathy and Communication. 4. EMOTIONS: THINKING, FEELING, AND COMMUNICATING. What Are Emotions? Influences on Emotional Expression. Guidelines for Expressing Emotions. Managing Difficult Emotions. 5. LANGUAGE: BARRIER AND BRIDGE. Language Is Symbolic. Understandings and Misunderstandings. The Impact of Language. Gender and Language. Culture and Language. 6. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION: MESSAGES BEYOND WORDS. Characteristics of Nonverbal Communication. Influences on Nonverbal Communication. Types of Nonverbal Communication. 7. LISTENING: MORE THAN MEETS THE EAR. Listening Defined. Elements in the Listening Process. The Challenge of Listening. Types of Listening Responses. 8. COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONAL DYNAMICS. Why We Form Relationships. Relational Development and Maintenance . Communicating About Relationships. 9. INTIMACY AND DISTANCE IN RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION. Intimacy in Relationships . Self-Disclosure in Relationships. Alternatives to Self-Disclosure. 10. IMPROVING COMMUNICATION CLIMATES. Communication Climate: The Key to Positive Relationships. Defensiveness: Causes and Remedies. Saving Face: The Clear Message Format. Responding Nondefensively to Criticism. 11. MANAGING INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS. The Nature of Conflict. Conflict Styles. Conflict in Relational Systems. Variables in Conflict Styles. Constructive Conflict Skills. Constructive Conflict: Questions and Answers.