Weaver Award winning speech communication instructor Craig Streff believes the most important goals of his interpersonal communication instruction are a strong cognitive and affective base, without which practical interpersonal skills are not likely to be developed. Given this overview, what he considers to be the most significant points of the…

Suggested is the use of discourse analysis to study the interpretive aspects of the supervisory conference. Interpretation of linguistic interactions should move beyond the examination of sequential aspects of conversation to incorporate rules of interpretation which account for presuppositions and implications underlying a given speech act. (SI)

In looking at the forms language takes, linguists sometimes forget to ask the obvious question about the relationship between the forms language uses (phonology and syntax) and the function language is expected to play as a vehicle of communication. Probably the bulk of our daily communication involves the allocation and use of power, the politics…

The turn exchange behaviors of 5 specifically language-impaired (SLI) children, aged 8 to 13, were examined in adult-child interaction. Results indicated qualitative differences from those of normal language children in terms of turn errors, interruptions, interactive attention, responsiveness, and turn switch times, as well as variability related…

Advocates a course in interpretive reading for students interested in careers in management to help them manage people. Encourages more imagination, vision, skill, and art. (PD)

Three autistic children (ages 9-11) received spontaneous communication training using a time delay, modeling, and food reinforcement procedure. Results showed gains in 2 spontaneous responses ("please" and "thank you") and 1 verbally prompted response ("you're welcome"). Gains were validated socially with 10 adults. (Author/JDD)

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…

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)

Ten infants aged 8-12 months were studied to determine whether they would spontaneously imitate the average fundamental frequency or fundamental frequency contour of their speaking partners. Acoustic analyses failed to reveal any tendency by the infants to adjust vocal pitch, amplitude, or duration in home or laboratory settings. (Author/JDD)

Intended for teachers, this paper offers a method of incorporating narratives and postmodernism theory into the introductory communication course. It discusses narrative and the essential role it plays in attaching meaning to human experiences and establishing their identities. The paper describes the concepts taught in the introductory course,…

Outlines a model (SUCCESS) for an approach to teaching presentational speaking that deals with the basics of speech communication, the speaker's development of the main ideas presented, providing feedback on the speaker's ability to prepare and use visual aids, and an opportunity to comment on the more general aspects of the speaker's…

Research shows that most conflicts between elementary children are rooted in some form of miscommunication. This article makes suggestions for warding off conflicts by improving communication skills, recommending that teachers first model good listening skills, then try several activities that help students practice careful communication skills…

Delineating the content that must be covered in the secondary schools of the State of Idaho, this guide presents a course of study for a full-semester course designed to help students better understand the complexities of the communication process and succeed in a world of interaction. Although educators sometimes use the terms interchangeably,…

A description of a college course entitled "The Loving Relationship," this report first explains course structure and requirements, textbooks used, and instructional goals. After offering assumptions underlying the course's development, including the ideas that loving is an act of will, that communication is essential to love, and that personal…

Focusing on the difficulties primary teachers often encounter when trying to get their students to listen, this article presents two exercises that have proved effective in improving students' listening skills. The first exercise, "The Echoing Fishbowl," provides children with attentive listening experience by putting them in a situation in which,…