Speculates about mindfulness on the context of practical applications, by everyday communicators, of whatever modifications to communication can be suggested by research. Reviews tact strategies as a brief example. (SR)

Finds that persons (college students) thwarted in their attempts to provide geographic directions to others reiterated directions with little change in structure but with significant increases in vocal intensity and decreases in speech rate. Confirms the hierarchy hypothesis that individuals modify their message plans to make alterations first…

Analyzes results from 38 distraction studies. Concludes it is necessary to distinguish between communication-relevant and communication-irrelevant distractors. Suggests the effect of communication-irrelevant distractors on attitude change is minor. (MS)

Compares the effectiveness of cognitive modification, systematic desensitization and speech preparation in the reduction of speech and general anxiety. Results indicate that the cognitive modification program is highly effective in reducing both types of anxiety. (MH)

Clarifies the nature of communication avoidance through a structural analysis grounded in facet theory. Presents evidence for a duplex model of avoidance in which theoretical distinctions among modalities of approach-avoidance and context proved empirically relevant. Discusses implications of these findings for the explication, treatment, and…

Reports the results of four studies examining how Afro-Americans perceive interethnic communication with Whites. Uses an interpretive, cultural perspective in questionnaires and interviews as well as quantitative and qualitative analyses to identify seven issues of communication satisfaction and five conversational improvement strategies,…

Presents a model of social confrontation (communication episodes initiated when one participant signals that the other's behavior violates a rule or expectation for appropriate conduct). Describes issues arising during social confrontation. Concludes that negotiating expectations or relational rules within a problematic situation is the crux of…

Considers possible dysfunctions of supportive communication in the workplace and proposes a research agenda to investigate these dysfunctions at the micro and macro levels of analysis. (RS)

A rhetorical framework based on Burkean theory is used to analyze the relative success of leadership contenders in small groups in obtaining cooperation of the other members and resolving the struggle for leadership. The analyses reveal the importance of transcending symbolic divisions in leadership emergence. (JMF)

Indicates that males were more likely than females to use (1) violence against a noncompliant male persuasive target in a noninterpersonal relational context, and (2) direct coercion against persistently noncompliant and noninterpersonal persuasive targets in relational contexts with short-term consequences. (JD)

Analyzes and compares the communication process within effective and ineffective decision-making groups to identify specific behaviors and patterns of communicative behaviors which consistently discriminate between them. Results suggest that effective decision-making groups spend more time interacting and agreeing upon procedural matters than do…

Diaries, recordings, and analyses by participants and nonparticipant observers are used in this extensive case study of a developing organization. The study leads to the inference that an important element influencing the organization is female dominance and male response to that dominance. (JMF)

Contends that the events at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant mark the failure of technical reasoning and communication practices to master the problems of our age. (PD)

Suggests ways in which attribution theories can explain the interpretation processes involved in understanding nonverbal behavior. Examines attribution choices for nonverbal messages between romantic partners and finds that level of relational satisfaction correlates with perceptions of cause for nonverbal messages. (MG)