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Cover of Exploring Interpersonal Communication v3.0
Published: 
September 2022
Page Count: 
404
ISBN (Digital): 
978-1-4533-4047-9

Exploring Interpersonal Communication

Version 3.0
By Scott McLean

Included Supplements

Key Features

  • Provides contemporary context through real-world examples that resonate with students
  • Supportive Learning Structure
    • Introductory Exercises set the stage for topics to be presented in the coming chapter
    • Learning Objectives at the beginning of each main section help guide and focus students’ learning
    • Key terms highlight important concepts and terminology throughout the text
    • Key Takeaways at the end of every main section echo and reinforce the section’s Learning Objectives
    • Conclusion at the end of each main section help students consolidate manageable pieces of information just learned for better retention
    • Exercises at the end of each main section promote deeper learning and retention of new concepts by stimulating critical analysis
  • 20 embedded videos throughout engage students and provide useful context
  • Customizable

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Exploring Interpersonal Communication is suitable for courses such Interpersonal Communication, Interpersonal Relations, Applied Communication Skills, or similar course titles taught in business or communication departments at the undergraduate and graduate levels at both two- and four-year institutions.


Exploring Interpersonal Communication provides students with a solid, clear, and concise foundation for effective interpersonal communication in their professional and personal lives. With a focus on cultural diversity, this text shows students how to apply communication skills in a variety of contexts ranging from the workplace to home life to social media. Exploring Interpersonal Communication prepares students to become effective interpersonal communicators by providing them with relevant, practical examples and scenarios that relate directly to our modern, interconnected world.

New in This Version

  • Refreshed exercises, images, and videos throughout the text reinforce learning
  • New or revised topics include:
    • The Four A’s of creating a mental-health friendly workplace (Sections 1.5 and 7.4)
    • Emoticons: differences in meaning, use, and interpretation across generations (Section 1.5)
    • Neurotransmitters and self-talk: the words you say to yourself impact your confidence and performance (Section 2.2)
    • Five self-sabotaging statements to permanently delete from your self-talk (Section 2.2)
    • Learn about yourself with a Myer-Briggs-style self-assessment (Section 2.3)
    • Modern job interviewing: is the necktie dead? (Section 2.3)
    • Cinnamon roll characters in the media, self-image, and social comparison (Section 2.3)
    • Where you were born: on becoming obedient or self-indulgent (Section 2.3)
    • Who wants to be a time millionaire? (Section 2.4)
    • Should we use color-coded bracelets, or buttons, to navigate social distancing expectations? (Section 2.5)
    • From cyberstalkers to partners: the five types of self-disclosure (Section 2.5)
    • Oversharing and self-disclosure: inappropriate to dangerous (Section 2.5)
    • Do single people smell different? (Section 3.3)
    • Climate change and loss of indigenous languages and cultures (Section 4.2)
    • Five principles of effective conversations (Section 4.5)
    • The domestic violence hand sign that saves lives (Section 5.3)
    • Touch and relationships: how it influences who we find attractive (Section 5.3)
    • UX, UI, and listening (Section 6.2)
    • Endless scroll, distractions, and how they impact listening skills (Section 6.2)
    • Listening, relationships, and self-care (Section 6.3)
    • Ten relationship red flags you should not ignore (Section 6.3)
    • Bridge-building vs. wall-building: effective interpersonal strategies (Section 6.3)
    • How colors can impact your mood (Section 7.3)
    • Post-pandemic emotional intelligence (Section 7.3)
    • Seven types of rest (Section 7.3)
    • Emotional work, labor, and weather (Section 7.4)
    • Six types of love: what’s your type? (Section 8.3)
    • Attraction theory, Social Exchange theory, and Equity theory (Section 8.5)
    • Keltner list of fifteen questions to assess if your relationship has a future (Section 8.6)
    • Conflict management: the ten-second rule (Section 9.4)
    • Conflict at work, abuse, and the panic button (Section 9.4)
    • Fear management and assessment: the Quadrant System (Section 9.5)
    • Decisional and emotional forgiveness (Section 9.5)
    • Fashion and impression management in virtual communities (Section 10.1)
    • Sustainability and shopping: what our purchases tell the world about us (Section 10.2)
    • Legal troubles: what you post online and slander vs. libel (Section 10.2)
    • Success bombing: the online one-up strategy (Section 10.2)
    • Virtual tribes, belonging, and visual displays of affiliation (Section 10.3)
    • From mLearning (mobile + learning) to mHealth (mobile + health) (Section 10.5)
    • Envy, jealousy, shading, and ghosting: the dark side of our interpersonal interactions (Section 10.6)
    • Vlogs, virtual communities, fake news, and conspiracy theories (Section 10.6)
    • The long-lasting effects of sexual harassment (Section 11.5)
    • The impact of the pandemic on interpersonal interactions (Section 12.2)
    • Collective effervescence: being in synch with others during group experiences and the profound sense of loss during the pandemic (Section 12.2)
    • The Great Resignation, overemployment, and emergency communication (Section 12.2)
    • IMVAIN: evaluating fake news (Section 12.3)
    • Evaluating sources for credibility (Section 12.3)
  • About the Author
  • Acknowledgments
  • Dedications
  • Preface

    • Chapter 1: Effective Interpersonal Communication

  • 1.1 Introduction to Interpersonal Communication
  • 1.2 Why Is Communication Important?
  • 1.3 What Is Communication?
  • 1.4 Principles of Communication
  • 1.5 Interpersonal Communication and Professional Responsibilities

    • Chapter 2: Interpersonal Communication and Self-Awareness

  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Intrapersonal Communication: Our Inner Voice
  • 2.3 Self-Concept and the Johari Window
  • 2.4 Interpersonal Needs
  • 2.5 Self-Disclosure

    • Chapter 3: Perception and Interpersonal Communication

  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Self-Concept and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
  • 3.3 Perception
  • 3.4 Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Perceptions

    • Chapter 4: Verbal Communication, Words, and Language

  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Words and Meaning
  • 4.3 Principles of Verbal Communication
  • 4.4 Jargon, Cliché, and Slang
  • 4.5 Effective Interpersonal Conversations
  • 4.6 Improving Interpersonal Conversations

    • Chapter 5: Beyond Words and Nonverbal Communication

  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Principles of Nonverbal Communication
  • 5.3 Diverse Types of Nonverbal Communication
  • 5.4 Mindfulness and Effective Nonverbal Communication 

    • Chapter 6: Listening and Interpersonal Communication

  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Types of Listening
  • 6.3 Listening, Common Ground, Relationships, and Self-Care
  • 6.4 Listening, Difference, and Disagreement

    • Chapter 7: Emotions and Interpersonal Communication

  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 Relationships, Functions, and Emotions
  • 7.3 Emotional Intelligence
  • 7.4 Emotional Work, Labor, Weather, and Communication Soft Skills

    • Chapter 8: Relationships and Interpersonal Communication

  • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 Healthy Relationships, Sharing, and Turn-Taking
  • 8.3 Principles and Types of Relationships
  • 8.4 Relationship Messages and Common Misconceptions
  • 8.5 Coming Together and Growing Apart
  • 8.6 Maintaining and Improving Relationships

    • Chapter 9: Conflict Management and Interpersonal Communication

  • 9.1 Introduction
  • 9.2 Defensive and Supportive Communication, Relational Dialectics, and Improvement
  • 9.3 Principles and Process of Interpersonal Conflict
  • 9.4 Conflict Management Styles
  • 9.5 Groupthink, Uncertainty, Forgiveness and Solving Problems Together
  • 9.6 The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication

    • Chapter 10: Social Media and Interpersonal Relationships

  • 10.1 Introduction
  • 10.2 Virtual Communication, Online Interpersonal Interactions, Slander, and Libel
  • 10.3 Virtual Groups, Belonging, and Affiliation
  • 10.4 Pop Culture, Discrimination, and Cultural Appropriation
  • 10.5 Mobile Phones, Relationships, and Distractions
  • 10.6 The Dark Side of Social Media

    • Chapter 11: Interpersonal Leadership, Power, and Social Change

  • 11.1 Introduction
  • 11.2 Power and Leadership
  • 11.3 Working in Virtual Teams
  • 11.4 Team Problem Solving
  • 11.5 Relationships at Work
  • 11.6 Family Business Relationships

    • Chapter 12: Relationships, the Pandemic, and Negative News

  • 12.1 Introduction
  • 12.2 Health, the Pandemic, and Relationships
  • 12.3 Managing Bad News and Fake News
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    Instructor’s Manual

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    Scott McLean Walden University

    Scott McLean is a Senior Contributing Faculty Member with the Communication Department at Walden University. He also served as Associate Professor of Business Communication for the W. A. Franke College of Business, Northern Arizona University—Yuma, on a combined campus partnership with the University of Arizona and Arizona Western College. Scott was the 2007–2011 Shadle-EdgeCombe Endowed Faculty Chair at Arizona Western College. 


    Scott has written or co-written several other FlatWorld titles in communication, English, and business. His publishing record includes articles in peer-review journals, classic car magazines, and newspapers. From his experience working with students at the community college and undergraduate levels (including developmental English, college preparation, composition and argumentation, literature and analysis, and business communication), Scott has learned the importance of providing students with clear, concise learning resources with scaffolding and frequent opportunities for engagement and demonstration of skill mastery. He has also come to appreciate the important role the first English and business communication courses play in helping students achieve overall academic success. 


    Scott serves as an international business and industry consultant and has worked with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon. He has also served on the Small Business and Innovative Research (SBIR) Evaluation Panel for the National Institutes of Health and evaluated programs for the Ministry of Hacienda, Chile and many others. He has taught at AWC/San Luis on the U.S./Mexican Border, at Central Oregon Community College’s Branch Campus on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, and at Universidad San Sebastián in Concepción, Chile. Scott studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, and at Northern Arizona University–Flagstaff Department of English in the area of Professional Writing. He and his family live in Washington State.

    Additions & Errata

    08/28/23: Figure 2.1 updated; text from quadrants 3 and 4 have been swapped to align with the text. 

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