Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles [Paperback]

Dianne Hofner Saphiere (Author), Barbara Kappler Mikk (Author), DeVries (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2005

Ladies and Gentlemen! Step right up to the exciting three-ring circus of communication styles!No matter where we live or what we do, we deal with people using a wide variety of communication styles every day. At work, in the marketplace and at home, diverse communication styles present opportunities for growth on the one hand, and misunderstanding on the other. Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles is an important breakthrough for managers, team leaders, community leaders, educators, trainers and facilitators as they work with individuals and teams to overcome frustration, prevent mistakes and save time and money. World-class intercultural trainers and educators share their strategies, techniques and-most importantly-their tools for taking advantage of diversity in the modern world.Communication Highwire offers the following: Twenty-six powerful activities, ready to go with a minimum of prep work. The debut of the Five-Factor Model (Context, Goals, Values, Self-Concept and Communication Style Repertoire), presented in an easy-to-use star chart. Dozens of examples that make concepts real and applicable.So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy and jump on the communication highwire today!The book is full of engaging, highly readable examples, discussion prompts, and skills activities, which take the reader well beyond the obvious and the 'common sense' of communication theory.- Piper McNulty, De Anza CollegeContentsIntroductionSection I: Introduction to Communication Style1 What is Communication Style?2 Benefits of Communication Style FluencySection II: The Motivators of Communication Style3 Factors Affecting Communication Style4 How the Five Factors Interact5 Practicing Star Chart AnalysisSection III: Communication Style Behaviors6 Finding the Differences That Make a Difference7 Leveraging Communication Style DifferencesSection IV: Next Steps8 Using the Factors and Descriptors9 More ActivitiesAppendix: Tracing the Heritage of Communication StylesReferencesSummery of Key References by TopicOther ToolsActivities and StoriesIndex

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dianne Hofner Saphiere (M.S.) is founder and Principal of Nipporica Associates LLC, an intercultural consulting and training firm, and creator of the CulturalDetective.com series.Barbara Kappler Mikk (Ph.D.) is Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services at the University of Minnesota, where she is responsible for intercultural training and programs.Basma Ibrahim DeVries (Ph.D.) is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and conducts intercultural training workshops for educational and community groups.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (May 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931930155
• ISBN-13: 978-1931930154
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #715,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Contribution, September 23, 2005

By 

Gary Althen (Mesa, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles (Paperback)

I think this book makes an important contribution to the field of intercultural communication. It fleshes out the concept of communication style and emphasizes its importance in face-to-face intercultural interactions. The book's concepts are illustrated with interesting and detailed case studies from the authors' extensive experience with multicultural organizations.

The concepts might be a bit complicated, but not so much so that serious readers can't absorb and use them.

The authors use the engaging metaphor of a circus to tie their ideas together and help the reader follow the flow. This keeps the book from reading like a textbook; rather, it is engaging and thought-provoking throughout.

Finally, I couldn't tell from the writing that this was a book written by three different individuals. It has a uniform style and tone that's not common in books written by more than one person.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make The Highwire a Less Scary Place to Be, January 17, 2006

By 

Kevin Eikenberry "Remarkable Leader" (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles (Paperback)

There are many books written about communications styles, but none quite like this one. Written by intercultural experts who are also educators, this book goes far beyond the basics of differences in how people communicate. It provides an organizational yet personal roadmap to get a real handle on diversity and how to create greater value from the collaboration of a diverse group of people.

The book uses some unique observation tools to help the reader use the concepts being learned, and it is sprinkled full of stories that illustrate their points exceptionally well.

Perhaps most unique though are the 26 exercises designed for use by individuals or groups to help them do what the subtitle of the book promises - Leverage the power of diverse communication styles.

The authors, in the introduction say more about the very appropriate subtitle, "the subtitle ... reflects our conviction that individuals and groups can benefit greatly when communication style differences are understood, respected, and utilized appropriately."

If you are a leader of diverse groups or a trainer of facilitator, this book belongs in your library. If you are individual ever striving to communicate more effectively with everyone you come in contact with, this book will help you on this journey as well.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new dimension to styles and values, February 7, 2006

By 

Anne P. Copeland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Communication Highwire: Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles (Paperback)

I put this book to immediate use with an intercultural consult I did, with a company whose [mostly American] employees work with a very international clientele. The structure of adding contextual factors to the analysis of styles and values added a lot of depth to the discussion and people could really get it.