Communication: Principles for a Lifetime, Second Edition [Paperback]

Steven A. Beebe (Author), Susan J. Beebe (Author), Diana K. Ivy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205386970 | ISBN-13: 978-0205386970 | Publication Date: May 19, 2003 | Edition: 2

Communication helps students see the relationships among the concepts, skills, theories, and contexts of communication by anchoring all discussion around five fundamental principles. Written by experienced and highly regarded textbook authors and teachers, Communication: Principles for a Lifetime provides students with all the theory and skills necessary in the introductory course-in a manner that will help them to apply what they learn throughout their lives. Understanding that the challenge in any basic communication course is teaching students the myriad of skills, principles, and theories without overwhelming them, Beebe/Beebe/Ivy emphasize five key principles of communication throughout their book: *Be aware of your communication with yourself and others. *Effectively use and interpret verbal messages. *Effectively use and interpret nonverbal messages. *Listen and respond thoughtfully to others. *Appropriately adapt messages to others.Providing both comprehensive and cutting-edge content about communication organized around these five themes, Beebe/Beebe/Ivy cover all of the topics expected in the basic course in a manner that will help both instructors and their students organize the extensive range of material.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praise for Beebe, Beebe, and Ivy's Communication: Principles for a Lifetime 2nd Edition

“lThis book has it all-mention of culture, of technology, skills orientation, good learning tools, and appropriate reading level.” -Leonard Assante, Volunteer State Community College

“The most unique design incorporated into this textbook is the pentagon model or five fundamental principles. The model introduces and then reinforces the precepts upon which effective/competent communication is built. Finally, some ethical or moral standards for students to contemplate in the current world order.” -Debra Sue Wyatt, South Texas Community College

“The writing is clear and concise an yet still involves the student's imagination by using interesting current examples and posing ethical issues for consideration.” -Annette Folwell, University of Idaho

Excitement for the 1st Edition

“I like the approach of the five principles of communication to organize some of the fundamentals of communication. They organize fundamentals such as nonverbal, language, perception and the self in a manner I've not seen in other introductory communication texts...The combination of areas under each principle helps to accomplish the authors' goal of a more manageable amount of material for survey of communication.” -Elizabeth Lindsey, New Mexico State University

“It was a pleasure reading this text. Its conversational tone and use of contemporary examples make it approachable to students.” -Timothy P. Mottet, Southwest Texas State University

“This is an impressive text. The authors have done a good job of condensing the vast amount of information related to communication studies into a manageable and cohesive text.” -Phil Hoke, The University of Texas at San Antonio

“The five basic principles give the book cohesiveness. Each chapter is clearly related to the overriding principles of effective communication stressed in the text. The more I read, the more I appreciated the effectiveness of this organizational strategy.” -Carol L. Hunter, Brookdale Community College

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 2 edition (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205386970
• ISBN-13: 978-0205386970
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As an instructor, January 21, 2007

By 

Gerald Appel (Fort Worth, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Communication ,Principles for a Lifetime 3rd edition (Paperback)

I have been teaching Speech Communication for over 17 years. I have taught a few other communication courses. It is not very often that Professors get to brag about a textbook. I recently had an opprtunity to visit one-on-one with the author. He is the "real deal" and so is the book! Long on substance and short on fluff. This is a book the students can truly learn from and one any teacher can truly create the kind of flow that a seasoned instructor could create. I recommend this book to the serious student of communication or a department looking to give their students a first-class textbook.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Closer to a 3 than a 5., March 25, 2010

By 

James Yanni (Bellefontaine Neighbors, Mo. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Communication Principles for a Lifetime (portable edition, vol 1-4) (Paperback)

This is certainly a pretty good textbook set for a communication class, and for volumes 1,2 and 4 I have little to complain about. Volume three, however, (Communicating in Groups and Teams) is FAR too enthusiatic about the value of group work. Granted, sometimes it is inevitable that we must work in groups, either because a project is too large for one person to do it well within the time available (a perfectly reasonable reason) or just because whatever company we work for requires it, no matter how pointless (unreasonable, but frequently unavoidable.) But to claim, as this book does, that groups invariably produce better work than individuals (as long as they follow the book's recommendations for how to communicate effectively, of course) is, quite frankly, to perpetuate a very popular lie.

There are doubtless times that it's true that a group produces better results than any individual comprising it could have done; this is true if each of the group members are relatively evenly matched for talent (or even if some of them are) and especially if they have different areas of expertise, all necessary to the group function.

But generally, if there is one highly-competent member of a group, that member will carry the group, and could have done a better job doing everything him/herself, given enough time. This is true no matter HOW effective the group is at communication. But this truth is unpopular with the many mediocre group members who would be rendered superfluous by an acknowledgement of its truth, to say nothing of the competent individuals who wouldn't be able to shift some of the work to their less-competent peers. So generally, everybody pretends to believe that group work is useful and productive, in order to avoid overworking the top people and leaving everybody else unemployed. Understandable, but still a lie, no matter how popular the lie.Given how popular the lie is, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised to see it boldly asserted yet again (which is why I only docked the book one star for it) but it is annoying.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Used book was new!, August 14, 2011

By 

C. Elizondo - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Communication: Principles for a Lifetime (4th Edition) (Paperback)

Ok... it might not have been new, I'm not sure, but the book was in great condition!!!! Other than that, its the text book I wanted.