4th Edition

The Handbook of Communication Skills

Edited By Owen Hargie Copyright 2019
    640 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    640 Pages 11 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The Handbook of Communication Skills is recognised as one of the core texts in the field of communication, offering a state-of-the-art overview of this rapidly evolving field of study. This comprehensively revised and updated fourth edition arrives at a time when the realm of interpersonal communication has attracted immense attention. Recent research showing the potency of communication skills for success in many walks of life has stimulated considerable interest in this area, both from academic researchers, and from practitioners whose day-to-day work is so dependent on effective social skills.

    Covering topics such as non-verbal behaviour, listening, negotiation and persuasion, the book situates communication in a range of different contexts, from interacting in groups to the counselling interview. Based on the core tenet that interpersonal communication can be conceptualised as a form of skilled activity, and including new chapters on cognitive behavioural therapy and coaching and mentoring, this new edition also places communication in context with advances in digital technology.

    The Handbook of Communication Skills represents the most significant single contribution to the literature in this domain. Providing a rich mine of information for the neophyte and practising professional, it is perfect for use in a variety of contexts, from theoretical mainstream communication modules on degree programmes to vocational courses in health, business and education. With contributions from an internationally renowned range of scholars, this is the definitive text for students, researchers and professionals alike.

    Editorial Introduction

    Part 1 Communication skill in theory and practice

    1. Skill in Theory: Communication as Skilled Performance

    Owen Hargie

    2. Skill in Practice: An Operational Model of Communicative Performance

    Owen Hargie

    Part II Core communication skills

    3. Nonverbal Behaviour as Communication: Approaches, Issues, and Research

    Randall A. Gordon and Daniel Druckman

    4. Questioning

    Karyn Stapleton

    5. Reinforcement

    Len Cairns

    6. On Explaining

    George Brown and Sarah Edmunds

    7. Self-Disclosure: Strategic Revelation of Information in Personal and Professional Relationships

    Charles H. Tardy and Joy Smithson

    8. Listening

    Graham D. Bodie 

    9. Humour and Laughter

    May McCreaddie and Jon Harrison

    10. Persuasion

    Daniel J. O’Keefe

    Part III Applying skills in specific contexts

    11. Asserting and Confronting

    Richard F. Rakos

    12. Interacting in Task Groups

    Arjaan Wit

    13. Negotiating

    Colleen E. Mills

    14. Mentoring and Coaching

    Bob Garvey

    15. Relational Communication

    Steve Duck and Pam L. Secklin

    Part IV Applying skills in specialised interviewing contexts

    16. The Employment Interview

    Rob Millar and Anne Tracey

    17. The Cognitive Interview

    Amina Memon and Julie Gawrylowicz

    18. The Developmental Counselling and Therapy Interview

    Sandra A. Rigazio-DiGilio and Allen E. Ivey

    19. Cognitive Behavioural Communication Skills

    Frank Wills

    20. The Appraisal Interview Reappraised

    Dennis Tourish

    Part V The training context

    21. Training in Communication Skills: Research, Theory and Practice

    Owen Hargie

    Biography

    Owen Hargie is Emeritus Professor of Communication at Ulster University. He is Associate Fellow, and honorary life member, of the British Psychological Society, and an elected member of the prestigious Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. He was conferred with the award of a Senior Distinguished Research Fellowship by Ulster University in recognition of his prolific research contributions over four decades.

    'The 4th edition of the Handbook once again offers an impressive, comprehensive, up-to-date and relevant interpersonal communication text, engaging readers through both a theoretical and an applied lens. The addition of the Mentoring and Coaching and Cognitive Behavioural Communication Skills chapters support the under-pinning philosophy of the book, making it a must read for any communication scholar as well as those in health sciences and business and management. The cross-disciplinary nature of the book entices and educates students to consider interpersonal communication across all facets of life, work and beyond.' - Dr. Paula O'Kane, University of Otago, New Zealand

    ‘Professor Owen Hargie is well known and well cited worldwide for his expertise on the topic of communication skill. His Handbook of Communication Skills has become a standard work in this field, and this latest revised 4th edition is most welcome. Given its wide-ranging focus on theory, research and practice, it will be an invaluable resource not only for academics, researchers and students, but also for professional practitioners. I have no hesitation in giving this book my strongest recommendation.’ - Professor Peter Bull, Universities of York & Salford, UK