Art and Science of Communication

P.S. PERKINS is founder and CEO of the Human Communication Institute, LLC, and a graduate of the communication schools of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and New York University. She has been training, lecturing, and developing communications curricula for more than twenty years. She is currently a featured writer for the magazines Personal Development and Diversity Works!, talk show host of InWORD OutWORD: Conversations About Communication, and a featured practitioner in the motivational film, Pass It On!

• Foreword Les Brown xiAcknowledgments xiiiIntroduction xvThe Communication Staircase xviiIn the Beginning Is Your Word . . . xviiiJill’s Professional Destiny? xxiiChapter 1 Step One: Intrapersonal Communication 1Self-Sabotage or Self-Fulfillment? 2Discipline of the Mind 3Dive into Your Life! 5Where Did That Thought Come From? 7Creating Our Self-Image at Work 8Growing Up “Different” 10Writing a New Script 13Taking Ownership 14Jill’s Day 18Waking Up to YOUR Day! 19Conquering the First Step 20First Things First! 20Chapter 2 Step Two: Nonverbal Communication 29The Functions of Nonverbal Communication 29Your Professional Appearance 32Your Professional Voice 37Actions Do Speak Louder Than Words! 40It’s about Time! 42Keep Your Distance! 45Sometimes When We Touch 48Do You Smell Something? 50Chapter 3 Step Three: Interpersonal Communication 55Five Keys to Positive, Healthy Work Relationships 55Interpersonal Conflict 73Supportive versus Defensive Communication 75Chapter 4 Step Four: Small-Group/Organizational Communication 91To Group or Not to Group . . . That Is the Question 91Jill’s Day 92I versus We: The Cultural Paradox 93Co-Opetition Model of Advancement 95Making Room for the Group Reality 97Leadership Communication 98Constructive Conflict 101The Communication Climate 102Small-Group Membership and Facilitation 106Chapter 5 Step Five: Public Communication 111The Common Denominator 111Moving beyond the Fear! 112Communication Apprehension 114Confidence and Composure 115Your Language 119Don’t Make Excuses 120Your Public Presentational Style 121You and Your Audience 125The Art of Impromptu/Conversational Speaking 127Chapter 6 Step Six: Mass Communication 135Influencing the Masses 135Persuasion Is about Perspective 136Are You a Walking Billboard? 138Persuasion and the World of Work 140Jill’s Day 142Using Persuasion as a Tool of Influence 143As Simple as One, Two, Three 144Persuasive Messages and You 148Chapter 7 Step Seven: Intercultural Communication 155We CAN All Get Along! 155What Makes Us Unique 156We Are ALL Prejudiced! 159Understanding Perception 160Culture and Values That Impact the Workplace 162Nonverbal Communication Is Culturally Bound 169Global Community 169Diversity and the Workplace 170The “Other” in the Workplace 172Jill’s Day 174Inclusion in the Workplace 175Becoming a Cross-Cultural Bridge through Cultural Competency 175Epilogue New Beginnings 181Index 185

"...a new slant on communications that is readily accessible to new and more seasoned readers alike." (Edge, October, 2008)