The book is the first completely Canadian text -- not a Canadianization -- on interpersonal communication, and the first to incorporate insights from the humanistic as well as the social-scientific tradition of communication study. It features a rich selection of assignments, communication case studies, and readings, as well as the innovative Personal Icon assignment, all of which are intended to help students learn to “read” their own communication situation, and assist them in building the kind of discretion, effective judgement, and sensitivity to others that they need to interact effectively both on the job and in their personal lives. In addition to standard topics such as self-concept, conflict, listening, nonverbal and verbal communication, and theories of interpersonal interaction, the book also incorporates material on the dynamics of interpersonal influence and the ethics of interpersonal communication. It thus provides a comprehensive theoretical foundation for understanding how, and why, human beings communicate on an interpersonal level, and in so doing to enhances the coverage and understanding of such topics as identity formation, leadership, language, motivation, negotiation, and the dynamics of interpersonal influence.