Table Of ContentThe Handbook of
Communication Skills
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 persua-
sion, the book situates communication in a range of different contexts, from interact-
ing 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 edi-
tion 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 voca-
tional courses in health, business and education. With contributions from an interna-
tionally renowned range of scholars, this is the definitive text for students, researchers
and professionals alike.
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.
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The Handbook of
Communication Skills
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Fourth Edition
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Edited by Owen Hargie
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Fourth edition published 2019
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 selection and editorial matter, Owen Hargie; individual chapters, the
contributors
The right of Owen Hargie to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Psychology Press 1986
Third edition published by Routledge 2006
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-1-138-21912-0 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-21913-7 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-43613-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Century Old Style
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
For my wife, Patricia
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Contents
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Notes on contributors ix
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Editorial introduction 1
Part I
Communication skill in theory and practice 7
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1 Skill in theory: Communication as skilled performance 9
Owen Hargie
2 Skill in practice: An operational model of
s
communicative performance 41
Owen Hargie
Part II
Core communication skills 79
3 Nonverbal behaviour as communication:
Approaches, issues, and research 81
Randall A. Gordon and Daniel Druckman
4 Questioning 135
Karyn Stapleton
5 Reinforcement 163
Len Cairns
6 On explaining 183
George Brown and Sarah Edmunds
vii
CONTENTS
7 Self-disclosure: Strategic revelation of information
in personal and professional relationships 217
Charles H. Tardy and Joy Smithson
8 Listening 259
Graham D. Bodie
9 Humour and laughter 287
May McCreaddie and Jon Harrison
10 Persuasion 319
Daniel J. O’Keefe
Part III
Applying skills in specific contexts 337
11 Asserting and confronting 339
Richard F. Rakos
12 Interacting in task groups 377
Arjaan Wit
13 Negotiating 399
Colleen E. Mills
14 Mentoring and coaching 423
Bob Garvey
15 Relational communication 451
Steve Duck and Pam L. Secklin
Part IV
Applying skills in specialised
interviewing contexts 475
16 The employment interview 477
Rob Millar and Anne Tracey
17 The Cognitive Interview 511
Amina Memon and Julie Gawrylowicz
18 The developmental counselling and therapy interview 531
Sandra A. Rigazio-DiGilio and Allen E. Ivey
19 Cognitive behavioural communication skills 557
Frank Wills
20 The appraisal interview reappraised 585
Dennis Tourish
Part V
The training context 607
21 Training in communication skills:
Research, theory and practice 609
Owen Hargie
Index 623
viii
Notes on contributors
Graham D. Bodie is Visiting Professor in the Meek School of Journalism and
New Media at The University of Mississippi, USA.
George Brown is a retired professor, who worked in the School of Education
and subsequently in the Department of Medical Education at the University of
Nottingham, UK.
Len Cairns is an adjunct Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at
Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and a Visiting Professor at Middle-
sex University, UK.
Daniel Druckman is Professor Emeritus of Public and International Affairs
at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA, Honorary Professor at Mac-
quarie University, Sydney, Australia, and Honorary Professor at the University
of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Steve Duck is Daniel and Amy Starch Distinguished Research Professor in the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Chair of the Department of Rhetoric,
at the University of Iowa, USA.
Sarah Edmunds is Senior Lecturer in Exercise Psychology at the University
of Chichester, UK.
Bob Garvey is one of Europe’s leading academic practitioners in mentoring
and coaching.
Julie Gawrylowicz is Lecturer in Psychology at Glasgow Caledonian Univer-
sity, UK.
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