Using Communication Theory

Book excerpt: This broad-ranging textbook provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to using communication theory in real-life communication activities. Planned communication, both interpersonal and through the mass media, is a standard facet of modern life. It is as evident in public health campaigns on smoking, drugs or AIDS as in commercial advertising and public relations. This textbook outlines how such communication can be informed by an understanding of the theories of communication that have evolved over the last thirty years. How are ideas diffused through the mass media and other channels of communication? How does the audience read a message? What is known about the impact of different ways of handling a communication ca