Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

you have many different textbook options available to you today. We hope that you find this book to be
both very student-friendly and scholarly-based. Our goal with this project was to create a textbook that
could compete with the costly texts currently on the market. Interpersonal communication is one of the
most commonly taught courses within the field, so we realized that a massive need existed for a textbook
that could be highly competitive and freely available.
If you haven’t asked for access to the instructor materials available for this book, please check out the
Open SUNY Textbooks website to request access. We understand that instructors’ resources are vital,
so we created a comprehensive instructor’s manual that includes note outlines, activities, and a test bank.
Furthermore, a full set of PowerPoint presentations are freely available. Lastly, if you didn’t adopt the
student workbook at the same time you decided to adopt this book, we would highly encourage you to
do so. The student workbook, which is also free, is aligned with the teaching notes, which makes for a
cohesive set of items.
About the Authors
JASON S. WRENCH (Ed.D., West Virginia University) is a professor in the Department of Communication
at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Dr. Wrench specializes in workplace learning and
performance, or the intersection of instructional communication and organizational communication.
His varied research interests include workplace learning and human performance improvement,
computer-mediated communication, interpersonal communication, empirical research methods, family
communication, humor, risk/crisis communication, and supervisor-subordinate interactions. Dr. Wrench
regularly consults with individuals and organizations on workplace communication and as a professional
speech coach for senior executives.
Dr. Wrench has published numerous books on a variety of communication topics: Intercultural Communication:
Power in Context (2000), Communication, Affect, and Learning in the Classroom (2000, 2020), Principles of
Public Speaking (2003, The College Network), Human Communication in Everyday Life: Explanations and Applications
(2008, Allyn & Bacon), Quantitative Research Methods for Communication: A Hands-On Approach (2008, 2013,
2016, 2019, Oxford University Press), The Directory of Communication Related Mental Measures (2010, National
Communication Association), Stand Up, Speak Out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking (2011, 2016, Flat
World Knowledge), Communication Apprehension, Avoidance, and Effectiveness (2013, Allyn & Bacon), Organizational
Communication: Theory, Research, and Practice (2014, Flat World Knowledge), and Training and Development:
The Intersection of Communication and Talent Development in the Modern Workplace (2014, Kendall Hunt).
Dr. Wrench also edited or coedited: The Impact of Social Media in Modern Romantic Relationship (2017,
Lexington). Casing Organizational Communication (2011, Kendall Hunt), Workplace Communication for the 21st
Century: Tools and Strategies that Impact the Bottom Line: Vol. 1. Internal Workplace Communication, Vol. 2. External
Workplace Communication (2013, both with Praeger), Casing Public Relations (2014, Kendall Hunt), and Casing
Sport Communication (2015, Kendall Hunt). Dr. Wrench was the editor of the Ohio Communication Journal
from 2005-2007, served as an associate editor for Communication Research Reports from 2007-2010, and has
been on the editorial board for numerous academic journals. Furthermore, Dr. Wrench has published
over 30 research articles that have appeared in various journals: Communication Education, Communication
Quarterly, Communication Research Reports, Education, Human Communication, Journal of Homosexuality, Journal of
Intercultural Communication, Mentor, Southern Communication Journal, The Source: A Journal of Education, and The
Interpersonal Communication
xxii