Prioritizing brevity and clarity, this textbook introduces the study of communication through examples and applications of communication in a variety of contexts. With a unique focus on diversity and the impact of culture, each chapter opens with a case study that identifies a communication challenge, which the chapter addresses throughout, and concludes with questions that respond to that challenge. A consistent, organized structure with numerous features including fundamental issues, questions for understanding and analysis, theoretical insight (examining a particular relevant theory), and a skill set section, easily guides you through the foundations of the study of communication. Cross-referencing between chapters demonstrates the multidimensional nature of communication and the everyday talk sections demonstrate how each topic relates to technology, the workplace, or health issues. Offering a wealth of diverse examples from students' personal, professional, and online lives, this book teaches skills allowing students from all academic backgrounds to understand communication.