The comments of a number of organizational communication scholars were instrumental in shaping the direction, content, and presentation of this textbook. These include colleagues around the country who commented on the revision project at various stages: Michele Bresso, Bakersfield College; Mary Helen Brown, Auburn University; Bethany Goodier, College of Charleston; Todd Kelshaw, Montclair State University; Melissa Kemp, Bauder College; Kathy Krone, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; David Lapakko, Augsburg College; Kurt Lindemann, San Diego State University; William Mariani, D’youville College; Brian Richardson, University of North Texas; Mary-Angie Salva-Ramirez, Florida Memorial University; and Lidwien van de Wijngaert, University of Twente. I am also grateful for the comments of both undergraduate and graduate students at Texas A&M University and for the occasional colleague from around the globe who pops into my e-mail inbox with helpful suggestions and comments. Finally, my most heartfelt thanks go to my family for providing an environment in which writing this textbook was a pleasurable challenge. My daughter, Kalena Margaret Miller, was born while I was writing the first edition of this textbook. I’m amazed that she is now about to graduate from high school—a young woman who continues to love learning and increasingly challenges my ideas with her own experiences and insights. She is a delight and an inspiration. Finally, my husband, Jim Stiff, provided the inspiration to get started, the motivation to follow through, and—now more than ever—a wealth of examples of organizational communication in action. Both Jim and Kalena have kept me sane and grounded in recent years, and this book is dedicated to them.