How do people communicate with each other in their face-to-face meetings and conversations? Can we trust our first impressions of people, or should we be more cautious? What evidence is there that our gestures and facial expressions help reveal to others what we 'really' mean? Interpersonal Communication provides a framework for understanding how we use language and body language to communicate with others in every day situations. This fully revised and updated second edition: outlines the main components and distinctive characteristics of interpersonal communication offers detailed analysis of communication structures, considering their everyday applications and implications includes new material on contemporary issues in communication studies such as race and gender explains the debate over differences between male and female communication looks to the future of interpersonal communication.