Author’s Preface
Introduction to Psychology, Communication, and the Canadian Workplace
This book has been created as a custom companion resource for PSYC-6005: Communication Psychology. PSYC-6005 is a course offered by the School of Arts and Language at Fanshawe College and is a required course in the Advanced Communication for Professionals program.
In this Open Educational Resource (OER), students will explore key topics related to professional communication through a psychological lens. Students will have the opportunity to examine how individual differences in emotion, motivation, learning, memory, decision-making behaviour, and personality influence communication and workplace behaviours. In the second half of the book, we examine how these individual differences influence our interactions with others in groups and our leadership styles. The final chapter of the book looks outward to society and discusses ethics from the perspective of individuals and organizations.
This resource also includes case studies that enable students to refine their critical thinking skills and apply theory to real-world scenarios. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own knowledge, skills, and abilities through self-assessments for each chapter.
Author Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the many authors who generously made their work available under a Creative Commons licence. It has been a privilege to adopt, adapt, and remix your work, creating a custom resource that meets the needs of my students.
I would like to give special thanks to Andrew Stracuzzi for his guidance, keen eye for aesthetics, and attention to detail throughout this project. I couldn’t have done it without you! Thanks to Shauna Roch for her support and encouragement, especially during the initial stages of the OER process. Thanks to Davandra Earle for her work creating the ancillary resources. Thanks to Robert Armstrong for his work on graphic design. Thanks to the rest of the OER Design Studio Team at Fanshawe College for funding this project and for their support throughout this entire initiative. Thanks to Holly Tunstill for her support. Finally, I would like to thank the past and present students in the Advanced Communication Program, who inspired me to learn more about Open Educational Resources. I hope this resource/course will start you on a lifelong path of mindful self-reflection and continuous professional growth.
Laura Westmaas, BA, MSc
Professor, Fanshawe College
