Communication: A Pocket Oracle

by Lee Thayer

Thayer, Lee

156 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2009

About the author

Dr. Lee Osborne Thayer was a leadership expert, educator, consultant, and author.

Thayer was an instructor at University Oklahoma, 1956-1958. He took a position with Pratt & Whitney, then returned to teaching in 1959 as an Associate Professor at the University Wichita. In 1964 he took a position as Professor and Director of the Center for the Advanced Study of Communication at the University Missouri at Kansas City. In 1968 he became a Professor of Communication Research at the University of Iowa. In 1973 he became Professor of Communication Studies at Simon Fraser University. In 1976 he became a Visiting Professor at the University Massachusetts, and in 1977 he became a Professor at the University of Helsinki. In 1978 he became Professor of Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Reviews

[Jamie Grefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A condensed and potent overview, so to speak, of Thayer's lifetime worth of research in the field of communication. This is a good starting point from which you could launch yourself into his more in-depth works (Explaining Things, Pieces, Doing Life, etc.). However, that's not to say that this book is in any sense skimming the surface. It's not. The ideas are revolutionary if implemented. A few choice cuts I had to take down include, "Always be skeptical of what you think you know," "Equip your inner voice to be wiser than you are," and "Choose consequences. Don't be waylaid by the process." Yes, like most all of his work, this is more of a guidebook than an academic treatise on the subject. It's for people who want to not only understand communication, but better use it for making a better life.