Communication is both a very old field and a very contemporary one. In many ancient cultures -- Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese, for example --...

Communication is both a very old field and a very contemporary one. In many ancient cultures -- Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese, for example -- scholars wrote out strategies for effective communication. Some of these ancient scholars included Aristotle (Greek), Cicero and Quintilian (Roman); all were interested in understanding how a person (a male) could make his way through the world using language in the most influential, graceful, and authoritative ways possible. Much of what was considered "education" of the young in ancient Rome was teaching about communicating effectively, a tradition that faded in time. Today, few of us have the tools in our communications tool bag for understanding what makes effective messages and how people can be persuaded or dissuaded from certain beliefs or actions. The earlier communication scholars organized different kinds of strategies for persuading people in different situations. If we read Aristotle's Rhetoric, we see a comprehensive book on human psychology -- how people can be moved, persuaded, reasoned with. Cicero's work, such as On the Orator,