Judy Pearson is the director of Northern Virginia Graduate Center in Falls Church, Virginia, and she is an associate dean of the Graduate School and a professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She has co-authored the two books mentioned previously, has authored or co-authored six other textbooks, and has authored two trade books. The authors have been writing basic course texts for twenty years, because the beginning courses are their first love. Both began their careers as basic course directors in large programs at the University of Missouri, Iowa State, and Bradley. They even met at a basic course conference, married, and have been producing children and books ever since. Paul Nelson is the dean of the College of Communication at Ohio University and has co-authored seven editions of Confidence in Public Speaking and eight editions of An Introduction to Human Communication.

Written for the hybrid course, this text teaches skills in interpersonal communication, small group discussion, public speaking, and mass media evaluation. With its distinctive student friendly voice, "An Introduction to Human Communication: Understanding and Sharing, 8/e" continues to coach students through the foundations of Human Communication. Integrated, thorough explanations and application questions provide a pedagogy that is both interactive and a true teaching tool. With the new edition, the authors, Judy Pearson and Paul Nelson, continue to develop their unique style by emphasizing discussion as a learning tool and study questions within the chapter as a guide to "knowing what you know".