ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a qualitative process perspective on interpersonal communication with internal and external publics to the forefront by highlighting the legacy and heritage of the sociologist Erving Goffman's theories. Goffman's sociological work is centered around theories of social interaction derived from his empirical work in different settings. Goffman focused on social interaction and provides a description of how language is situated in particular circumstances of social life, and how it reflects, and adds meaning and structure in those circumstances. Goffman divides the footing of a speaker into three parts: animator, author and principal. Animator is the person speaking, author is the person who chose the content and form of what is said, and principal is the person who is behind the utterance and whose attitudes are brought forward. Footing also has important implications for the communication between organizational leaders and employees.
