Interpersonal Communication Programs, Inc. (ICP)

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   Our Purpose

We provide instructor/facilitator training, tools, and materials to help individuals, couples, and groups:

• Communicate skillfully
• Make important decisions and resolve conflicts collaboratively
• Build satisfying relationships with family, friends, and people at work

We are perhaps best known as the originators and registered copyright holders of the Awareness Wheel® (or Information Wheel®), which is the foundation for effective talking and listening skills. In addition, we are noted for the frameworks of Styles of Communication®, the Listening Cycle®, and the collaborative process called Mapping an Issue. COUPLE COMMUNICATION teaches how to put these frameworks to practical use.

Our other programs — CORE COMMUNICATION for individuals plus I-SKILLSZONE and COLLABORATIVE TEAM SKILLS for businesses — are based upon the frameworks, as well.

We also offer THRIVE, the on-line Collaborative Marriage Sphere.

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   Background of COUPLE COMMUNICATION

COUPLE COMMUNICATION began at the University of Minnesota Family Study Center with the research and development work of Drs. Sherod Miller, Daniel Wackman, and Elam Nunnally in the early 1970s. The team began Interpersonal Communication Programs, Inc., (ICP) to train instructors and to distribute the program with the purpose of helping couples become their own best problem solvers. When ICP moved to Colorado, Dr. Phyllis A. Miller joined the organization.

From the beginning, ICP has encouraged independent research on its programs and the applications of them. A large body of research exists on COUPLE COMMUNICATION, much of it done in the earlier years, which established its effectiveness. In fact, it is the most researched marriage-education program available. (For a summary of the research, click here.)

To date, more than 700,000 couples around the world have participated in COUPLE COMMUNICATION. The program has been translated into several languages. These achievements could never have been accomplished without the dedicated instructors who bring the program to life.

Miller, Wackman, and Nunnally have received awards for their development of COUPLE COMMUNICATION from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, The Association of Couples for Marriage Enrichment, and the National Council on Family Relations. Miller has also received the Smart Marriages Impact Award.

The current revision is the fifth edition of COUPLE COMMUNICATION I since its origination. As the others before it, this edition retains the research-supported basic skills that stand as the foundation of the program. Each revision has brought refinements to the frameworks, better learning methodology, and new features. This revision includes all of these things plus a conceptualization of collaborative marriage and the integration of new insights, in an easily learnable form, gained from the field of neuroscience.

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   Authors of Collaborative Marriage Skills, the Workbook for COUPLE COMMUNICATION I

Sherod Miller, Ph.D., is Chief Executive Officer of ICP. He heads instructor training plus materials and program development. He also conducts training in interpersonal communication and team-building for corporations and other organizations .

Phyllis A. Miller, Ph.D., is President of ICP. She manages certification of instructors, continuing education, and the editorial process. She also conducts training.

Daniel B. Wackman, Ph.D., is Professor of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. He also serves as a consultant to business, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.

Elam W. Nunnally, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a marriage and family therapist specializing in communication and in brief therapy, which he teaches in Scandinavia, as well as in the U.S.