As scholars of communication, we know that communication is a complex process, one that is not inherently good or bad. It can help bring about some of our best experiences, and it can contribute to some of our worst (Spitzberg & Cupach, 2007). But at this contemporary moment, we see many examples of communication designed to harm, and the more negative forms and outcomes of communication often seem most prominent. For most of us, however, the tendency toward communication that is at best uncivil violates our expectations for how we are meant to engage with one another (Lane, 2017; Manusov, 2011). As we lament where social discourse has moved, many of us feel called to look at those moments when communication works well and betters our lives both personally and at the broader social level (e.g., Socha & Beck, 2015). It is in part because of the current situation that I was drawn, as others are, toward thinking about what we can do to make our discourse – and our relationships – better (i.e., enhancing). This special issue of the Atlantic Journal of Communication arises out of the desire to both remind ourselves that communication can be helpful and healing and to urge us to think, not just about what makes communication between people “good,” but also to query what can make communication and the way we relate to others optimal. By “optimal,” I am referring to forms of communicating that, although challenging to do and not always available to us, can bring out the best in people and provide aspirational models for those of us looking to communication as a way out of – or at least to get through – our contemporary moment. At the same time, it is easy to make relatively simplistic claims about what counts as “good” communication. We have all heard ample messages about “just needing more communication,” and all will be well. Or we learn that “good” means simply to be kind and/or clear. The essays in this special issue do not bend toward simplicity. Rather, the intricacy and depth of these discussions about certain communicative forms (or other ways to enhance our ability to communicate and relate well) shows how challenging it can be to take part in communication that has qualities of full engagement. Moreover, these calls for (or at least clarification of) engaging in optimal communication highlight the unlearning of habitual ways and things communication scholars take for granted when we describe what interpersonal communication processes entail. In doing so, they illuminate these assumptions and allow us to better critique them. I did not have to look far for scholars (and scholarship) that I wanted to be part of this special issue and the larger discussion on what it means to do communication that enhances interpersonal communication and relationships in a potentially optimal way. I had been reading these scholars’ work and invited them to write essays that not only reviewed this work but expanded on it in the ways that the authors were ready to do and in the voice that the authors wanted to use. All of the invited papers were peer-reviewed, and the authors and I worked together with the reviewers’ assessments to help the writers reveal more fully concepts and processes that should be better understood and promoted. There was a lot of back and forth, but all of the papers emerged themselves as optimal arguments that warrant readers’ engagement with them. I truly love all of these essays and have tremendous regard for the authors and their willingness to participate so fully with these important concepts and processes.

中文翻译：

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关于加强人际互动的特殊问题的前言：最佳沟通的概念

作为传播学的学者，我们知道交流是一个复杂的过程，并不是天生的好坏。它可以带来一些我们最好的经历，也可以为我们一些最糟糕的经历做出贡献（Spitzberg＆Cupach，2007）。但是，在这个当代时刻，我们看到了许多旨在伤害他人的传播实例，而更为消极的传播形式和结果往往显得最为突出。然而，对我们大多数人而言，至多是不文明的交流趋势违反了我们对我们本该如何进行互动的期望（Lane，2017年； Manusov，2011年）。当我们为社交话语发生的变化而感叹时，我们当中的许多人都被要求着眼于沟通良好并在个人和更广泛的社会层面上改善我们生活的那些时刻（例如，Socha＆Beck，2015）。就像在其他情况下一样，部分原因是由于我的现状，我被吸引去思考我们可以做些什么来使我们的话语以及我们的关系变得更好（即增强）。《大西洋通讯杂志》的这一特刊是出于这样的愿望：既要提醒我们自己，交流是有益的又可以治愈的，并敦促我们思考，不仅是什么使人与人之间的交流“好”，而且还要询问使沟通以及与他人的联系方式达到最佳。我所说的“最佳”是指一种交流形式，尽管这样做具有挑战性，而且并不总是对我们可用，但可以发挥出人们的最佳才能，并为我们中那些希望通过交流方式摆脱困境的人提供理想的模式。至少要度过–我们的当代时刻。同时，对什么才算是“良好”的沟通做出相对简单的主张是很容易的。我们都听到了很多有关“只是需要更多的交流”的信息，一切都会好起来的。或者，我们了解到“好”只是意味着要友善和/或清晰。本期特刊中的文章并不倾向于简单。相反，这些关于某些交流形式（或其他方法来增强我们良好的交流和联系能力的方式）的讨论的复杂性和深度表明，参加具有充分参与质量的交流是多么艰巨的挑战。此外，这些要求（或至少要澄清）进行最佳沟通的要求突显了当我们描述人际交往过程的含义时，对沟通学者认为理所当然的习惯方式和事物的了解。在这样做，它们阐明了这些假设，并允许我们更好地批评它们。我不必向学者（和奖学金）寻找我想成为本期特刊的一部分，也无需进行更广泛的讨论，即进行交流意味着什么，这种交流以潜在的最佳方式增强人际交流和关系。我一直在阅读这些学者的作品，并邀请他们写论文，不仅回顾了这项工作，而且以​​作者准备做的方式和作者希望使用的声音扩大了论文范围。所有受邀的论文均经过同行评审，并且我和我的作者与审稿人一起评估，以帮助作者更全面地揭示应被更好地理解和推广的概念和过程。来回很多 但是所有论文都是作为最佳论据而出现的，这些论据可以保证读者的参与。我真的很喜欢所有这些文章，并高度重视作者及其愿意充分参与这些重要概念和过程的意愿。