This instructional unit offers high-school students experiences in learning about how human beings communicate and fail to communicate. It is based on the assumption that personal and cultural differences create differing "perceptual sets." Seventeen learning activities are grouped into four units: (1) Communication Processes and "Meaning-Making," (2) Human Language and the Power of Words, (3) Communications across Cultures--Checking out Our Assumptions, and (4) Communication and Conflict. In the first unit, students learn the basic elements of communication systems, the importance of nonverbal cues, and the role of all five senses in perceiving the environment. In the second unit, selected readings illustrate the emotional responses evoked by words and their associations. A fast is conducted to show the varying responses created by words and symbols of food. Activities in the third unit emphasize linguistic patterns and cultural differences through role-playing and readings. Unit four stresses the effect of implication and the differences between explicit and tacit communication. Some activities are incomplete because copyrighted material has been removed. (AV)