Em Griffin is Professor Emeritus of Communication at Wheaton College in Illinois, where he has taught for more than 35 years and has been chosen Teacher of the Year. He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in communication from Northwestern University. His research interest centers on the development of close friendships.

Em is the author of three applied communication books: The Mind Changers analyzes practical techniques of persuasion; Getting Together offers research-based suggestions for effective group leadership; and Making Friends describes the way that quality interpersonal communication can create and sustain close relationships.

In addition to his teaching and writing, Em serves with Opportunity International, a microenterprise development organization that provides opportunities for people in chronic poverty around the world to transform their lives. He is also an active mediator at the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago and has his own mediation service, Communication First.

Em’s wife, Jeanie, is an artist. They have two married, adult children, Jim and Sharon, and six grandchildren, Joshua, Amy, Sam, Kyle, Alison, and Dan.