Conceptual Foundations for Collaborative Communication: A Framework and Practice for Community-Campus Partners

Collaboration is fundamental to community engagement. Little is known about the practices of collaborative communication for partnerships. This article reviews articles on collaboration from community engagement that mention communication. Next, articles on communication explore practices/processes of collaboration. The resulting collaborative communication framework (CCF) is shared. Five elements of CCF are detailed: (1) connecting, (2) conversing, (3) committing, (4) envisioning, and (5) developing partner patterns. A table offers suggestions for applying the CCF to partnerships at different times in the relationship. Limitations are detailed along with suggestions for future scholarship and practice.