Deck 9: A: Communicating in Groups

Question 1

Synthesizing what you have learned throughout this chapter, what do you think a group leader can do to set a group up to succeed?
*This question can also be used to synthesize information learned in other chapters by rephrasing it as: Synthesizing what you have learned in this chapter and others, what do you think a group leader can do to set up a group to succeed? What verbal, nonverbal, and listening skills would you suggest a group leader use to foster cohesion and a positive group climate and to ensure that the goals of the group are clear?

Answer 1

Ideal answers will emphasize some of the following: •Establish clear goals. •Manage conflict appropriately. •Help the group establish norms that will help members accomplish their goals-specifically, ensure that members understand that dissent is positive if the conflict is managed well. •Establish a network that keeps members central rather than isolated from communication. •Utilize people's skills and knowledge so that they can be enthusiastic about what they contribute. •Foster cohesion. •Ensure that members are able to step into a variety of task and social roles. •Minimize communication apprehension so that members are willing to participate.

Question 2

Explain the ways in which an increase in group size affects communication among group members.

Answer 2

Ideal answers will include the following impacts: •Interaction becomes more formal. •Each member has limited opportunities to contribute. •Communication becomes less intimate. •Interaction consumes more time. •Relationships become more complex. •Cliques and countercoalitions may form. •Social loafing may occur and slow productivity.

Question 3

List and describe the task roles and social roles that help a group function effectively. What roles do you think are most important to group cohesion? Are there any roles that you think a group can function well without? Why?

Answer 3

Ideal answers will focus on the following roles: •Information giver-offers facts, beliefs, personal experience, and other input during discussions •Information seeker-asks for additional information and clarification about what others have expressed •Elaborator-provides further clarification by building on what others have said •Initiator-helps the group move forward by offering solutions and presenting new ideas, or suggesting new ways of looking at issues •Administrator-keeps the conversation on track and makes sure meetings start and end on time •Harmonizer-smoothes over tensions between group members and settles differences •Gatekeeper-ensures each member of the group has an opportunity to contribute •Sensor-expresses group feelings, moods, or relationships in an effort to recognize the climate and capitalize on it or modify it The additional questions are meant to give the student an opportunity to demonstrate critical thinking-there are no definitive answers based on what is discussed in the text.

Question 4

Synthesizing what you have learned throughout the chapter, how do you think that an increase in group size and the type of network a group uses affect cohesion and climate?

Question 5

Describe a group you have either been a part of or have observed that has been unproductive identifying the norms that lead to the group's ineffectiveness. Synthesizing what you have learned throughout the chapter, describe some steps the group's leader, as well as other members of the group, could take to help the group become more productive.

Question 6

Describe a group you have participated in-anything from an informal study group to a highly structured team. How cohesive was the group? What factors do you believe encouraged or discouraged cohesion? Describe the group's norms.

Question 7

Use a group that you have belonged to, either in the past or currently, to illustrate how a group moves through each of the five stages of Tuckman's model of group development. Describe specific examples to illustrate how the group functioned at each stage.

Question 8

Joan has recently taken over as chair of a highly disorganized and dysfunctional committee. She's passionate about the group's mission, and she knows others are, too. However, every meeting seems to devolve into chaos and they never get anything done. What would you explain to Joan about antigroup roles and other common challenges that groups face to help her understand what is preventing her group from succeeding?

Question 9

Synthesizing what you have learned about culture and gender from this chapter and others, describe some of the ways that culture might influence communication within a group.
Answer Key

Question 10

List and explain the characteristics that all groups share. Analyzing a group that you belong to, explain how each of these characteristics plays out in that group.