Small Group Communication

Recognition Seeking (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

- Calling attention to oneself through boasting - Reporting on personal achievements - Acting in inappropriate ways - Fighting to keep from being placed in an inferior position

Evaluating (Task Role)

- Comparing the group's accomplishments to some criterion or standard of group functioning - This may include questioning the practicality, logic, or procedure of a suggestion

Elaborating (Task Role)

- Expanding on suggestions with examples or restatements - Offering a rationale for previously made suggestions - Trying to determine the results if a suggestion were to be adopted by the group

Setting standards or Ideals (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

- Expressing standards for the group - Evaluating the quality of group processes (as opposed to evaluating the content of discussion)

Following (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

- Going along with the group - Passively accepting the ideas of others - Serving as an audience in group discussion.

Coordination (Task Role)

- Indicating the relationships among various ideas and suggestions - Attempting to combine ideas and suggestions - Trying to coordinate the activities of group members

Harmonizing (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

- Mediating the differences among the other members - Attempting to reconcile disagreements - Relieving tension in moments of conflict through the use of humor

Compromising (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

- Operating from within a conflict situation - One may offer a compromise by: a) yielding status b) admitting a mistake c) disciplining oneself for the sake of group harmony d) coming halfway toward another person

Acting the Jokester (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

- Showing a lack of involvement in the group's task. - Displaying nonchalance, cynicism, horseplay, and other kids of "goofing off" behaviors.

Opinion Giving (Task Role)

- Stating beliefs or opinions relevant to suggestions made - Emphasis is on the proposal of what ought to become the group's values rather than on facts or information

Energizing (Task Role)

- Stimulating the group to action or a decision - Attempting to increase the level or quality of activity

Recording (Task Role)

- Writing down suggestions - Recording group decisions - Recording the outcomes of the discussion - This provides tangible results of the groups efforts

Aggressing (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

-Deflating the status of others - Disapproving of the ideas or values of others - Attacking the group or the problem it is attempting to solve - Joking maliciously - Resenting the contributions of others and/or trying to take credit for them.

Blocking (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

-Resisting, disagreeing, and opposing beyond reason - Bringing up dead issues after they have been rejected or bypassed by the group

Five Types of Small Group Communication Networks

1. Wheel 2. Chain 3. Y 4. Circle 5. All Channel (Commcon)

All Channel (Commcon)

All communication lines are open, anyone can communicate with anyone

Information Seeking (Task Role)

Asking for clarification, for authoritative information and facts relevant to the problem under discussion

Help Seeking (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

Attempting to get sympathy from the other group members through: - Expression of insecurity - Personal inadequacy - Self-criticism beyond reason

Gatekeeping and Expediting (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

Attempting to keep communication channels open by: - encouraging the participation of some - curbing the participation of others

How do we define small group in lecture?

Collection of individuals who work together interdependently on an agreed upon activity or goal

Circle

Decentralized, each member can communicate with two others

What happens if a group is too cohesive?

Group think may occur. - disagreements are absent - group avoids ethical or moral issues - group may artificially limit its alternatives - members of the group may feel the group is infallible - members may protect one another from criticism

Assisting on Procedure (Task Role)

Helping or facilitating group movements by doing things for the group (Ex: performing routine tasks such as distributing materials or rearranging seats)

Orienting (Task Role)

Indicating the position of the group by: - summarizing progress made and deviations from agreed-upon directions or goals - raising questions about the direction the group is taking

What happens as cohesiveness increases?

Influences group performance positively

Observing (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

Keeping a record of various aspects of group process and feeding this information, along with interpretations, into the groups evaluation of its procedures.

Information Giving (Task Role)

Offering facts or generalizations based on experience or authoritative sources

Wheel

One person who usually becomes the leader is the focus of comments from each member of the group and can communicate with all four other members, but they only communicate with the leader not each other.

What is group synergy?

Performance of group exceeds capabilities of individual group members

Encouraging (Group Building/Maintenance Role)

Praising, showing interest in, agreeing with, and accepting the contributions of others

Initiating Contributing (Task Role)

Proposing new ideas or a changed way of regarding the group goal

What happens as group grows?

Satisfaction of members decreases. Larger groups tend to take longer to make decisions. Sub-groups form which creates distractions within larger group

Opinion Seeking (Task Role)

Seeking information related, not so much to factual data as, to the values underlying the suggestions being considered

Special-Interest Pleading (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

Speaking on behalf of some group such as "the oppressed", "labor", "business" usually cloaking one's own prejudices or biases in the stereotype that best fits one's momentary need

What is cohesiveness?

The degree to which members desire to remain in the group based on psychological closeness, attraction to members, tasks, coordination of effort, or opportunity to work on behalf of the group. (Signals commitment to the group and heightens interdependence)

Y

Three of five members can only communicate with one other group member

Chain

Three people can communicate with people on either side of them, but the other two can only communicate with one other member of the group

Dominating (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

Trying to assert authority or superiority by manipulating others in the group

Self-Confessing (Self-Centered Individual Roles)

Using the group as an opportunity to express personal, non-group-related feelings, insights, and ideologies