Group Communication
Communicator style
A communication trait that is the way an individual used verbal and nonverbal communicative behaviors to indicate how literally others should take a message
Diversity advantages
-brings options to the group -high degree of task cohesion
4 Advantages to Small groups
1. Access to resources+ 2. group work provides better understanding and retention of concepts 3. diversity of opinion 4. Creativity+
4 disadvantages to small groups
1. coordination, monitoring, and regulation efficiency 2. social loafing+ 3. conflict and destructive fighting 4. coping with member misbehavior
Norm considerations
1.Developed in 4 ways 2. group can impose sanctions 3. norms emerge from 2nd and 3rd group meeting
Small group communication
3 or more people working independently fo the purpose of accomplishing a task
Model of Small Group Socialization
5 phases that illustrate how communication influences socialization processes
Lonliness
A socialization outcome that is a powerlessness some members feel from not being able or allowed to participate in the group's process entered the group with negative experience and inability to communicate
Socilaization Outcomes
Describes how members and thr group as a whole feel about how they cooperated and succeeded in completing goals. there are 4 1.cohesion 2.consensus 3.communication satisfaction 4.lonlieness
Interpersonal Communication Motives
Explains why people communicate in various contexts, such as groups
Primary features of a group
Group size interdependence task
Learning Styles
Individuals preferences for accquiring information in a learning environment and influence how individuals listen to and present information
Time-Orientation
The dimension of culture that determines How quickly a culture assumed important aspects of life should develop
Exit Phase
The fifth phase of the Model of Small group socialization where members exit learning, work, and social groups, and the groups themselves may be ending
Antecedent Phase
The first phase of the Model of Small group socialization that includes the beleifs, attitudes, traits, experiences, and demographic characteristics that individuals bring to the socialization process in groups
Communication Apprehension
a communication trait that is an individuals's level of fear or anxiety associated with either real, or anticipated communication with another person or persons
Verbal Aggresiveness
a destructive communication trait. the tencency for an individual to attack the self-concept of another individual for the purpose of inflicting psychological harm. does not attack the topic or issue, but another person
Individualism-Collectivism
a dimension of culture that determines whether attention is focused on the group or the individual
Power Distance
a dimension of culture that is the inequality that exists between a less powerful person and a more powerful person
Uncertainty avoidance
a dimension of culture that is the the amount of stress that a culture associates with an unknown future
Context-based apprehension
a form of apprehension tied to a specific context
Trait Apprehension
a form of communication apprehension that refers to a relativley enduring level of apprehension across a variety of situations
Service Group
a group composed largely of volunteers who donate their time, energy and effort to help others in need of particular service or who lack something that would help them lead a functional life
Self-Help Group
a group comprised of individuals who share a common problem or life situation (going to improve on a certain concept WITH APPLICATION)
Social Group
a group comprised of memebrs who share a common interest or engage in a common activity that binds them (don't need them but want to interact with them)
Primary Group
a group that consists of members engaged in an intimate relationship (best friends, family, people you need)
Work Group
a group that occurs within an original contexts whose members complete and take collective responsibility for a common task on behalf of the organization
Public Group
a group whose members interact for the benefit of an audience (symposium or panel discussion)
Learning Group
a group whose purpose is to enhance member's skills, abilities, or cognitive process (improving on a certain concept WITHOUT APPLYING)
Diverger
a learning style where an individual learns though a combo of watching and feeling. prefer tasks that require imagination and brainstorming, tend to be emotional, and would rather work with other people. learn best by listening and sharing
Accomodator
a learning style where an individual learns through a combo of feeling and doing, task to require action, risktaking, trial-error method, like relying on and helping group members. impatient with unenthusiasm. learn the best by exploring
Converger
a learning style where the individual learns through a combo of thinking and doing. prefers problem solving tasks, deductive reasoning, and practical application. tend to be unemotional and would rather work alone. learn best by tinkering and experiments
Task Norm
a norm that enables the group to work towards an accomplisment. how we are addressing the task
social norm
a norm that governs how group members engage in interpersonal communication how the group's relationship worlds
procedural norm
a norm that indicates the procedures the group will follow. how the group will handle day to day matters
Self-Esteem
a person's overall self worth. looked at as leader
sanction
a punishment in response to norm violation
Role
a repeatable pattern of communicative behaviors that group members come to expect from eachother, based on perception of themselves and other members
Additive Task
a shared task that calls for group members to work individually on a task or one aspect of a task. add all pieces of indivual work together. interdependece comes later
Conjunctive task
a shared task that requires group members to coordinate their efforts (working at the same time). interdependence comes immediatley
Communication Satisfaction
a socialization outcome that describes members who walk away from group meetings or from the group feeling positively fulfilled from their experience dimensions of satisfaction being able and willing to communicate with a group
Cohesion
a socialization outcome that happens when a member reaches an acceptance level of desire to stay in the group
Consensus
a socialization outcome that means all group members agree and commit to the decision. as a group, coming up with ONE solution that represents the opinions of all group members, not a vote, trouble shooting for a solution
Task
an activity in which no externally correct decision exists and whose completion depends on member acceptance
personality trait
an individual's psychological makeup comprising attitudes, values, beliefs, experiences, and behavuors traits about who the person is
Communication trait
an individuals's consistencies and differences in message sending and recieveing behaviors (a subset of personality traits) your messages and how you create them
Mentoring
an interpersonal relationship between an experienced member and an inexperienced member whereby the experienced member facilitates the professional and social development of the new member
Why individuals join groups
attraction theory lack of volition interpersonal communication motives
High-uncertainty culture
avoid human error, not acceptiong of uncertainty, implement tech, insititute rigid rules, stress efficiency
Long-term oriented
believe in focusing work and thoughts on the future, value creativity as well as relationships and careers that build slowly over time
short-term oriented
believe in focusing work and thoughts on the present, value analytic thinking and quick solutions to problems that provide immediate results
situational apprehension
communicating with a given person in a particular situation
audience-based apprehension
communicating with a specific audience or person
Virtual Group
composed of memebers who workd interdependently on a task, but from a different physical location via technology
Homogeneous
comprising of members SIMILAR in culture, demographic, and cognitive backgrounds
Heterogeneous
comprising of members who DIFFER in cultural, demographic, and cognitive backgrounds
Socialization
compromises a two way process of influence and change whereby group members use verbal and nonverbal messages to create a new and unique group culture one action has an opposite and equal reaction
Symposium
each group member presents a speech on one aspect of a topic, whose theme unifies the group members in that each memeber is responsible for a subtopic
Trust
involves group member's willingness to "take a chance" on each other most important thing in order to optimize socialization
Traits
enduring behaviors that people tend to use consistently across their life span. play significant role in why and how people communicate
Problems associated with diversity
ethnocentrism unequal participation denying diversity exists
Attraction Theory
feeling liking to a particular group or group members
grouphate
feeling of dread that arise when faced with the possibility of having to work with a group because of bad experiences or assumptions with group work
Functional Approach to Small groups
focuses on the communicative behaviors used by group members during group meetings
Socialization Guidelines
ideas for the successful socialization of members to help ensure success from the perspective of both new members and the group
high-power distance culture
individuals with less power do not dispute the control others have on them
Self-Monitoring
is the extent to whihc a person pays attention to the social requirements of a situation and, striving for appropriateness and effectiveness reading the room, awareness of the audience around you and changing communicative behavior in order to change how you are being percieved
Assimilator
learns through combo of thinking and watching. prefer task that requires abstract thinking, inductive reasoning and logic, dont care about practical results, would rather work alone. learn best by critiquing ideas
Disadvantages of Diversity
members who believe they are the minority will participate less -members care less about eachother
Lack of Volition
membership of a group that is recquired for something. They have no choice but to join
low-uncretainty culture
more creative and relationally oriented. accepting of uncertainty. issues with punctuality and precision
Undifferentiated individuals
passes low levels of both masculine and feminine traits
Androgynous individuals
posses high levels of both masculine and feminine behaviors. communicate the most sufficiently
Dimensions of culture
power distance
social loafing
process by which individual member effort decreases as the number of group members increases
Identity
refers to the psychological and/or physical boundaries that distinguish a group member from a non group member
Ethical Responisibiluty
requirement for group members to act in a way that not only promotes caring for both themselves and eachother, but also requires members to share equally in assuming responsibillity for the consequences of their actions
low-power distance culture
stresses equality among individuals
Problem-solving Talk
talk that centers on accomplishing a group task. about the problem at hand
Consciousness-Raising Talk
talk that centers on group identification and pride and is essential to group development, morale, and identity how the group is doing and how they work together
Role talk
talk that centers on the specific role each member plays in the group
Encounter Talk
talk that consists of interpersonal communication purley social, such as self-disclosure and interpersonal relationships
Argumentativeness
the communication trait that is an individual's ability to defend his or her position on a controversial issue while simulatneously attempting to relate another person's position on the same issue. keeps argument fo on task
Assimilation Phase
the fourth phase of the Model of Small group socialization where new members accept the established group culture and begin to identify with the group and its members building of group norms or identity. cohesion happens during this phase
Diversity
the joining of individuals who differ in cultural, demographic, and cognitive backgrounds
Norms
the limits of allowable behaviors of individual members of the group. guidelines to regulation
Machiavellianism
the personality trait that is an individual's ability to manipulate a situation in order to influence and control it for his own purposes. to defeat other's persuasion. to manipulate so you come out as the winner (leaders)
Interdependence
the process by which a change in one part affects the other parts. how we need eachother
Creativity
the process by which group members engage in idea generation
Ethics
the process of making judgements about a person's behaviors or actions from what is right or wrong
Anticipatory Phase
the second phase of the Model of Small group socialization in which individuals decide what they expect from group membership as well as each group member
Cultural DIversity
the sum total of beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, perceptions, customs, practices, language, and other atrifcacts of social life that are shared, and passed by a group of people the various behaviors and perceptions perpetuated by a group of people
Encounter Phase
the third phase of the Model of Small group socialization, during which, individuals usually come together for the first time, either face to face or through other media, and begin the process of establishing group goals and norms when everybody meets
Fake It Mentoring
trying to pick it up as quickly as you can on your own
Collectivistic
values group over individual, want to remain in group for long time, so individuals become accustomed to group norms over time and have a better chance to establish harmony, individual achievement is embarresing
Individualistic
values individual over group, reward competitieiveness. industrial society. pressure members to perform under guise of guilt
Panel Discussion
when a group engages in a discussion about a topic, usually questions posed by a moderator who may or may not be a member
Grouptyping
when a nonmember makes assumptions (positive or negative) about a person based on the person's membership
Cluster
when an individual uses several attributes at the same time
Feedback Loop
you will fail until you are able to succeed. you will receive continual feedback of doing a bad job until you do a good job