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Aspects of small group and interpersonal communication
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There are many elements of a small group discussion each of which is important and play a key role. One of these elements is small group member roles and leadership which entails each member of the group taking on a specific role to benefit the group as well as gaining some form of leadership to help guide the group. The main roles that exist are; initiator-contributor role, information giver, orienter role, recorder role, and encourager and harmonizer roles. Each of these roles helps to keep the group and the discussion on the right path. The first role established in small group discussion is the initiator-contributor role and the person who takes this role assumes the role of the group task leader, which requires a person to take charge and help to guide the group towards accomplishing the task at hand. This requires the person to have great problem solving and decision making skills as they are often the one which other members will turn to when they have a problem or there is an issue/conflict in the group. The next role that a group member can assume is the information giver role which is just as it sounds. In this role the person who assumes this role puts forth new or alternative ideas in …show more content…
They do this by questions the solutions another member gives or by providing new and different solutions. This forces group members to take into account both the positive or negative consequences of the solutions that have been suggested and if there are other, possibly better, options available. The recorder role is another role which is available and is pretty self-explanatory as it simply requires a member to do things like take the minutes of meetings and keep track of the groups’ actions by writing them down. This person may also have to create an agenda, make arrangement for the group, or be responsible for sending out emails to group
The primary roles that were incorporated into group were defined by the leaders of group. Those leaders included the social workers and group psychologists, as well as students when appropriate. The leaders focused on task and maintenance roles, such as; coordinator, elaborator, evaluator, information seeker, initiator/contributor, opinion giver, procedural technician, encourager, gatekeeper, harmonizer, and standard setter. The individual roles was primarily the dominator. Due to the dominator portion of group, it changed the atmosphere and will be discussed later.
My analysis is on the film The Goonies. While I view the movie and determine the various norms, behaviors, roles and interaction between group members, as well as individuals the examination within the realm of film can present many of the same components. Thus, our group selected this movie to analyze based on its formation of a cohesive problem-solving group full of unforgettable characters. The Goonies portray many different theories and aspects of small group communication.
Topics explored with this group included; conversational skills, internet safety, bullying, conflict resolution, social media, and personal appearance. Accordingly, I was able to gain insight on how to plan activities tailored to the needs of the group as well as obtain tips on conducting groups effectively. Additionally, I was able to get a sense of the group dynamics, attain knowledge on the stages of a group through observing all the individuals belonging to the group, their uniqueness and how their personality impacted the group itself. Individuals were able to join the group at different stages hence; the forming stage was repeated each time a new member was recruited. This also provided me with the opportunity of gaining first-hand experience of the interaction on the basic dynamics on group stages of forming, norming, storming and
Leadership is an important element in the functioning of group interactions toward an organized goal. Leadership has been defined in many different ways by sociologists and social psychologists alike, numbering too many to discuss here. The most common element found in these definitions is "that leadership involves a process of influence between a leader and followers to attain group, organizational, or societal goals" (Hollander, 1985). In small group interactions, leadership is usually an assigned status, with the "followers" designating, both consciously and subconsciously, someone as a leader. This is a person who, according to the group members, is believed to have those characteristics which are most suited to accomplish the task and objectives of the group (Bales and Slater, 1955). Much of the available early research that I was able to attain focused on leadership and the concept of leadership in terms of political situations. When viewed from a political standpoint, the study of leadership pertains to the analysis of relationships between those who possess power and those who don't possess power (power will be discussed in det...
The first chapter of “Working in Groups” focuses on group communication, the first aspect being the key elements of group communication (Engleberg and
Although leading a small group demand the actions of commitment, faithfulness, and consistency to complete small group tasks; the most important action to remember is to take everything to God in prayer, as God is the source for every phase of small group development. Seeking God to provide for every area and aspect of small group growth, will provide an end result that will be God glorified. Please keep in mind that this instruction manual covers the surface of what is necessary to start a small group; however, purchasing the books from the bibliography will provide you with more detailed information on the entire process of leading a small group. Now you are wondering, how do you get started with small group leadership? The first half of this manual will explain what a small group is, will disclose biblical principles that founded small groups, and provide the motivational reasons for small group development. Ready to get started? On your mark, get set, go!
Leadership can take many different forms, depending on the person and the situation in which it is needed. Collaborative leadership is a leadership style in which a leader brings together a large group of people, with a variety of backgrounds, to make a productive decision and act upon it. According to Chrislip and Larson (1994):
Engleberg, I., Wynn, D., & Schuttler, R., (2003). Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies (3rd ed.) Boston: Houghton- Mifflin. pp. 146- 170.
Feedback influences the amount of time the group members spend discussing the topic and could be used to dispute flows. The experiment was conducted and presented to a dozens of individuals in large electronic rooms with the "Lost in the Desert" survival scenario. Participant were given a list of fifteen objects where they must select five that would help them survive. After the picked their items were instructed to enter an assigned chat room and discus the possible choices, they had no obligation choose the same item as other groups. The discussing ensued with no one knowing whose group they are in. This created disconnect to all for a more analytical process. The results indicated that positive feedback results more in the production blocking and less effective decision-making. Negative feedback increases the amount of time spent on group discussion. Evidence suggests that groups whom receive negative feedback during decision-making process engage in more argumentation, likely an effort to support their own argument in the face of criticism. The use of devil 's advocacy by a group requires more discussion to reach agreement than is normally needed. In comparison, groups who receive positive feedback will likely require less time to reach consensus by virtue of not requiring the same amount of argumentation. (Marler & Marett, 2013).
In a team-oriented setting, everyone contributes to how well the group succeeds overall. You work with fellow members of the group to complete the work that needs to be done. Having the right people in the correct roles is an important factor in measuring the success of a team, where you are united with the other members to complete the main goals. Every group is made up of definite strengths and weaknesses. Our team's 3-5 major strengths necessary to work accordingly consist of Informer, Summarizer, Orienter, Piggy-Backer, and Encourager. One of our strengths as a team is that we get input from everyone involved. Every member of our team is a leader in some way. Part of being a good leader is knowing how important it is to receive the best ideas from each member of their team. We attend group meetings where we discuss any challenges, issues, and problems. At these meetings, we often exchange ideas or brainstorm new ones with each other and come up with the best and most creative team solutions as potential answers to those perceived problems.
In order to evaluate my role within the group, it is important to identify what makes a group. A group must firstly consist of more than three members, “Two members have personal relationships; with three or more there is a change in quality” of the personal relationship. (Bion 1961, p26) The group must have a common purpose or a goal in order to succeed. Having now completed my group work task, I can look back and reflect upon the process that my group went through to get to the presentation end point.
A group can be define as ‘any number of people who (1) interact with one another; (2) are psychologically aware of one another and (3) perceive themselves to be a group’ (Mullins, L, 2007, p.299). Certain task can only be performed by combined effort of a group. Organisation can use groups to carry out projects, which will help to achieve its overall aim. However, for the group to be successful they must understand what is expected of them and have the right skill to complete the task. . (Mullins, L, 2006)
In my experience and in this small group project I would be one of the more vocal people. By avoiding intimidating or shutting anyone out, it is important to have each person brain write to avoid any hesitation from others. In my current small group, we partake in electronic brainstorming. Each of us sat down at a computer and found articles that we thought was best fit to the solutions to the problem. After finding our articles we then posted them to google docs where we are now in the process of evaluating them. This makes it easier for everyone to find articles that connects to them. When we tired of thinking of new ideas we take a brake and talk about each other’s lives. I like to as all my groups what we plan on doing over the weekend and we also do it in our class when (Dr. Davis) asks us how our weekend was or even what is happening this weekend, giving us a break from thinking about school related items so we can start fresh. Brainstorming is important to do and is the best way to come up with the best
Leadership may be defined as a position of power held by an individual in a group, which provides him with an opportunity to exercise interpersonal influence on the group members for miobilising and directing their efforts towards certain goals. The leader is at the centre of group’s power structure, keeps the group together, infuses life into it, moves it towards its
When working on an assignment in a group it is best to set roles for each team member. That is a process called Group Dynamics. Each team member would have a different function in each group. One member would take the Devil’s Advocate role. That position is for a person in the group that can never agree with any of the members ideas’. It helps the group by allowing them to see what it is like having to deal and work with a difficult team member during the assignment. Another member would take the role of the Listener. Their position would be to sit back quietly, keeping their ideas to themselves and allow the other members to discuss their ideas among the group. Another role in the group is called the Idea Generator. This role is given to