Group Discussion Chapter 5

The Nature of Group Discussion Group Discussion: interpersonal communication involving three or more people with a common purpose Effective group work relies on cooperation. Cooperation: an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit

Discussion Groups Committee: small subgroup of a larger organization that has been given a specific task or set of tasks to perform. Examples: A business has a budget committee A baseball team has a snack committee Round-table discussion: a closed-group session in which information sharing or enlightenment of those taking part is usually the object. A group of distinguished cancer doctors meet regularly to discuss treatment options, success stories, etc.

Discussion Groups Panel: a group that discusses a topic in front of an audience. Examples: A counselor, assistant principal, and a college recruiter discuss college readiness in front of a group of high school students. Panel-forum: a group discussion that is opened to questions or comments from the audience. A counselor, assistant principal, and a college recruiter discuss college readiness in front of a group of high school students and answer specific questions from the audience.

Discussion Groups Symposium: a series of short, uninterrupted public speeches, often involving a panel of experts. Examples: 5 teachers and principals give individual speeches on education in America to a group of community members. Symposium-forum: a symposium that is opened to questions or comments from the audience. 5 teachers and principals give individual speeches on education in America to a group of community members and answer specific questions from the audience.

Factors that Affect Group Discussion Size: how big or small the group is. Examples: 14 member group that only has enough work for 4 people. Cliques: small groups within a group that isolate others. Sarah, Joann, and Mark isolate the other 6 members of the group, making it hard for the group to work together. Personal Goals: Mary wants to be head of a department at work. She works against the current leader in order to show that she is a strong leader. She does not put the group goals first.

Factors that Affect Group Discussion Physical Environment: the meeting place and resources available. Examples: Maria’s book club has to change places every week, so they don’t have a consistent turn out. Seating Arrangement: where everyone sits (ex: head of the table). Tom and Heather do not get along well. If they are seated next to each other during a meeting, they will bicker the entire time. Time: how long the meetings are; the length of time to accomplish a goal. Joshua’s group only has 6 months to collect enough rain samples for their research project.

LIFE CYCLE

Forming The infancy stage of a group in which members become acquainted with one another and leadership roles are established

Storming The adolescent stage of a group in which members challenge goals and approaches in an effort to express individuality

Norming The cohesive stage in the formation of a group when members learn to function effectively as a group

Performing The final stage in the formation of a group when members bond and work together effectively and harmoniously

Leading a Group Types of Leadership: Appointed Leader: a leader that is assigned the position to lead Examples: The teacher tells Caleb that he is the leader of his group project. Emergent Leader: a leader that arises out of how the group works together Over the course of the group working together, Abby naturally takes leadership because of her skills.

Leadership Roles: Beginning the Discussion Regulating Communication Examples: Finding a meeting place Getting group together Regulating Communication Making sure the group stays on task/topic Concluding the Discussion Finalizing the details Organizing the continued discussion

Outcomes of Discussion Consensus: the agreement of all group members about a solution or decision. Compromise: a settlement in which each member or group of members agrees to give up part of the solution or decision they want, retaining some other part of the solution they favor. Majority vote: a decision agreed to by over half the members of the group.