1. COMMUNICATION WITHIN GROUPS
Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills
11th Edition
David W. Johnson
Frank P. Johnson

2. Group Communication
Broad definition: Any verbal or nonverbal behavior perceived by other group members
More commonly defined as: a message sent by a group member to one or more receivers with the conscious intent of affecting the receivers’ behavior.
Effective communication: the receivers interpret the message the same way as the sender intended it.
Complexity of multiperson communication

3. The Group Communication Process

4. Sending Messages Effectively
Clearly own your message (I, my)
Make your message clear and complete
Make your verbal and nonverbal messages congruent
Be redundant
Check for understanding
Consider the receiver’s frame of reference
Describe other’s behaviors without interpreting/evaluating
Describe your feelings by name/action/figure of speech
Consider your credibility

5. Receiving Messages Effectively
Paraphrase the content of the message accurately and without evaluating it
Describe your perceptions of the sender’s feelings
Negotiation the meaning of the sender’s message until there is agreement

6. Communication In Problem-Solving Groups
Problem solving effectiveness is determined by the pattern of communication
Three views of communication patterns:
Interaction analysis
One- and two-way communication in authority hierarchies
Communication networks

7. Interaction Analysis Relative frequency and length of communication
Three levels:
Relative frequency and length of communication
Who communicates to whom
Who triggers whom and in what ways
Bales’ (1953) Equilibrium theory and Interaction-Process Analysis
Homans’ (1950) theory of the balance activity between external and internal systems
Gouran and Hirokawa (1996) -- promotive and counteractive functions of communication

8. Communication Networks
Communication networks influence
The emergence of leadership
How the organization develops
The morale of group members
The efficiency of problem solving
The complexity of the task determines which network is more efficient

9. Communication Patterns in Authority Hierarchies
Communication network determines the amount and type of information members receive from each other. Communication is selective!
Informal communication network
Information gatekeepers
Technological gatekeepers
Formal communication network
One-way communication with or without feedback
Processes:
Leveling
Sharpening
Assimilation
Two-way communication
Establish cooperative group climate
Promote the attitude that all members’ ideas are of interest

10. Influences on the Effectiveness of Group Communication
Group climate
Competitive – defensive communication
Cooperative – more accurate and complete
Group norms
Physical setting
Seating arrangements – group ecology
Humor

11. Summary
Group communication: when group members send messages to each other with the conscious intent of affecting each other’s behavior.
Sending and receiving skills
Analysis of communication patterns:
Interaction analysis
One- and two-way communication in authority hierarchies
Communication networks
The more cooperative the climate in the group, the more effective communication tends to be.