Group communication

- Cooperative thinking and sharing between 3 or more persons for the attainment of common
interests, needs, and goals.
- E.g. family, orgs, group reports, board meetings

Objectives – share and exchange info and ideas and arrive at a decision

Disadvantages

- Conformity pressures
- Monopoly
- Lack of cooperation
- Time (variability)

Group strengths

- Greater resources
- Greater creativity (spice up other ideas)
- Thoroughness
- Develop involvement and loyalty

Features of a small group:

1. Cohesion – united, bonded

2. Group size – at least three
3. Power structure – leaders and members
4. Interaction patterns – (de) centralized
5. Group norms – unique quality/feature/tradition

Formats of small groups

1. Roundtable
2. Panel
3. Symposium forum
4. Symposium

Five types of groups

1. Primary groups – purpose: fulfill the basic need to associate w/ others; family, first people we
practice our group comm skills
2. Study group – constructive; gather info and learn ideas
3. Therapy group – circle of individuals who need therapy, comfort, and someone to listen to
them; treatment to a problem
4. Problem-solving group – resolve an issue or overcome an obstacle
5. Decision making group – make a choice among alternatives

Types of comm in groups:

1. Task comm – focuses on problems, issues, and information

2. Procedural comm – agenda and other matters; get organized and stay on track
 3. Climate comm – creating/maintaining a constructive climate
4. Egocentric comm – block others and call attention to oneself

Leader – neutral, facilitates orderly interaction, understanding

Types of leader

1. Laissez-faire
2. Authoritarian
3. Democratic – consensus and majority vote

Members:

1. Group building roles – encourager, peacemaker, efficiency expert

2. Task oriented roles – asker of question, info-giver, opinion-giver, fiscalizer (examines opinions),
elaborator, harmonizer (occasional summaries; make sure everyone is cooperating), energizer
3. Individualistic roles – recognition seeker, disagree, aggressor, dominator, passive listener

Essentials

1. Orderliness
2. Cooperative > competitive
3. Sense of action