Lesson 4 Short Answer

Read all of the directions for Part I and Part II carefully before you start your work.

Part I.

Complete the following survey titled: “COM100: Experiencing Effective Group Communication ” with two different people. This survey asks questions about group communication norms for groups in specific group communication situations they have participated in or observed and about the stages of group development of these groups. Try to choose people who have had different group experiences, including workplace groups who have meetings together, and social groups or clubs who have meetings together, etc. This could also include study groups who have meetings together. Ask each person the following survey questions and take notes on their answers.

Note: The experiences your interviewees discuss with you must be group communication situations where the group members are spending time together, talking with all of the members of the group, in order to accomplish a group goal. This usually occurs in a meeting. Training and teaching situations are not usually considered group communication situations.

The survey answers do not need to be individually submitted, but the information from the surveys should be summarized and directly included in your answers to the questions in Part II; information from the lesson and the textbook should also be included.

COM100: Experiencing Effective Group Communication Survey

Share the definition of small group communication from this lesson with the person you are surveying. Ask your interviewee: What is one group communication situation you have participated in where the group used effective group communication? (Pay special attention to how your interviewee defines effective group communication.)
Explain the concept of group communication norms from the lesson with the person you are surveying.
Ask your interviewee: What are two or three group communication norms of the group?
Ask your interviewee: How does (or did) the group enforce the group communication norms? What happens when a group member ignores or violates a group communication norm? Please give a specific example.
Share the concept of structures of small groups. See Figure 13.1 from Chapter 13.1 Understanding Small Groups with your interviewee.
Ask your interviewee: What can you tell me about evidence of any of the structures of group communication the group was involved in? What are some behaviors that contribute to their group communication pattern? Was the structure intentional? Tell me about one or two of the communication behaviors showing evidence the group was involved in this structure of group communication
Explain the stages of group and team development with the person you are surveying. Ask your interviewee: What stage do you think your group is in? Why?
Explain the concept of group cohesion during group communication. Ask your interviewee:
How committed do they think the group members are to the goals of the group and to having effective group communication when the group is together in a specific group communication situation Why?
Ask your interviewee: What can you tell me about evidence of any of the group communication behaviors that demonstrate conflict and conflict resolution in group communication that is necessary for the problem solving and group relationships that enable the group to accomplish the group’s goal? Tell me about one to two of these behaviors.
Note: The survey answers do not need to be submitted, but the information from the surveys and important concepts from the lesson should be included in your answers. Also, ask yourself the same survey questions. What kind of group communication can you reflect on from your own experiences?

Part II.

Read the following questions. Write the answers to the questions, review your work, and submit your answers. Integrate the key concepts and key terms from this lesson into your answers. Do not just describe examples from your surveys; relates these examples to key concepts in this lesson. The answer to each question should be approximately 6 to 10 sentences in length. You should write your responses in complete sentences free of spelling and grammatical errors. Please type your answers in a Word document and then paste your answers below each question in the space provided.

Before completing this assignment, review the Grading Rubric.

Identify the two people you surveyed and describe the group and the group communication situation each person discussed with you when you surveyed them. What similarities and differences between the groups and their group communication situations did you know notice from the surveys? Use concepts from the lesson, and specifically discuss the type of group(s), their group communication norms, their group communication structure. Give specific examples from the surveys.
Describe when and how a group could institute group communication norms, based on key concepts in this lesson. Share an example of when a group communication norm was followed successfully by one of these groups in a specific group communication and an example of when a group communication norm was violated or broken by one of these groups in a specific group communication.
How did group cohesion or the lack of group cohesion affect the enforcement of group communication norms in the groups in your surveys? Refer back to your lesson and textbook regarding these concepts, and give specific examples from the groups and the group communication situations in your surveys incorporating these terms.
List the five stages of group development. What stage is each of your groups in, in terms of the group communication that is occurring in their group communication situations? Use specific examples and concepts from the lesson to justify your answer.
Why does more conflict arise during the Storming stage of group development? What did the groups in your surveys tell you about how conflict impacted their group communication? How can conflict be valuable and help groups move to the Norming stage which is characterized by growing consensus?