Description

Part I.

Complete the following survey titled: "COM100: Experiencing Effective Group

Communication " with two different people. This survey asks questions about

communication norms for groups they have participated in or observed and about the

climate of these groups. Try to choose people who have had different group

experiences, including workplace groups, social groups, clubs, etc. Ask each person the

following survey questions and take notes on their answers. (Refer to Table 9.2 on page

248 before you start the survey.)

Note: These experiences must be group communication situations where the people are

spending time together 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

1. Share the definition of small group communication (p. 233) with the person

you are surveying.

2. Ask your interviewee: What is one group you have participated in that used

effective group communication? (Pay special attention to how your

interviewee defines effective communication.)

3. Share the definition of norms (p. 243) with the person you are surveying.

4. Ask your interviewee: What are the norms of the group?

5. Ask your interviewee: How does (or did) the group enforce the

communication norms? What happens when a group member ignores or

violates a group communication norm? Please give a specific example.

6. Ask your interviewee: How would you rate your own skills for

understanding and following group communication norms? Use the

following scale: good, fair, or poor. Please give a specific example to

explain your rating.

7. Share the definition of communication interaction patterns and the types of

small group communication networks on pages 248-249 with your

interviewee.

8. Ask your interviewee: What can you tell me about evidence of any of the

group communication behaviors that contribute to their group

communication pattern? (Show them the networks on p. 249 Figure 9.1.)

Was the pattern intentional? Tell me about one to two of these behaviors.

9. Share the phases of group and team development with the person you are

surveying.

10. Ask your interviewee: What phase do you think your group is in? Why?

11. 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.

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.

1. List the people you surveyed and the groups they discussed in the lesson.

What similarities and differences between the groups did know notice from

the surveys? Use concepts from the lesson, and specifically discuss the

type of group(s), norms, and phases of group/team development. Give

specific examples from the surveys.

2. Describe when and how a group should institute norms in your own words.

Share an example of when a norm was followed successfully and an

example of when a norm was violated or broken.

3. How did power and status affect the enforcement of group norms with the

people you surveyed? Refer back to your lesson and textbook regarding

these concepts, and give specific examples incorporating these terms.

4. List the five phases of group development. What phase is each of your

groups in? Use specific examples and concepts from the lesson to justify

your answer.

5. Given what you have learned in previous lessons about interpersonal

relationships, why does more conflict arise during the secondary tension

phase of group development? Did the groups you surveyed report

personality conflicts that prevented the group from going forward with their

goals, or were they able to reach the emergence and reinforcement phase

of conflict?