COMMUNICATION WITHIN GROUPS

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 • 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.