ES2331 Engineering CommunicationRequired tutorial notesGroup Communication

Groups, more often than not, are defined by the kind of members they have. The members knowledge, skills and attitudes determine the success or failure of a group undertaking. How members actually participate in the group meetings and other group endeavours will most likely tell the quality of group products that include group decisions and solutions to group problems.

Participation in groups basically pertains to ones involvement in group undertakings. The level of involvement one has or the effectiveness of ones participation is shown by how he speaks and listens to his fellow members during group activities.

Speaking in a group is of course not limited to what we say but covers how we say what we say in the group as well. Our voice and body movements, our use of space and objects, and even our use of time are important in fully participating in a group discussion. Speaking, then, entails awareness of who we are and what we are capable of doing. This becomes even more important when we start to realize that we communicate even those things that we do not intend to communicate at all. Speaking in a group is communicating ones total being. It is the capability to share what one has to offer to accomplish group tasks and achieve group goals in the best possible ways.

Listening complements our capability to share. It enables us to understand what others have to say regarding group tasks and group goals. Through listening in groups, we are able to collectively build and develop ideas that may have sprouted from the individual minds of the group members. Like speaking, listening becomes effective when done with the entire body. It is said that our bodies must be conditioned in an active state to make listening faculties work to the optimum.

Trainers and group communication experts have proposed several steps to achieve effective listening in groups. The first step is to keep silent or to set aside prejudices or biases towards the problem or towards co-communicators. Open-mindedness is highly recommended. The second step is to use the sense of sight because what we see adds meaning to what we hear. We have to take note of facial expressions and body language that can enhance our understanding of what others think and feel. Asking questions is the third step. Showing ones ignorance is always better than pretending to know something very well. Questions should not, however, be limited to those that make others articulate what they think but should also include those that would make others express how they feel. The next two steps spring from the earlier ones these are paraphrasing ideas and emotions. This is to say that a person who is open-minded, who is keen in observing human expressions, and who asks the right questions, is most likely to understand other peoples ideas and feelings in a group. Listening essentially allows us to see through others points of view or others perspectives, which facilitates the building of consensus in the group.

Effective participation in groups can also be achieved by being conscious of roles or sets of expectations group members should carry out. These are the task and group building and maintenance roles roles that help accomplish group tasks and that define the groups social atmosphere, respectively (Beebe and Masterson, 1994; Brilhart and Galanes, 1992).

Task Roles

Initiator-contributorProposes new ideas or approaches to group problem solving

Information seekerAsks for clarification of suggestions; asks for facts or information

Opinion seekerAsks for clarification of values and opinions expressed by group members

Information giverProvides facts, examples, statistics and other evidence that pertain to the problem the group is trying to solve

Opinion giverOffers beliefs and ideas under discussion

ElaboratorProvides examples based upon his experience or the experience of others that help to show an idea or suggestion

CoordinatorTries to clarify and note the relationships among the ideas and suggestions that have been provided by others

OrienterAttempts to summarize what has occurred and tries to keep the group focused

EvaluatorMakes an effort to judge the evidence and conclusions that the group suggests

EnergizerMotivate; stimulates the group to greater production

Procedural technicianHelps the group achieve its goal by performing tasks such as distributing papers, rearranging the seating or running errands for the group

RecorderWrites down suggestions and ideas of others; makes a record of the groups progress

Group Building and Maintenance Roles

EncouragerOffers praise, understanding and acceptance of others ideas and suggestions

HarmonizerMediates disagreements among group members

CompromiserAttempts to resolve conflicts by trying to find an acceptable solution to disagreements

Gatekeeper/ ExpediterEncourages less talkative group members to participate and tries to limit the lengthy contributions of other group members

Standard setterHelps set standards and goals for the group

Group observerKeeps records of the group process; uses the information that is gathered to evaluate the groups procedures

FollowerBasically goes along with the suggestions and ideas of other group members; serves as an audience in the group

Questions to make us think further

1. Have you experienced doing any of those roles during group discussions? 2. What roles do you often carry out in group communication situations? Why?3. How effective are you in carrying out these roles?4. What follows is a list of roles that tend to detract the group from achieving interdependence. In what ways do you think the presence of these roles during group discussions can be managed to limit their negative impact on overall group effort?

Roles that hinder group communication

AggressorDestroys status of other group members

BlockerNegative, stubborn and disagreeable

Recognition SeekerSeeks an audience for boasting of personal achievements

Self-confessorUses group as an audience to report personal events

PlayboyLacks involvement in the group process

DominatorMakes an effort to assert authority by manipulating group members or attempting to take over the entire group

Help seekerTries to evoke sympathetic response from others; often expresses insecurity or feelings of low-self-worth

Special interest pleaderWorks to serve individual needs; speaks for a special group or organization that best fits his or her own biases

Facilitator Role

The facilitator is considered to hold an important leadership role in the group discussion. What exactly does a facilitator do? Ortigas (1997) describes the facilitator as a situational leader, one who strives to lose that special status bestowed by the group on him, and one who avoids being used as a resource person. In other words, the facilitator ensures that equal exertion of influence in the group is maintained. The following skills further characterize a facilitator: Process observation and analysis, Conceptual knowledge of the dynamics of human behavior, Understanding of group development, Understanding of facilitating styles, and The capability to constantly learn from experience.

The primary role of the facilitator in the group discussion is to encourage participants or members to express their feeling, thoughts, values and needs. Ortigas warns prospective facilitators of the tendency to impose their set of belief on participants or group members.Victor (2000) identifies three essential variables in facilitating group discussion. These are the content, the participants, and the flow of the group discussion. Victor states that the facilitator should be keen on asking the critical questions to ensure the sharing of substantial information in the group. The facilitator can do this by acting both as an evaluator and an organizer. She adds that the facilitator should take note of participants who can act as critical sources of information in the group. It is therefore deemed necessary that the facilitator should play the role of a motivator and an empathizer as well. Since discussions happen at a certain period of time, Victor asserts that facilitators must be sensitive to critical moments. For instance, there are times in a discussion when debate on certain issues pertinent to the problem ensues and the facilitator needs to play the role of an impartial judge. Also, there are instances when participants are overly enthusiastic to share their ideas that trafficking the flow of information in the group is necessary. All these, Victor concludes, point to one general role that a facilitator must assume that is, the role of a process observer.

While the prime purpose of facilitation is to enable participants or group members to articulate their feelings and thoughts about the problems discussed, facilitating groups should not, however, be misconstrued as a purely evocative exercise. The facilitator should also come to the discussion well-prepared on the issues at hand. And while the facilitator should resist imposing his pet theories and ideas to the group, he must maintain the culture of dialogue by also sharing what he feels and what he has in mind and by encouraging the participants to freely react to his thoughts and feelings.

REFERENCES

Beebe, S.A. & Masterson, J.T. (1994/2009). Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices. USA: HarperCollins.

Brilhart, J.K. & Galanes, G.K. (1992). Effective Group Discussion, 7th ed. USA: Wm. C. Brown.

DeVito, J. (1997). Human Communication: The Basic Course. USA: Addison-Wesley.

Ortigas, C.D. (1997). Group Process and the Inductive Method: Theory and Practice in the Philippines, 3rd ed. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila.

Victor, M.L.. (2000, Sept 9). Oral Presentation on Facilitation. SEAMO-SEARCA, Los Baos, Laguna.4