A PROJECT

ON
SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION

Group members include:

i. Jahmiela Nunes
ii. Rodreika Jones
iii. Adriel Palmer
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of our presentation, students should be able to:

1. Define the term “small group communication”.

2. Discuss the types of small groups.

3. Highlight the purpose of forming small groups.

4. Explain the functions of small groups.

5. Discuss advantages of small groups.

6. Discuss disadvantages of small groups.

 WHAT IS SMALL GROUP
COMMUNICATION?
Communication can simply be defined as the act by which
information is transferred from one place, person or group to
another, while a small group refers to a group that consists of
at least three members and at the maximum around twelve to
fifteen members. General examples of small groups are
Personnel committee, audit committee, report committee,
sports groups and clubs. Additionally, primary groups and
secondary groups can also be considered an example of this.
So, Small Group Communication in its general term refers to
interactions among three or more people, often connected
through a common purpose.
However, note briefly, a group that has just two members or
more than fifteen members would not come in the category of
a small group.
 TYPES OF SMALL GROUP
COMMMUNICATION

Task-oriented groups
Examples of this type of group include a support group for
people with HIV/AIDS, a book club, or a group for new
fathers. Task-oriented groups require honed problem-solving
skills to accomplish goals, and the structure of these groups is
more rigid than that of relational-oriented groups. To more
specifically look at the types of small groups that exist, we
can examine why groups form.

Relational-oriented groups
These are formed to promote interpersonal connections and
are more focused on quality interactions that contribute to the
well-being of group members. For example, although a family
unit works together daily to accomplish tasks like getting the
kids ready for school and friendship groups may plan a
surprise party for one of the members, their primary and most
meaningful interactions are still relational.
 The Purpose Of Forming Small Groups
Small Groups are formed to solve a particular problem, make
decisions, determine policies and submit reports.
Since it may be an informal communication, the group may or
may not have any assigned leader. Every member can
influence and can be influenced for performing their task.
 FUNCTIONS OF SMALL GROUPS
Why do we join groups? We may choose to join a group
because we need a service or access to information. We may
also be drawn to a group because we admire the group or its
members. Whether we are conscious of it or not, our identities
and self-concepts are built on the groups with which we
identify. But we join small groups because they function to
help us meet instrumental, interpersonal, and identity needs.

Groups Meet Instrumental Needs

Groups have long served the instrumental needs of humans,
helping with the most basic elements of survival since ancient
humans first evolved. Groups helped humans survive by
providing security and protection through increased numbers
and access to resources. Although they may not provide
material resources, they enrich our knowledge or provide
information that we can use to then meet our own
instrumental needs. Many groups provide referrals to
resources or offer advice.

Groups Meet Interpersonal Needs

They provide a sense of belonging (inclusion), an opportunity
to participate in decision making, influence others, and also
for emotional support.
Groups Meet Identity Needs
Our affiliations are building blocks for our identities, because
group membership allows us to use reference groups for
social comparison—in short, identifying us with some groups
and characteristics and separating us from others. Some
people join groups to be affiliated with people who share
similar or desirable characteristics in terms of beliefs,
attitudes, values, or cultural identities. For example, people
may join the National Organization for Women because they
want to affiliate with others who support women’s rights or a
local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement
of Coloured People (NAACP) because they want to affiliate
with African Americans, people concerned with civil rights,
or a combination of the two
ADVANTAGES OF SMALL GROUP
COMMUNICATION

a) Brainstorming is a form of communication which is

designed to aid friends create ideas. During
brainstorming, associates from the group firstly develop
numerous ideas. A person then introduces the idea(s) to
the group members, where they examine these ideas.
This is effective as it creates a vast amount of options to
choose from.

b) Information within small groups are communicated at a

faster and easier pace as there are not many individuals
involved.
 DISADVANTAGES OF SMALL
COMMUNICATION
a) Everyone attempts to express their views from their
own standpoint and won’t take others’ thinking into
consideration. There will be a time-consuming work to
put a range of suggestions together.

b) One big disadvantage of small group discussion lies in

the unanimous style. Generally speaking, one creative
idea displays somehow personal style. But in the
process of negotiating with members of this small
group, the charming idea has been changed into
another face in the end.

c) Another disadvantage happens during the executive

procedure. Every member growing in a variety of
styles of education mostly stick to the principles in
their inner mind.