Small Group Communication
10
summary
This chapter introduced the nature of the small group and team and discussed a variety of
groups, for example, brainstorming, focus groups, and problem-solving, along with their
functions and procedures.
Preliminaries to Small Group
Communication
10.1 Define small group, team, and virtual group or team
and explain the advantages and disadvantages
of groups and the nature of small group
apprehension.
1. A small group is a collection of individuals who are
connected to one another by some common purpose,
are interdependent, have some degree of organization
among them, and see themselves as a group.
2. A team is a particular kind of small group that is
constructed for a specific task and whose members
have clearly defined roles, are committed to achiev-
ing the same goal, and are content focused.
3. A virtual group or team is one whose members
communicate with each other through some elec-
tronic means while they may be widely separated
physically.
4. Groups have both advantages and disadvantages,
and these need to be considered in evaluating when
a problem or issue should be addressed by the group.
5. Communication apprehension, although usually
more severe in public speaking, may also influence
small group interaction.
Small Group Stages, Formats, Culture,
and Power
10.2 Explain the stages small groups normally go
through, the popular formats, and the role of
culture and power.
6. Small groups generally consist of an opening, feed-
forward, business, feedback, and closing.
7. Small groups make use of four major formats: the
round table, the panel, the symposium, and the
symposium–forum.
Chapter
8. Most small groups develop norms or rules that
operate much like cultural norms, identifying what
is considered appropriate behavior for the group
members.
9. Power operates in all groups. Six types of power
may be identified: legitimate, referent, reward, coer-
cive, expert, and information or persuasion.
Brainstorming and Focus Groups
10.3 Define brainstorming and its four rules and the
nature of focus groups.
10. The brainstorming group attempts to generate as
many ideas as possible.
11. The focus group aims to discover what people think
about an issue or product through a kind of in-
depth group interview.
Problem-Solving Groups
10.4 Explain the steps involved in the problem-solving
sequence and define the nominal group, the Delphi
method, and quality circles.
12. The problem-solving group attempts to solve a par-
ticular problem or at least to reach a decision that
may cause the problem to solve itself.
13. The six steps in the problem-solving sequence are:
Define and analyze the problem; establish criteria
for evaluating solutions; identify possible solutions;
evaluate solutions; select best solution(s); and test
solution(s).
14. Decision-making methods include decision by au-
thority, decision by majority rule, and decision by
consensus.
15. Small group approaches that are widely used in
business today include the nominal group, the
Delphi method, and quality circles.