29
Collaborating and Presenting in Groups
<A> OBJECTIVES
To focus on the
goals of the group.
To plan on assuming dual roles.
To center disagreements on issues rather than personalities.
To not accept ideas uncritically merely to get along.
To adopt an effective leadership style, as a leader.
To plan carefully when delivering
group presentations.
<A> CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I.
Focusing on goals
A.
As a speaker you might experience speaking to a variety of groups such as a
small
group (usually between three and
twenty people) or a
virtual group (computer–
mediated communication such as e-mail, chat rooms, and videoconferencing).
These
types of speaking are especially likely to be related to your job.
B.
Effective
group participants focus on the
group’s goals, avoid behavior that detracts
from these
goals, and follow an agenda.
1.
Plan on assuming dual roles; both a task role and a social role.
a.
Task roles are the hands-on roles that directly relate to the group’s
accomplishment of its objectives. Examples include the recording
secretary, moderator, initiator, and information seeker.
b.
Social roles are styles of
interacting in the
group; these relational roles
facilitate group interaction and include the harmonizer and the
gatekeeper.
c.
Group members should avoid anti-group roles, in which the focus is
on individual instead of group needs. These roles are usually irrelevant
to the task at hand and are not oriented to the maintenance of the team.
They include the floor hogger, the blocker, and the recognition seeker.
C.
In productive
conflict,
group members clarify questions, challenge ideas, present
counterexamples, consider worst-case scenarios, and reformulate proposals.
1.
In personal-based conflict, members argue about one another instead of about
the issues, wasting time and impairing motivation.
D.
Resist groupthink, the tendency to accept information and ideas without subjecting
them to critical analysis. Rather, aim to develop a collective mind, thus engaging in
communication that is critical, careful, consistent, and conscientious.
1.
Groups prone to groupthink typically exhibit specific behaviors:
a. Participants reach a
consensus and avoid conflict to avoid hurting
others’ feelings, but they
do so without genuinely
agreeing.
b. Members who do not agree with the majority of the group are pressured
to conform.
c. Disagreement, tough questions, and counterproposals are discouraged.
d. More effort is spent rationalizing or justifying the decision than testing
it.
2.
Groups can increase the likelihood of forming a
collective mind if discussion
includes some level of devil’s advocacy or dialectical inquiry.
II.
Adopting an effective leadership style
A.
When leading
a
group, capable leadership is critical to the success of the
group effort.
B. Group leaders should set goals, encourage active participation, assess a
group’s
productivity, and adapt accordingly.
1.
There
are
four broad styles of leadership: autocratic, consultative,
participative, and delegative.
a. Autocratic leaders make decisions and announce them to the group.
b.
Consultative leaders
make decisions after discussing them with the
group.
c.
Delegative leaders ask the group to make the decision.
d.
Participative leaders, those who make decisions with a group and
facilitate activities and interaction, tend to be the most effective.
2.
Leaders
should help the
group to identify the problem, map out a strategy, set
a performance
goal, identify the resources necessary to achieve the
goal,
recognize contingencies that may
arise, and obtain feedback.
C.
Group leaders should encourage members’ active
participation.
1.
Leaders can encourage participation by directly asking members to contribute
by redirecting the discussion.
2.
Leaders can also set a positive tone, stressing fairness and encouraging
politeness and active listening.
3.
Leaders should also ensure that some level of devil’s advocacy and dialectical
inquiry takes place.
D. Group leaders should use reflective thinking. Group decision making is best
accomplished through the six-step process suggested by Dewey. This process
encourages group members to think reflectively
about their tasks.
III.
Delivering group presentations
A. Group presentations
are
oral presentations prepared and delivered by three or more
individuals.
B.
While in an individual presentation one person assumes all responsibility, team
presentations
require that some or all group members share responsibility.
C.
Teams should keep the following
guidelines in mind.
1.
Analyze the audience and set goals.
2.
Establish information needs.
3.
Assign roles and tasks, especially
a team leader.
4. Establish transitions between speakers.
5.
Consider the presenters’
strengths.
6.
Be mindful of
your nonverbal behavior.
7.
Coordinate the presentation aids—consider assigning one person the job of
coordinating slides, videos, and/or audio.
8.
Rehearse the presentation several times.
<A> KEY
TERMS
small group
a
group that consists of between three and twenty people, as opposed to a
large public audience.
virtual group
a group in which members who are
physically dispersed interact and
exchange ideas through mediated communication such as e-mail and videoconferencing.
agenda a document identifying the items to be accomplished during a meeting.
task roles types of roles that directly relate to the accomplishment of the objectives and
missions of a group. Recording secretary and moderator are
examples of task roles.
social roles roles that reflect individual group members’ personality traits and function to help
facilitate effective
group interaction.
antigroup roles types of roles in which an individual of a
group does not allow others to speak,
blocks the ideas of others, or calls attention to oneself.
productive conflict a form of group conflict in which questions are clarified, ideas are
challenged, counterexamples are presented, worst-case scenarios are
considered, and
proposals are
reformulated.
groupthink
the tendency of a
group to accept information and ideas without subjecting
them to critical analysis. Groupthink results from strong feelings of loyalty and unity
within a group and can lead to a decline in the quality of the
group’s decisions.
devil’s advocacy arguing for the sake of raising issues or concerns about the idea under
discussion.
dialectical inquiry devil’s advocacy that goes a step further by
proposing a
countersolution to an idea.
team presentation
has many of the same characteristics as a presentation done
individually, but in a team presentation some or all of the group members share
responsibility.
CHAPTER STUDY
GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What is a virtual group?
When working in a virtual group, members are
geographically dispersed and interact and
What makes an effective group participant?
Being an effective
group
participant requires keeping sight of the group’s goals and avoiding
What makes an effective group leader?
Good leaders organize, structure, guide, and facilitate a
group’s activities and interaction in ways
How can a group
use reflective thinking, as laid out by John Dewey?
Group decision making
is best accomplished through a six-step process: (1) identifying
What guidelines should you keep in mind when preparing a team presentation?
Teams should
(1) analyze the audience and set goals, (2) establish information needs, (3)
assign
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What are some ways in
which individuals who assume antigroup roles in groups negatively
affect the ability of the group to work together
and make decisions?
For one thing, antigroup roles serve to frustrate the other members, thus causing the
Have you
ever
experienced productive conflict when
working in a group? Describe the
conflict and
how the group handled it.
Students should note that productive conflict entails clarifying questions, challenging ideas,
Why is it important for
a group to have a clear
set of goals?
Articulating
goals requires the group to identify the problem or issue that needs to be resolved,
How is preparing and practicing a team presentation similar to and different from
preparing and practicing a public speech?
Some obvious similarities may involve the use of audience
analysis (knowing what the audience
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
in-class work (individually or in groups)
topics to generate discussion
question-and-answer sessions between instructor and students
What are task roles? List examples.
What are interpersonal roles? List examples.
What are antigroup roles? List examples.
Antigroup roles are negative interpersonal roles within the group setting in which participants
List the four characteristics of groups that are
prone to groupthink. Can you think of any
event in history that may have resulted from groupthink? Has groupthink occurred in any
*group of
which you were a member?
Participants reach a consensus and shun conflict to avoid hurting others’ feelings, but they do
What is the difference between devil’s advocacy and dialectical inquiry?
Devil’s advocacy is arguing for the sake of raising
issues or concerns about the idea under
Making group decisions can be very difficult. The best way to accomplish effective group
decisions is through Dewey’s six-step process. Identify the six steps.
1.
Identifying the problem
Approximately how many times have you had the opportunity to serve
as a group leader?
How
would you assess your leadership skills in
these instances? Were you able to effectively
set goals and encourage active participation among group members? If you have never
served as a group leader, do you look
forward to that opportunity? Why, or why not?
Have students think of one group in which they currently hold a leadership position. Remind
Recall a situation in which a group you
were part of was guilty of groupthink. Did you go
along with the group decision even though you
didn’t agree with it just to avoid causing
conflict? Or did you
pressure others to go along with the decision
to keep them from
voicing dissent? Analyzing the decision in retrospect, was it the right decision?
Students should be able to identify symptoms of groupthink, such as avoiding conflict, taking in
What roles do you usually fulfill in a group? Are you generally aware of the roles that are
needed in group work? Are you guilty of displaying antigroup roles? How can you utilize
your knowledge about group roles to improve the group’s effectiveness?
ACTIVITIES
Explain one of your own experiences as a member of a group, such as a committee, a
campus club, a dorm government, a sorority, and so on. Describe the purpose of the group,
the setting, and the other members. When making decisions, what roles did each of the
members fulfill? Illustrate these roles with specific instances of behaviors or interactions.
Assign this activity as a short paper to be handed in during the next class period. Consider that
IV. GROUP ACTIVITIES
Group Workshop
____________
Evaluation Category Points/
1.
Quality of handouts (e.g., summary of major conceptual issues)
_____/
2.
Demonstration of key concepts
_____/
3.
How well the workshop involved members of the
class
_____/
Purpose: To give students an opportunity to work in a group and to illustrate some of the
concepts in Chapter 29 of the text while reviewing other
general public speaking concepts.
Instructions: The following are
guidelines to use:
1.
Instructor divides students into three teams of ten (or fewer).
2. Students need to develop instruments and procedures for providing performance feedback
to team members to enhance individual growth and group effectiveness.
3.
Each team must design and manage a
class workshop on specific concepts related to one of
the following three major topic areas: Team workshop 1 (Basic Public Speaking Skills and
Obstacles); Team workshop 2 (Informing Diverse
Audiences); Team workshop 3
(Persuading Diverse
Audiences). Each workshop should include (1) a one-page synopsis of
the major conceptual issues, (2) a demonstration of key concepts, and (3) activities that
involve members of the class.
Grading Sheet for
Workshop
Team Workshop no.
Comments:
Strong points
Weak points
Evaluating Your Group
Purpose: For students to become familiar with the terms and ideas involved with effective
group
participants and effective group leaders.
Instructions: This exercise works better as an out-of-class activity, perhaps even as a homework
assignment. It can be
conducted
in one of two ways:
1.
Students pick a group to which they do not belong and observe or interview members.
2.
Students pick a group to which they belong.
Note: These
groups can be family, friends, classmates, co-workers, or
even groups in this class.
Students should consider the terms and explanations for both effective
group participants
(issues-based rather than personal-based conflict, groupthink, counterproductive roles, tasks, and
interpersonal roles) and effective
group leaders. Based on these terms and explanations, have
students write up an evaluation of the group.
Team
Presentations
Purpose: To help students practice the guidelines for delivering team presentations.
Instructions: Place students in groups of three or four and assign them a team presentation.
Students will use Dewey’s reflective thinking process to brainstorm a new product or service to
sell. Once students have identified their product or service, they
will work together to present a
sales presentation to the class. This presentation should be at least ten minutes in length so that
each member will have
a chance to deliver the speech.
Discussion: Encourage students to utilize the textbook chapters on persuasive speeches
(Chapters 24 and 26), developing arguments (Chapter 25), and business and professional
speaking (Chapter 30) when working on this assignment.
But What If?
Purpose: To help students practice playing devil’s advocate; to encourage maintaining a
collective mind in groups.
Instructions: Place students in groups of three or four and assign them a speech topic of your
choosing. You can give all groups the same topic, or give each group a different topic. Ask
students to prepare a three- to four-minute speech on their assigned topic. Instruct students to
assign one member to intentionally serve as devil’s advocate during speech preparation.
Discussion: Encourage students to discuss their experience with utilizing a devil’s advocate. Did
group members feel that it helped them form a collective mind or avoid groupthink? Did this
person help or hinder the speech preparation? What is the difference between productive devil’s
advocacy and counterproductive roles? If you were serving as devil’s advocate, how comfortable
were you in that role?
You may want to consider following up this activity by assigning students another speech
topic without designating a devil’s advocate, and then observing and discussing how groups
respond.
Once students have finished the task, have
each group use the six steps to decision
making in the textbook to determine how well the group worked toward accomplishing the goal.
Students can also determine who the leader was and what other roles group
members may have
taken: task roles, such as moderator, initiator, and information seeker; interpersonal roles, such as
harmonizer and gatekeeper; and antigroup roles, such as the floor hogger, recognition seeker, or
blocker. Some of the antigroup roles may not be identified because students do not want to
offend their
classmates.
Discussion: Each group can report to the entire
class about how well its members worked
together, what each member’s role was, and why they did or did not succeed in accomplishing
the goal.
Leadership and Problem Solving
Purpose: To illustrate problem solving and leadership roles.
Materials: A box of straws and twist-ties.
Instructions: Divide students into groups of
four
or five, and give them each a large pile of both
straws and twist-ties (about thirty to forty). Inform each group that its goal is to build the highest
freestanding tower with the materials it has been given. The
group with the
tallest freestanding
tower at the end of the allotted time wins (fifteen minutes is usually sufficient).
Note: Usually, the students and the instructor come to realize that it is not the highest tower that
wins, because the students are so concerned with height that they forget to make sure it is
freestanding.
Group or No Group?
Purpose: To have students consider and discuss situations in which group work is productive
and not productive.
Instructions: Not all tasks, projects, or activities in an organization are best performed by
groups or teams; sometimes individuals working alone are most productive. Form a small group
of four or five people, and list three different situations in which it would be productive for
individuals to work alone. For each, explain why you think greater effectiveness and efficiency
would result from individuals working alone.
Students should be able to brainstorm some situations, but it may help to start the
discussion with a few examples. Instances in which individual work may be better include
projects that have a rapidly approaching deadline. This is because group work often takes more
time and effort than does individual work. Also, individual work may be better suited to projects
that are simple enough to be accomplished by one person or that do not necessarily require the
critical analysis and planning that would be better accomplished in a group setting. Students
should be able to add to this list during discussion.
Choosing a Celebrity Spokesperson
Purpose: To allow students the experience to come to a collaborative decision in a group.
Instructions: Form a group of four or five people. Imagine that you are a group of employees
who work for Nike. You have been given the responsibility of selecting a celebrity to endorse a
new line of “youth turbo-light” shoes. This person will be seen on television commercials and in
newspaper and magazine advertisements. Using Dewey’s reflective thinking process, select a
celebrity.
While making
your decision, consider what kind of image
you want the product to
portray. Which celebrity
will best help create that image
and convey the right message to your
audience?
Group members should recognize that they
need to generate the overall
goal, which
pertains to the image Nike wants to project. Going through the process, members then must
conduct research and analysis by
finding out such things as consumer demand or desires, and
which celebrities or figures are
available for hire. Members then establish criteria for the type of
celebrity who would be ideal for the promotion. Subsequently, the group brainstorms a list of
potential celebrities to consider. Using the established criteria, each candidate is assessed until
the best person is chosen,
yielding the group’s decision or solution. Finally, group members must
reflect on the decision they made, as well as on the process they
went through to arrive at that
decision. This final step requires members to identify the stages that were successful as well as
aspects that could have been improved.
Formally Proposing Your Celebrity Spokesperson
Purpose: To ask students to plan a hypothetical presentation proposing the celebrity
spokesperson they chose
in the last activity.
Instructions: Now that your group has selected a
celebrity to endorse a new line of Nike
youth
shoes, you are
expected to give a formal presentation to brief your division director on the
group’s selection. Which kind of presentation will your group use? How will
you divide
the
presentation among the group members? Prepare a general outline of the presentation. What style
of delivery will be needed? Why?
This is an effective activity to use as a group presentation assignment. For example, if the
group must convince another group to accept its proposal, a sales presentation may be most
appropriate. Acceptance of the proposed solution may require the identification of a need for an
ideal celebrity promoter, as well as visualization of how the solution will fulfill the need. Another
option is a staff report, a presentation that informs managers and other employees of new
developments within the company. The presentation would convey the problem (selecting the
appropriate celebrity), along with a description of procedures followed or facts that are pertinent
to the problem. Encourage students to generate other ideas for types of presentations.