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2 Focusing on Interpersonal and Group
Communication
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1 Explain how behavioral theories about human needs, trust and disclosure, and motivation relate
to business communication.
2 Describe the role of nonverbal messages in communication.
3 Identify aspects of effective listening.
4 Identify factors affecting group and team communication.
5 Discuss aspects of effective meeting management.
KEY CONCEPTS
Behavioral theories form the conceptual basis for business communication. Nonverbal
communication, listening, and group communication are essential interpersonal skills for success in
today’s organizations. A team is a group with a clear identity and a high level of member
KEY TERMS
TERM
PAGE
TERM
PAGE
Agenda
33
Norming
31
Brainstorming
33
Performing
31
Casual listening
25
Product development team
30
Consensus
33
Quality assurance team
30
Cross-functional team
30
Role
27
Directive behavior
22
Status
27
Empathetic listening
26
Storming
30
Forming
30
Stroke
21
CHAPTER OUTLINE
2-1 Behavioral Theories That Impact Communication 21
2-1a Recognizing Human Needs 21
2-1c Exploring the Johari Window 21
2-1d Contrasting Management Styles 22
2-2 Nonverbal Communication 23
2-2a Metacommunication 23
2-2b Kinesic Messages 23
2-3 Listening as a Communication Skill 25
2-3b Bad Listening Habits 26
2-4 Group Communication 27
2-4a Increasing Focus on Groups 27
2-4b Characteristics of Effective Groups 29
2-4c Group Roles 30
2-5 Meeting Management 32
2-5b Electronics Meetings 32
2-5c Suggestions for Effective Meetings 33
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Explain how behavioral theories about human needs, trust and disclosure, and motivation relate to
business communication.
Behavioral Theories and Communication
To communicate effectively with others, you must understand them, what motives them, and what
can facilitate better communication. Theories from the fields of psychology and sociology provide
understanding of human needs and motivations with insight into achieving more effective
workplace communication.
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need. A hierarchy of needs through which people progress. Higher
needs generally cannot be met if lower ones are not. Communication targeted to specific
needs can appeal to receivers if the receivers’ need is identified.
• Stroking. The emotional response that occurs in communication interaction, either positive
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
Describe the role of nonverbal messages in communication.
Nonverbal Communication
• Illustrate the different components of nonverbal communication. Remind students that
nonverbal includes everything except the actual words that occur in an interaction.
• Ask students to watch an interaction from a distance, involving people they do not know. Have
them analyze the kind of interaction they viewed based only on what they could see from a
distance (they could not hear the words). How much could they decipher? Emphasize that what
they learn about the people and the situation is based only on nonverbal behaviors.
• Have students complete Additional Assignment 1 and discuss in class.
Metacommunication
• Discuss how what someone says may not be what is interpreted by the receiver. Ask students
what they think might influence different interpretations by different people who receive the
Kinesic Messages
• Discuss messages sent and perceived through nonverbal behavior.
• Discuss how different kinesics messages can have different meanings to different people, based
Understanding Nonverbal Messages
• Demonstrate several nonverbal signals and have students write down what they perceive to be
their meanings. You might include some of the following: folded arms, raised eyebrows,
Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Communication
• Ask students to consider how other cultures might react to nonverbal messages. Discuss the
possible reactions and encourage students to share other examples.
Nonverbal Communication and Gender
• Discuss the differences between the communication styles of men and women. For instance in
the United States:
The male approach to tasks is confrontational and results oriented.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Identify aspects of effective listening.
Listening as a Communication Skill
Because of its pervasive nature, listening should be a concern of other disciplines in addition to
business communication. In the business communication course, listening instruction should be
related to interpersonal and group communication and interviewing practices.
To emphasize that people may not listen as effectively as they think they do, administer the
following listening test: (Test reprinted with permission of South Central Bell.)
Directions: Listen carefully because I will read each question only once. Use a pencil and paper to
record the answer after each question has been read.
In the series of numbers “5–8–4–1–6,” the second number is 8. Yes.
In the list of words “by-of-in-at-on,” the word beginning with “a” is “at”. Yes.
Listening for a Specific Purpose
• Discuss the different types of listening.
• Discuss and give examples of the different reasons for listening:
✓ To interact socially, such as talking with your colleagues about weekend plans.
✓ To receive information, such as calling a vendor to obtain a price for an item.
Poor Listening Habits
• Discuss poor listening habits.
• Ask students to work in small groups to discuss a situation they have faced that provides
evidence of bad listening habits. Ask each group what specific suggestions they could provide
Suggestions for Effective Listening
• Discuss effective listening guidelines. Help students identify listening weaknesses and develop
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Identify factors affecting group and team communication.
Increasing Focus on Groups
• Lead students in a discussion of how communication in flat organizations differs from that in
traditional organizations. Emphasize the need for more lateral (horizontal) communication and
how that can be accomplished.
Flat Organizational Structure
• Discuss the barriers that include role vs. status, excessive competition, flat organizational
Heightened Focus on Cooperation
• Competition has been a characteristic way of life in U.S. companies, both externally and
internally. What are the reasons for competition? What are the benefits to competition? How
Characteristics of Effective Groups
• Discuss characteristics of effective groups. To illustrate the importance of common goals, ask
students what happens in a team project in which two members want to make an “A” and the
other two members are satisfied with a “C.”
Group Roles
• Discuss group roles. Which roles are positive? Which are negative? Can an individual group
member play more than one role?
• Ask students to think of a group of which they are members (school, work, family, club,
church, etc.) and to identify persons in that group who play each of the discussed roles.
• Does their role change in different groups? Does a group member always choose their role?
Explain.
• Reiterate the communication styles of men and women discussed in Chapter 2. How can these
From Groups to Teams
• Lead a discussion of different types of teams. Remind students that becoming a team is a
process that does not occur simply because a group is put together by a manager or supervisor.
For a group to become a team, it must go through a development process with four distinct
Group Conflict
• Deliver an overall perspective on the three types of group conflict: personal, substantive, and
procedural.
• Discuss the other factors, competition within a group and social dilemmas, which groups create
for members.
• Remind students that cultural differences among group members may be an underlying cause of
conflict and can also affect the resolution process.
• Discuss the five basic tactics used to deal with conflict. Which conflict resolution technique is
most likely to promote group unity?
Groupthink
• Lead a discussion of the value of conflict in the group process. Stress the following points:
✓ Groupthink is a destructive phenomenon that results when a group develops a single
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5
Discuss aspects of effective meeting management.
Meeting Management
• Have you ever heard someone say “I have been in meetings all week, and we haven’t
accomplished anything!” Managers often spend up to 60 percent of their time in meetings that
can sometimes turn into a free-for-all. Effective meetings don’t just happen; they occur because
the organizer engages in careful planning and attention to specific guidelines.
• Discuss the relative advantages and limitations of face-to-face and electronic meetings.
Suggestions for Effective Meetings
• Brainstorm with students to identify characteristics of ineffective meetings in which they have
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Identifying Appropriate Listening Styles: Identify a situation you have experienced that would
be appropriate for each of the following listening styles: casual listening, listening for
information, intensive listening, and empathetic listening. Describe how you could maximize
your listening experience in each case.
2. Gestures: Separate into groups of three to five and take turns using particular gestures, facial
expressions, and other body language. Members of the group not delivering the nonverbal
communication should try to identify as many possible interpretations of the gesture as they
can. Once all group members have had at least one turn, discuss which interpretations you
found most surprising and how your individual perspective might be influencing your
interpretation of someone else’s body language.
After small group discussions, have each group present one or two of their most surprising
interpretations and how those might reflect individual perspective. Below are some further
examples and their possible interpretations:
Nonverbal
Possible Meaning
Misinterpretation
Propping arms on the table
I am better than you.
Covering mouth with hand
3. Performing as a Group: Group Contracts: One way to ensure that a group has the discussion
that is necessary to begin on the path of performing is to create a group contract. Creating a
group contract can help to ensure that you discuss your expectations of each other, assigned
task responsibilities, deadlines for project milestones and the final product, and group member
roles. A group contract may also specify a procedure for dealing with problems in the group,
such as a failure to meet group expectations, follow procedures, and meet deadlines. To
complete a group contract, follow the steps below:
a. You and your group members should discuss and identify your expectations of each other
regarding the completion of your team project. These expectations generally include
concerns about participation, meeting attendance, meeting deadlines, following procedures
b. If desired, you and your group members should identify the consequences for not fulfilling
these expectations. Specifying consequences can be helpful for two reasons 1) it provides
an opportunity to empower group members to deal with problems in a proactive way and 2)
c. After discussing group expectations and consequences, each group should detail these in a
document that each member signs to show his or her understanding and agreement. The
4. Analyze a Team Meeting: After you and your team hold a planned meeting, you may wish to
analyze its effectiveness by discussing what you observed, including the communication
behaviors and roles each team member played. In performing the assessment, try to consider
the issues discussed in the chapter and identify them in your analysis. You might consider the
following:
a. What did we do in this meeting that worked well?
b. What happened that we might not wish to repeat? Are there bad habits into which we might
fall?
c. What roles did each team member play? How did you determine these roles? Where the
roles helpful in achieving group goals? Why or why not?
d. What types of communication behaviors did team members display? For example, was it
common for team members to ask questions to clarify understanding (active listening) or
did they assume understanding?
e. How well did members attend to both task and socioemotional functions? Were you able to
follow and stick to your plan for the meeting? Were the goals of the meeting met? On the
socio-emotional side, did members feel valued and supported in their contributions? Were
individualistic behaviors avoided?
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. When a manager says to the sales staff, “Let’s try to make budget this year!” what are
some of the possible metacommunications?
2. What roles do culture and gender play in nonverbal communication?
3. How is the activity of listening impacted by the particular situation?
4. Discuss six bad listening habits. Which do you think is the biggest challenge for you
personally?
5. What is a possible cause of most conflict between or among groups?
6. How are a group and a team different?
7. Discuss how a flat organizational structure affects communication.
8. What are some factors to consider in deciding whether to hold a face-to-face meeting or
an electronic meeting?
9. Why do some teams never reach the highest stage of team development? What can be
done to overcome the obstacles to peak team performance?
Teams fail to reach the highest performance stage because of lack in one or more of the 4 C’s:
10. Why are records such as agendas and minutes important to group success?
11. Review suggestions for making meetings more effective? Provide examples, if possible,
from your own experience.
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
1. Assessing the Professional Value of Interpersonal and Group Communication Skills:
2. Metacommunication: Keep a journal over a period of two to five days that records events
involving metacommunication. Describe how each incident influences the understanding of the
verbal message involved.
3. Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Behaviors: Choose a specific country, such as Argentina,
Germany, India, or Thailand. Conduct internet research to find out more about the nonverbal
behaviors of which a person doing business in that country should be aware and then
summarize what you have learned.
Student responses to this assignment will vary depending upon the country that is chosen, but they
4. Perceptions of Nonverbal Behaviors: Find and observe a speaker. Good sources are television
interviews or speeches or speeches on the internet or YouTube. Identify and analyze the
speaker’s nonverbal communication. Describe how these nonverbal behaviors affected your
perceptions of the speaker. For example, did you like the person? Why or why not? (Please
remember to focus on his or her nonverbal communication.) Did you trust the person and
believe what he or she had to say? Was he or she interesting? Why or why not?
Student responses to this assignment will vary depending upon the speech that he or she observes.
5. Identifying Deterrents to Group Success: In small groups, discuss negative group situations in
which you have participated. These groups could be related to school, organizations, sports
teams, performing groups, etc. Referring to the chapter information, identify reasons for each
group’s lack of success. Make a list of the most common problems identified in the team.
Compare your list with that of other small groups in the class.
6. Analyzing Group and Team Experiences: As a team, visit the website of the Institute for
Performance Culture at http://teaming-up.com. From the Free Resources menu tab, click on
“Are you a True Team?” and together take the survey. Some of the items may not relate to your
short-term project team but will provide you with ideas of issues faced in real-world work
teams. Discuss the evaluation report produced from your survey. Send your instructor an email
message, summarizing what your team survey revealed and how you will use the information to
improve your team performance.
7. Boosting Team Effectiveness: Research and read a selection of three articles on corporate
teambuilding activities. In class, get into groups of three to five individuals and share the
activities you’ve read about. Then, determine which of the activities has the most potential for
building a high-performance team.
8. Documenting Meeting Activities: Attend a meeting of an organization of your choice, obtain a
copy of the agenda, and prepare minutes of the meeting. Submit your meeting documentation in
class.
9. Analyzing a Meeting for Effective Behaviors: Attend a meeting of an organization of your
choice. Compare the activities of the attended meeting with the “Suggestions for Effective
Meetings” presented in the chapter. Email your instructor, describing the meeting attended and
summarizing how well the meeting reflected the chapter suggestions and how it might have
been more effective.
10. Groupthink: Recall a time when a group of which you were a member suffered from
groupthink. How did you handle it? Were you swept up and afraid to voice a contrary opinion,
or did you speak out with an alternative idea or solution? Email your examples and reactions to
your instructor.
Responses will vary.
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Nonverbal expressions: Generate a list of phrases and nonverbal expressions specific to their
culture that groups from another culture might not understand. Identify any conflict that could
arise from the misinterpretation of the collectively understood terms. Consider also how group
norms play a part in the understanding of collective culture. Be prepared to present one item
from your list as the topic for a 5-minute presentation to the class.
2. Communicating Nonverbally in a Job Interview: Locate an article on the internet or on one of
your library’s databases that gives useful suggestions for ensuring that your nonverbal
behavior in a job interview makes a favorable impression. Expand the list of recommended
nonverbal messages and their interpretations. Share your list with the class, complete with
demonstrations, in an informal presentation.
Presentation formats will vary. Encourage students to be creative by setting up a mock job
interview and having both the interviewer and interviewee exhibit positive and negative nonverbal
behaviors during the interview. Or ask one group to model negative behaviors and the other to
model positive behaviors.
Additions to the positive behavior list might include:
Additions to the negative behavior list might include:
• Standing while everyone else is sitting—I am better than you; I have authority over you.
3. Locating Information on Nonverbal Communication in Other Cultures: Locate one or more
articles from library databases or the Internet that discuss nonverbal communication in various
cultures. Compile a list of body language and behaviors that have different meanings among
cultures. Discuss how ignorance of these differences might affect interpersonal communication.
4. Communicating with Diverse Cultures: Choose a culture that differs from your own then
describe your beliefs, attitudes and perceptions about that culture. Now conduct internet
research or interview someone from that culture to find out more about it and its values, beliefs
and practices. After learning more about the culture, what misperceptions did you hold about
it? How might this knowledge help you to improve your communication with people from this
culture?
5. Analyzing Limitations of Electronic Communications: Consider a distance learning
conference or course in which you have participated. How were nonverbal communication,
listening, and other factors different from what you have experienced in traditional class
settings? How do your experiences relate to the conducting of electronic meetings?
6. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Virtual Teams: Consider the significance of this statement
“Certain personality types are more likely to thrive in the virtual team experience.” Develop a
list of personality attributes that would enable a person to work effectively as part of a virtual
team. In a short written or oral report, share your list, justifying your selections with facts and
references.
7. Using Instant Messaging (Chat) to Communicate: Following directions from your instructor,
participate in an online chat with your class about one of the following topics: (a) how to
overcome listening barriers, or (b) guidelines for effective group communication.
CASE ASSIGNMENT
EBAY CONNECTS A WORLDWIDE MARKET
EBay has become a marketing phenomenon. It has empowered people to create their own
businesses and has changed the way people think about junk they once might have sold at garage
sales. More importantly, it has demonstrated that trust between strangers can be established over the
Internet. According to eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy, “The Internet has leveled the playing field
in terms of commerce, allowing individuals, small business, and big corporations to all compete
against each other.” As it redefines consumer culture, the tremendously successful auction site stirs
debate over its impact on society. Is it a portal to a new, global society? Does it elevate materialism
above all other belief systems? Does it define who we are as a society?
Growing faster in its first decade than any other enterprise in the history of capitalism,
eBay has exploded as a global online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers 24/7. Founded in
1995, eBay now conducts more transactions every day than the Nasdaq Stock Market and has
annual revenues of more than $4 billion. In the 1990s, people thought e-commerce would be
dominated by big players, but instead the last decade has produced a market driven by individuals
and small businesses.
Nearly 160 million registered users in 33 markets can scan 55 million items at any time,
and about $1,400 worth of goods are traded on the site every second. eBay has also created jobs,
with more than 724,000 Americans saying they earn all or most of their income selling goods
online through eBay. The site has provided people with the opportunity to start their own
businesses at reduced costs by using eBay to buy needed equipment and to sell their goods.
Founder and chairman, Pierre Omidyar, acknowledges that running eBay has never been just about
Since Meg Whitman joined eBay as CEO in 1998, revenues have exploded, and eBay has
become a household word throughout much of the world. Meg Whitman had never even heard of
eBay when she agreed to interview. She hoped her headhunter would call back with something
more promising. Little did she know that the firm she had never heard of would become one of
history’s fastest growing companies with her at its helm.
Under her democratic leadership, the collective intelligence and enthusiasm of 160 million
customers determine and drive the daily actions of the company’s 9,300 employees. “At eBay, it’s a
collaborative network. You are truly in partnership with the community of users. The key is
Although nurturing, no one mistakes Whitman’s sensitivity for weakness. In fact, she is a
strong believer in maintaining boundaries. An example is her decision to ban the sale of weapons
on eBay. According to Tom Tierney, eBay director, “Meg is a hybrid, and that’s the model for the
future, a decisive general manager with an open-minded influencer.” In 2004, The Wall Street
Journal and CNBC recognized Meg Whitman’s unusual talent by naming her as the business leader
of the future; and in the same year, Fortune named her the most powerful woman in American
business. Whitman sums up her leadership philosophy simply: “Executive leadership is a span of
influence, not of control.”
Questions
1. Explain what Meg Whitman means by “The Power of Us.”
2. What factors contributed to the leadership style exhibited by Whitman?
3. What does “executive humility” mean?
