CHAPTER NINETEEN
SPEAKING IN GROUPS
OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter students should be able to:
1. Define and describe the characteristics of small groups;
3. Explain how small groups solve problems;
5. Identify group-centered behavior;
7. Recognize and describe positive leadership behaviors;
8. Understand special discussion formats.
Skill Builder Exercises – Discussion of Chapter 19 Activities
1. Small group exercise. Divide the class into several small groups. Each group should have a
minimum of four members to accommodate at least three participants and one leader. I tell my
students that each group must have a leader, but I let them decide their means of choosing the
leader—by appointment, election, or emergence. Have groups do preliminary research to collect
ideas for discussion issues. I would suggest that you declare “off–limits” over-worked issues
such as abortion, legalization of marijuana, seatbelt laws, and so forth. When you approve the
topic, ask groups to phrase the issue into a fact or policy question, avoiding more opinionated
questions of value. Some groups will need instructional guidance in writing questions that are
clear and concise.
It is important to give students enough time to complete this assignment. They will need
a minimum of one week to work through the problem-solving process. Be prepared: you may
need to step in to mediate disputes, help groups work through sensitive issues, or simply provide
emotional support. For example, groups that are being sabotaged by members who don’t show
up for group meetings will often panic and need instructional assistance. I tell such groups that
their grade is based on how they handle the situation (do they try to contact the missing member,
do they reassign the issue to another participant?) and the degree of effort put into the discussion
2. Journaling. Ask members to observe the process of decision-making occurring in their groups
and keep journals recording their observations. Have students write daily entries of their
perceptions regarding the following:
I. Problems occurring in the group
A. Interpersonal conflict
B. Unreliability and irresponsibility
C. Inability to keep to tasks
D. Negative group behaviors
E. Ineffective leadership
II. My contributions toward solving group difficulties
III. My overall satisfaction with group process, leadership, and outcomes
Additional Skill Builder Exercises
3. Committee observation. Have students observe a professional committee at work. Campus
governance groups such as student or faculty committees may be some of the most convenient
and accessible for this assignment. Other suggestions for analysis are: televised congressional
proceedings; city, county, or state committee deliberations; corporate or union business
4. Tower-building exercise. Divide the class into small groups of 3-5, depending on the size of
the overall class. It is important to divide them randomly. I do this by either colored pieces of
paper, playing cards (diamonds, hearts, etc.), or simply counting off one through four. When
they are divided up, ask two groups to come forward to participate in the exercise and assign the
other two groups to observe one group each and take careful notes.
Next, give the two performing groups identical materials and tell them they must work together
to build a free-standing tower out of the materials they have in 20 minutes time. Each group
should have the same materials and the object is to see who can build the tallest tower. Some of
the materials that can be used are:
The exercise should be strictly timed and groups should be stopped at 20 minutes. When time is
up, the instructor can measure the two towers to see which is tallest. Then have the observing
groups perform the same task but with different materials.
I assign students to write a paper about their observations and use specific examples from the
experience to discuss the following areas:
a. types of leadership observed
b. dynamics of group members
5. Functional and dysfunctional groups. Divide up into several groups and discuss the
examples of “The Dysfunctional Group” and “The Functional Group” in Chapter Nineteen.
Have students answer the following questions:
a. What are the elements that make the dysfunctional group ineffective and the
functional group effective?
b. What types of personalities does each group include?
c. Identify and discuss the specific type of behavior exhibited by members in both
groups.
d. What types of leadership is present in each group? how does the attitude of the
leader affect each group?
InfoTrac/Library Database Exercises
1. Have students locate the article titled, “The Radical Road That Harley Took” by Abraham
McLaughlin in the Christian Science Monitor, November 29, 1999. The article describes
2. Ask students to search for the article titled, “Decisions, Decisions” by Larry L. Constantine in
the March 1992 issue of Computer Language. When they have read the article, have them
answer these questions:
a. What does the author mean by “consensus–based teamwork”?
b. The author uses the term “neutral leadership.” What does he mean? In your
opinion, what are the advantages and disadvantages of “neutral leadership”?