Austin Franklin
Michael Martin
Chapter 11
Communication in Groups
and Teams
Defining


A group is defined as three or more people
who interact over time, depend on one
another, and follow shared rules of conduct
to reach a common goal. Group members
see themselves as being interdependent,
meaning that they need another to achieve
something.
A team is a special kind of group
characterized by different, complementary
resources of members and by a strong sense
of collective identity.
 Teams
are different than groups in 2 ways
1. teams consist of people who bring
different and specialized resources.
2. teams develop greater interdependence
and a stronger sense of identity.
 Groups and teams develop rules that members
understand and follow.
 Group and team rules differ between groups, so
does the way the perceive things.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJMC_S-DB2I
 Different
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Types of Groups and Teams
Project Teams- People who have expertise related
to different parts of a project who combine to
make one project.
Focus Groups- People grouped to find out what
people think about one specific idea.
Brainstorming Groups- A group of people put
together to generate appropriate ideas.
Advisory Groups- develop and submit
recommendations to others, who make a final
decision.
Quality Improvement Teams- three or more people
put together with distinct skills or knowledge to
improve an organization.
Strengths and Limitations of
Groups



The two most significant disadvantages of
group discussions are the time needed for
complete discussion, and the potential for
conformity inside of groups.
Strengths between groups include greater
resources, more thorough thought,
heightened creativity, and enhanced
commitment to decisions.
Synergy is a special kind of collaborative
vitality that enhances efforts, talents, and
strengths of individuals within a group.
Features of Small Groups
 Small
groups tend to have better
connection between members, this is
cohesion.
 Cohesion is the degree of closeness
among members.
 In highly cohesive groups, members see
themselves as tightly linked and
committed to shared goals.
Types of Communication





Task Communication- Provides information and
ideas, clarifies member understanding, and
critically evaluate ideas.
Procedural Communication- Gets groups
organized and helps them to stay on track.
Climate Communication- Creates and maintains a
climate that encourages members to contribute
freely.
Egocentric Communication- Used to block others
or to call attention to oneself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PH35C7Fhq
0
Chinese Pictionary Game

Ask the first member of each team to gather in close then
whisper a sentence, object or phrase to them. For example
"Christmas Time" or "Boys playing basketball".

They must then return to their teams and attempt to draw
(without talking) a picture that communicates that phrase.
When they are finished, they pass the drawing to team
member 2. He/she then whispers the phrase to team
member 3 who then draws it and passes it to team
member 4, who then writes what they think the phrase is on
the picture.

Once all groups are finished, get all the Team Member 4's
to reveal the drawings
Leadership




Leadership is essential in maintaining a long
lasting group or team.
Leadership can be provided by one member
or by several members.
Effective leadership controls disruptive
members who engage in egocentric
communication, and make sure discussion is
substantive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XribYfC1AM
Discussion Question
 What
are the best qualities for a group
leader to have?
PLEASE NOTE:
Chapter summarized from information found in:
Wood, Julia T. (2014). Communication Mosaics: An
Introduction to the Field of Communication. 7th Edition.
Boston, MA: Wadsworth.
These student lecture notes provide a brief summary of
Wood’s discussion on verbal communication (chapter 4)
while providing additional commentary and examples. The
information in this slideshow is based on the work (content
and organization) of Wood (2014).