Team Proposal
Presentation
Working in Small Groups
Overview of Team
Presentation Assignment
• 15-25 minutes (i.e. 4-6 mins/team member)
• Intro/Background (Leader)
• Laboratory Design
• Academic/Office Technology
Design
• LEED Design
• Conclusion (Leader)
• 10 minutes for Q & A (audience
will roleplay committees)
Speaker Responsibilities
Individual Speakers:
Leader:
• Intro with preview
• Introduction
• Relate section to the
audience
• Team transitions
• Body with transitions
between main points
• Conclusion
• Everyone must use
Visual Aids
• Conclusion/Q&A
Small Group
Communication
Propositions about Group
Communication
Advantages
Disadvantages
• Access to more resources
• Scheduling
• Better retention of concepts
• Social loafing
• Diversity
• Conflict
• Creativity
• Coping with misbehavior
• Blame for error is shared
Functioning Group Behaviors
• Participants know each other by name or role.
• There is a generous amount of interaction.
• Each participant has some influence on the others.
• Each participant defines him/herself as a member of
the group and is also defined by outsiders as a
member.
• There is a common goal, interest or benefit in holding
membership in the group.
• There is leadership.
Building an effective group
takes planning.
1) Selecting a Leader
2) Sharing Leadership Roles
3) Communicating Effectively
4) Problem-Solving Efficiently
Types of Leaders
• Shared or No Specific Leader
• Implied Leader
• Emergent Leader
• Designated Leader
1. Selecting a Leader
• Select a leader able to handle the responsibility.
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Authority
Pressure for uniformity
Status differentiation
Disruptive behavior
Incompatibility between individual and collective goals
• Leadership style should vary with climate of the
group.
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Directive if task is ambiguous
Supportive if unsatisfying
Participative if group needs control
Achievement-oriented if no motivation
2. Sharing Leadership
• Leadership-- A group may not always have
a leader but it always has leadership.
• Group members can share the three leadership functions.
• Procedural Needs– “housekeeping”
• Task Needs– “focus”
• Maintenance Needs– “relationships”
Procedural needs involve
“housekeeping tasks”.
• Place and Agenda
• Notes and Handouts
• Summarizing progress
Task needs provide “focus”.
• Analyze
• Focus
• Delegate
• Devil's advocate
• Collect info
• Criteria
• Solicit views
• Reach consensus
Maintenance Needs involve
“interpersonal relations”.
• Getting along
• Contributing
• Supporting
• Satisfaction about accomplishments
• Satisfaction about roles
3. Effective
Communication
• Effective group discussion
takes time.
• Balance between emotional
and rational
• Sincere skepticism is
encouraged
• Group norms are clearly
identified
• Some topics not appropriate
Ineffective Communication
• Ineffective group discussion is more common.
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Failure to contribute
Conformity
Poor Environment
Control
Rigid
Lack of Patience
Too much leadership or wrong type
Groupthink Conditions
• Being out of touch
• Being out of order
• Being overruled
• Being out of resources
Groupthink
Symptoms
Minimizing Techniques
• Group’s tendency to
view itself as powerful
• Question self/actions
• Closed-mindedness
• Pressure toward
uniformity
• Divide into subgroups
• Involve outsiders
• Add diversity
4. Efficient Problem-Solving
• Dewey’s Reflective Thinking
Method
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Define and narrow the problem
Analyze the problem
Establish criteria for solutions
Generate potential solutions
Select the best solution/s
1. Define the Problem
• Specific
• Open
• Avoid Bias
2. Analyze the Problem
• How Severe?
• How many people are affected?
• What if the problem is not resolved?
• What are the Causes?
3. Establish Criteria for the Solutions
• What must solution achieve?
• What might limit the choice of solutions?
4. Generate Potential Solutions
• Avoid judging while brainstorming
• Individuals record their own
5. Select the Best Solution
• Compare to established Criteria
• Evaluate all solutions
Review: Small group communication
takes planning.
• Selecting a Leader
• Shared Leadership
• Discussion
• Problem-Solving