“I Sure Wish I Could Get
The People at That Table to Participate"
and Other Problems With Group Dynamics
by A. Clay Shouse, Vice President
I
am not asked to provide training on a regular basis. When I am asked, or when I lead discussions
about curriculum, philosophy, and expectations during
business meetings, difficult group dynamics are often a
concern. For instance, one or two participants may
dominate the discussion, or there may be vehement
disagreement on an issue. In these circumstances I find
myself needing some strategies for dealing with these
dynamics and keeping the session rolling. Maybe
you’ve run into these situations, too. How can you
handle them?
Many of you who train regularly have probably internalized a number of solutions to these difficulties to
the point that they have become second nature. For
me, however, and perhaps for those of you who train
less frequently or who find yourselves in difficult meetings, a review could be just the ticket.
Our training staff have identified five different
kinds of common group dynamics issues:
Behavior
Description or Definition
Monopolizing
Dominating by excluding others
or by getting the floor and
refuling to let others have a
chance to speak or participate.
Description or Definition
Time schedules
not followed
Behaving rudely by arriving after
the appointed starting time,
stretching breaks and lunch
hours, and departing prior to the
completion of the presentation
or session
Nonparticipation
Not taking part, not sharing, and
possibly working on some other
assignment or task
High/Scope staff have identified three to five
potential solutions for each of these behaviors.
(High/Scope Certified Teacher Trainers will
recognize these strategies from the beginning sections
of the High/Scope Trainer’s Guides.) I have provided
examples for those that seem particularly difficult
or unclear.
For the monopolizing participant, try (1) summarizing the participant’s viewpoint, then moving on
with the presentation or discussion; (2) asking other
members of the group for their input; (3) asking the
participant to hold off until there is a break; or (4) using nonverbal behaviors that indicate a transition. The
first three solutions are fairly self-explanatory. To get
an idea of what some “nonverbal behaviors” might be,
I asked Beth Marshall, senior early childhood specialist
here at the Foundation, for some examples. She suggests preparing the presenter’s table for the next activity, posting flip-chart paper on the walls or easels,
organizing transparencies, removing a videotape from
its case, sorting handouts, or checking the sign-in
list—all signals to the monopolizer that it is time to
move on.
When participants engage in private conversations, our staff suggest (1) again, using nonverbal
methods to regain attention; (2) asking the talkers (privately) to refrain from talking; and (3) if you are tolerant of side conversations but the volume is interfering
with others’ being able to hear, simply stating this.
Private conversa- Carrying on conversations in pairs
tions
and small groups (related to the
topic or the presentation or not)
while the presenter or other participants are addressing the group
as a whole
Disagreeing
Behavior
Having a different opinion or
finding something inaccurate, unsubstantiated, or inappropriate
about many or most of the points
presented
Reprinted from High/Scope ReSource, Summer 2004, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 4
© 2004 High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
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Beth further suggests standing near the conversationalists. If that doesn’t discourage their talking, you might
surreptitiously listen to their conversation to determine
whether it is about the topic or off track. If it is off
track, ask them privately to refrain from talking.
Disagreement is a natural part of human discourse. It occurs frequently in the course of discussion
and when carried out appropriately can help clarify differing points of view (all of which may be valid). It can
also help the presenter or leader identify content that
has been misunderstood. When done inappropriately,
however, disagreement can disrupt and cause confusion. It can redirect the audience’s attention away from
the topic and the presenter toward the person who is
disagreeing. Sometimes it is used as a means for an individual or a small group to gain colleagues’ attention.
Inappropriate disagreement can be reduced or eliminated by (1) summarizing the participant’s point of
view and asking others for their opinion; (2) simply
agreeing to disagree; and (3) agreeing in part, then stating how and why you differ.
Adherence to time schedules is a problem with
almost every training session, meeting, or planned
event I participate in. While there are acceptable reasons for some cases of tardiness, there seems to be a
relationship between the number of people involved
and the degree of their delay. Trying to enlighten participants about the disrespect they show when they
purposefully abuse time schedules may or may not be
effective. When tardiness is a problem, you might do
the following: (1) adhere to time schedules yourself to
lead by example; (2) remind participants of time schedules to help eliminate confusion or misunderstanding;
and (3) privately request promptness from frequent
“offenders.”
You may find yourself won dering, as I often do, at
what point to begin a session or presentation. While
some participants may be legitimately delayed, you
don’t want to punish those who are on time by waiting
to start until everyone has arrived. My solution is to allow up to five minutes for the variance of watches and
clocks and five more for unavoidable delays, then I begin. Perhaps most important is to try to really understand the legitimate reasons for delays and to be
tolerant of individual differences.
Nonparticipation can be a sign of several things.
Those not participating may simply be shy or feel uncomfortable speaking out. It could mean they are
bored or do not understand the presentation or activity, which would indicate that the planning and delivery
need to be improved. Make absolutely sure that you
are not the cause of nonparticipation before moving
ahead in the material. When it is appropriate, you
might also (1) ask open-ended questions to encourage
those who aren’t participating because they feel they
need the “right” answer; (2) increase the level of
activity (intellectually and physically) in the session; (3)
connect with the participants during breaks; (4) encourage the participants to be leaders during
nonthreatening activities; and (5) simply le ave them
alone, trusting that they will still get what they need
out of the session.
A regular Trainer’s Corner was conceived as an
important way to share ideas and information about
working with adults. In the first two columns I’ve explained the reason for the column and touched on
some issues and strategies associated with group dy namics. I’d like to ensure that the topics covered in
each issue are of importance and interest to you, our
readers. Your ideas for future topics are welcome.
Please contact Holly Barton, Writer/Editor, at
hbarton@highscope.org if you have suggestions.
To obtain a copy of the outline of strategies discussed in this
article, contact Tania Leiter at tleiter@highscope.org
Reprinted from High/Scope ReSource, Summer 2004, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 4
© 2004 High/Scope Educational Research Foundation
Page 2