Chapter One: Introducing Group Principles and Practices
Chapter Summary
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to communication in small groups and teams. After defining small group communication, the chapter explores the meaning of human communication. The importance of teams and the characteristics of an effective team and team members are discussed; strategies to enhance team effectiveness are also addressed.
The chapter outlines five advantages and four disadvantages of working in small groups and teams. It is sometimes the case that group work is not necessary, and individual efforts are preferable; a discussion of when and why this might be true is presented. Small group communication needs to be ethical, so some guidelines for achieving that are discussed.
Virtual small group communication became a reality for many people with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration in virtual and non-virtual environments is compared, and concepts such as asynchronous messaging, synchronous communication, anonymity, deception, and social presence are discussed. Three theories of virtual communication are also considered.
Chapter Objectives
After studying this chapter, the students will be able to:
1.1 Define small group communication
1.2 Evaluate teams for effective practices
1.3 Identify the advantages and disadvantages of participating in groups and teams
1.4 Compare primary, secondary, and bona fide groups
1.5 Use methods to make virtual group meetings effective
Chapter Outline
1.1: Communicating in Small Groups
1.1.1: Communication
Communication Is about Making Sense
Communication Is about Sharing Sense
Communication Is about Creating Meaning
Communication Is about Verbal and Nonverbal Messages
Communication Is Transactional
Communication Includes Several Elements
Communication May Be Mediated
Communication
Is Essential for Effective Group Outcome
1.1.2: A Small Group of People
1.1.3: Meeting with a Common Purpose
1.1.4: Feeling a Sense of Belonging
1.1.5: Exerting Influence
1.2: Communicating in Teams
Four Attributes of Effective Teams
○ Teams Develop Specific and Measurable Goals
○ Teams Develop Clearly Defined Roles, Duties, and Responsibilities
○ Teams Have Clearly Defined Rules and Expectations
○ Teams Are Coordinated and Collaborative
1.2.1: Characteristics of an Effective Team
Ideal Teams Characteristics
○ A Clear, Elevating Goal
○ A Results-Driven Structure
○ Competent Team Members
○ Unified Commitment
○ A Collaborative Climate
○ Standards of Excellence
○ External Support and Recognition
○ Principled Leadership
1.3: Advantages and Disadvantages of Communicating in Groups and Teams
1.3.1: Advantages of Working in Groups and Teams
More Information
Enhanced Creative Problem Solving
Greater Comprehension
Enhanced Satisfaction
Enhanced Self-Understanding
1.3.2: Disadvantages of Working in Groups and Teams
Pressure to Conform
One Person May Dominate
Uneven Work Distribution
Takes More Time
1.3.3: When Not to Collaborate
When There Is Limited Time When an Expert Has the Answer When the Information Needed Is Readily Available When Conflict Is Unmanageable
1.3.4: Ethically Communicating in Small Groups
1.4: Communicating in Different Types of Groups
1.4.1: Primary Groups
Family Groups
Social Groups
1.4.2: Secondary Groups
Problem-Solving Groups
Decision-Making Groups
Study Groups
Therapy Groups Committees
Focus Groups
1.4.3: The Bona Fide Group Perspective
1.5: Communicating in Virtual Groups
1.5.1: Differences between Virtual and Non-Virtual Collaboration
Time
○ Asynchronous Message
○ Synchronous Message
○ Social Presence
Varying Degrees of Anonymity
Potential for Deception
Nonverbal Messages
Written Messages
Copyright © 2025, 2020, 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All
Distance
1.5.2: Virtual Group Theories
Cues-Filtered-Out Theory
Media Richness Theory
Social Information-Processing Theory
Skilled Collaboration
Participating in Virtual Groups
○ Start Early
○ Communicate Often
○ Multitask Skillfully
○ Use Technology Skillfully
○ Don’t Look at Yourself on Zoom
○ Be Clear
○ Be Flexible
○ Set Deadlines
Leading Virtual Groups
○ Provide the Right Resources
○ Provide Technology Training
○ Provide Good Tech Support
○ Openly Reward and Compliment Team Members
○ Ensure Effective Communication Skill
Discussion Questions
1. Ask students to summarize the differences between a small group and a team. List their comments on a flip chart or your presentation software.
2. Discuss students’ use of virtual communication. Which platform do they use most often? What are the benefits and disadvantages of virtual communication? How does this apply to different types of groups (i.e., informal student teams, classroom discussions, group interviews, friends chatting)?
3. Discuss the continuum of media-rich and media-lean methods of communication. Ask your students to provide examples of communication at three or four points along this continuum.
4. One-minute paper: Students submit a single sheet of paper responding to these prompts: a. What do I like about working in groups?
b. What do I dislike about working in groups?
c. What specifically would I like to learn about group and team work?
5. Discuss collaboration via social media with your students. In groups, ask them to select a particular social media platform and create a list of advantages and disadvantages concerning collaboration using that platform.
Study Guide Activities
1. Assumptions and Consensus
As you participate in small groups, it is useful to understand your assumptions about how groups function and to compare your own assumptions with those of other members in your group.1
Read each of these statements once. Indicate whether you agree (by marking A) or disagree (by marking D) with each statement, and then compare your answers with those of your group members.
1. ______ A primary concern of all group members should be to establish an atmosphere in which all members feel free to express their opinions.
2. ______ In a group with a strong leader, an individual is able to feel more personal security than in a leaderless group.
3. ______ Individuals who are part of working groups should do what they think is right, regardless of what the groups decide to do.
4. ______ It is sometimes necessary to use autocratic methods to obtain democratic objectives.
5. ______ Sometimes, it is necessary to push people in the direction you think is right, even if they object.
6. ______ It is sometimes necessary to ignore the feelings of others in order to reach a group decision.
7. ______ One should not openly criticize or find fault with leaders who are doing their best.
8. ______ Democracy has no place in a military organization, such as an air task force or an infantry squad, when it is engaged in battle.
9. ______ When everybody in the group has to be considered before making a decision, much time is wasted talking.
10. ______ Almost any job that can be done by a committee can be done better by giving one individual responsibility for the job.
11. ______ By the time most people reach maturity, it is almost impossible for them to increase their skills in group participation.
After you have marked the statements, form small groups and see if you can agree or disagree unanimously with each statement. Try especially to find reasons for differences of opinion. If your group cannot reach agreement or disagreement, you may change the wording in any statement to promote unanimity.
2. Get-Acquainted
Scavenger Hunt
Your instructor will ask you to find people in your class or group who match as many descriptive prompts as possible. When you meet someone who matches a particular description, write that person’s name in the corresponding space. Use this as a way of getting better acquainted with people with whom you will be working or studying.2
1. Someone with your eye color
2. Someone born in the same state you were
3. Someone whose astrological sign is the same as yours
4. Someone who likes the same sport you do
5. Someone who likes your favorite food
6. Someone who has the same number of letters in their name
7. Someone who feels it is okay to cry in public
8. Someone who is the youngest in the family
9. Someone who would like to write a book
10. Someone who has seen the same movie at least three times
11. Someone who has traveled outside the United States
12. Someone who likes to ski
13. Someone who is an only child ___
14. Someone who can speak more than one language
15. Someone who likes to cook
Experiential Exercises
1. Ice Breaker Activity: Talk to Me
Goal
The Talk to Me exercise has the primary purpose of students getting to know one another in a small group environment.
Time
Students should be given 15 minutes for their conversation.
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Procedure
Divide students into groups of five. Distribute a snack such as pretzels or M&Ms. Have the students take as many as they would like; however, they should be cautioned not to eat any of them. Then, they should reveal a fact about themselves for each pretzel they took. Group members can then discuss how they form first impressions. They can also share important facts that they learned about their group members.
2. Impression Formation: High Point
Goal
The High Point activity has a twofold purpose. The students will get to know one another, and the instructor will be able to use this activity to help place students in groups whose members complement one another on various dimensions.
Time Varies
The instructor may choose to limit the amount of time for each participant to two to three minutes.
Procedure
A High Point in a team/group situation is defined as any positive experience a person remembers while working in a team. Include the number of participants in the group and the result of the project. The project can be recent, past, high school-related, work-related, family-related, or university-related.
This exercise can be repeated once a week or at the beginning of each class meeting, and the topic can be related to the chapter topic. The instructor should take notes on the order in which each student participates (i.e., who speaks first, last, reluctantly, eagerly). The topic chosen should also be noted.
3. Elevator Exercise
Goal
The purpose is to demonstrate the definition of small groups.
Group Size
Five
Time Required
Ten to fifteen minutes
Procedure
Select five students for this role-playing exercise. Provide this scenario: Students are waiting for an elevator; the door opens, and all the students enter. The elevator continues going to the second, third, and fourth floors until it suddenly stops between floors. The students must now decide what to do. Let them talk for up to five minutes about how to resolve this dilemma. (Tell them that cell phone coverage is blocked, but the elevator has the usual features that most elevators would have.)
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Follow-Up Discussion
The class observes the group experience wherein the members progress from a group of individuals to a group that shares a common goal or purpose. They determine who exerts influence over whom. They decide what form of leadership has evolved. Has a leader emerged, or have the students proceeded to solve this problem democratically?
4. GroupMe Exercise
Goal
The purpose is to introduce students to the concept of virtual collaboration.
Time Required
Thirty to Forty Minutes
Procedure
Divide students into groups. Ask them to create a GroupMe chat using their phones and begin a new discussion using ONLY GroupMe messaging. Students can remain silently in the classroom or spread out in the halls. Give students the task of brainstorming strategies for succeeding in this small group course and determining how they might attain their desired grade. Again, this should be done in silence to better simulate social media interaction. In addition, ask them to discuss some of the issues they may face. What concerns do they have? What challenges may arise?
Follow-Up Discussion
Together as a class, have each group briefly summarize their strategies and express their concerns to allow each group to see both commonalities and differences between small groups.
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Developed by Alvin Goldberg, University of Denver.
D. W. Johnson, Reaching Out: Interpersonal Effectiveness and Self-Actualization (Allyn & Bacon, 2000).