Chapter 2 Communicating Within Groups
Download
Report
Transcript Chapter 2 Communicating Within Groups
Chapter 2
Your Communication in Groups
Verbal communication
Words and meanings
Patterns of language
Verbal Activity
• Concrete vs. abstract words
• Messages accomplish functions
• Influence relationships among members
• Amount of time a group member talks
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
1
Improving Verbal Skills
Provide full descriptions for terminology
Watch for cues that signal members
need more information
Choose your words carefully
Link your messages to comments of
others
Monitor your talking time
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
2
Nonverbal Communication
How words are said or
how behaviors are
used as substitutes
for words
Vocalics
Kinesics
Proxemics
Haptics
Chronemics
Artifacts
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
3
Nonverbal Cues
Multiple nonverbal cues occur
simultaneously
Precise meanings difficult to determine
• No dictionary for nonverbal cues
Group members are often unaware of
the cues they display
Use and interpretation of nonverbal cues
is often culture bound
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
4
Functions of
Nonverbal Communication
Helps structure and manage group
interaction
Facilitates group member identity
Conveys relationship information
Regulates who talks
Reveal quality of group’s interaction
Reveal status of group members
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
5
Verbal and Nonverbal
Communication
Verbal and nonverbal communication are
intertwined
Verbal and nonverbal messages are not
always in agreement
• Generally
the nonverbal message is more
believable
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
6
Improving Nonverbal Skills
Identify the nonverbal messages you
send
• Ask another group member to observe you
Pay attention to how others respond to
you
Observe and analyze the effectiveness
of the nonverbal communication of other
group members
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
7
The Listening Process
In groups, you spend more time
listening than speaking
Listening errors often go undetected
Extraneous conversations affect
listening
More listeners = more possible
interpretations
Listening is difficult
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
8
The Listening Process
Listeners, not speakers, control whether
they will listen
Listening is a process
• Excellent hearing does not ensure listening
• Listening requires interpretation
• Stages of listening occur rapidly
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
9
Listening Pitfalls
Ineffective listening creates artificial
barriers
• Prejudging the speaker
• Rehearsing a response
• Selective listening
Group members often unaware of their
contributions to listening pitfalls
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
10
Active Listening
• Paraphrasing what the speaker says
• Asking questions to confirm
• Taking notes
• Avoid cliché phrases as feedback
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
11
Task Communication
Verbal and nonverbal messages
instrumental to accomplishing group
tasks and activities
• Offer or request direction
• Advance or ask about a belief or value
• Report or request facts, observations, or
experiences
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
12
Relational Communication
Verbal and nonverbal messages that
create social fabric of a group—essential
to creating relationships among group
members
• Demonstrate friendliness or unfriendliness
• Show tension or anxiety, or reduce it
• Demonstrate agreement or disagreement
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
13
Task and Relational Messages
Distinct, but interdependent
Relational messages create context for
group’s task or activity
• Relational problems often reported as primary
reason for work group ineffectiveness
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
14
Group Communication
Outcomes
Synergy
• Performance of group exceeds capabilities of
individual group members
Collectivity efficacy
• Individual group member belief that the group
can be effective
Group potency
• Group members’ collective belief that the
group can be effective
Copyright c 2006
Oxford University Press
15