Small Group Communication Final (Bloomsburg university)

Which two factors comprise communication competence?

effectiveness and appropriateness

What influences our level of grouphate?

people who don't obey the Platinum Rule

One way to improve communication competence is through sensitivity, which means...?

combining knowledge with skills

Which of the following is TRUE about larger groups, according to Rothwell?

Larger groups have more non-participants than smaller groups.

Penny is looking to put together a team at work, but is unsure of how many people she should recruit for the project. What would Rothwell recommend as the best size for a group?

The smallest size capable of performing the task effectively

If someone in your group is making crude remarks, what is one piece of advice that Rothwell recommends that you do?

Establish a code of conduct that outlines what behaviors are acceptable.

What does cohesiveness refer to?

(All of the above)

Degree to which members feel a part of the group
b)
Degree to which members wish to stay in the group
c)
Degree to which members are committed to each other
d)
Degree to which members are committed to the group's work

In Chapter 2, we discussed a lot about the size of the group and its relationship to productivity. Which range of numbers have researchers found is the most productive?

3-8

What is the minimum number of members that a group can have to be considered a "small group"?

3

There are several ways that we can build cohesiveness in a group. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

Develop a competitive group climate.

Which is NOT an example of nonverbal communication?

The actual words Being used

In ________ communication, the primary meaning of a message is carried by the verbal part of the message.

low-context

According to what we have discussed this week, good communication is common sense.

True

The system for judging the moral correctness of human behavior by weighing that behavior against an agreed-upon set of standards of what constitutes right and wrong is the definition of _________.

ethics

What is the principal way of counteracting grouphate?

communication competence

What is the Platinum Rule?

Treat others as they would like to be treated.

Commitment to the group is important to ______ cultures.

collectivist

What is communication competence?

Engaging in communication behavior (nonverbal or verbal) with others that is both effective and appropriate in given text

What are the four myths about communication

1. Communication is a cure-all
2.communication can break down
3.efffective communication is merely skill building
3. effective communication is just common sense

What are ethics?

system for judging the moral correctness of human behvaior by weighing that behavior against an agreed upon set of standards of what consistues right and wrong

You are in a group with Larry, who shoots down other people's ideas and generally has a poor outlook on the group's progress. This also tends to affect the other members of the group, who typically are upbeat and positive but have now become negative. Larry is an example of a(n)______.

bad apple

Which is one type of group where it is better to have a larger group to prevent speed and efficiency in reaching a decision?

tech company

Usually we want speed and efficiency in groups. What is the one example where we don't want that?

legal events like jury

what is a virtual group

Members are spread around multiple locations
members often have more diverse background
membership tends to be less stable

Media Richness Theory states that communication media fall along a continuum, where some are "richer" than others. If you had to communicate uncertain or ambiguous information, which should you use, according to the theory?

videoconference

Sending a letter through the United States Postal Service is an example of ____, ____ communication.

distributed, asynchronous

What is synchronous communication? What is asynchronous communication?

synchronous - face to face meetings (co located)
asynchronous- post it note ( same place diff time )
email ( asynchronrous diff location but different time itlll be seen)

According to Media Richness Theory, no matter how simple the message, face-to-face communication is always the most effective method.

true

What are the four stages of Tuckman's model?

-forming
-Storming
-norming
-preforming

What are implicit norms?

Rules that are indirectly indicated by unformities in the behavior and attitudes of members

explict norms

rules that expressly identify acceptable behavior

What is secondary tension? What should groups do about it?

Later stress and strain,

When is social loafing least likely to occur?

If members have a say in each others' final evaluation.

_____ are not officially written down, but are followed by group members. Such an example would be sitting in the same seat in a classroom every day.

implicit norms

A club has it in its bylaws that their advisor attend every meeting, so the advisor does. This is an example of _____.

conformity

____, found in supportive group climates, means that group members collaborate towards a mutually acceptable solution, but does not inhibit anyone else's behavior.

problem orientation

__4__
time
__2__
action
__3__
content
__1__
peopl

1.prefers to listen the the feelings of others, easily empathizes
2.wants to know what can be done about an issue
3.enjoys hearing technical information and evaluating arguments
4.highly scheduled and focused on how what they are hearing will affect their next task

What is climate?

Group climate: a groups emotional and relational atmosphere envenloping tone that is created by the way we communicate in groups

What do we mean by civility?

civility is treating people with respect both verbally and nonverbally.

What is the difference between descriptive and evaluative comments?

Eliminate editorial comments from descriptive statements. Some I-statements are undisguised personal assaults. "I feel ashamed when you act like an idiot in front of my team" uses the I-statement form without the supportive intent or phrasing. Even an I-statement that may appear to be a specific description devoid of judgment sometimes inadvertently travels into evaluative territory. "I get irritated when you waste the time of this committee by commenting on trivial side issues" loads the statement with provocative phrasing. "Waste time" and "trivial" retain the evaluative and attack elements likely to induce defensive responses. Simply jettison the provocative, loaded language.

Which is an example of a descriptive comment?

"I am concerned about our progress."

What is a role?

your position in a group

role emergence

In our regular interactions with group members, we may find ourselves unofficially falling into certain roles - that is, we are not assigned to the role, but we take it on. This is an example of

What are the three types of informal roles?

task, maintenance, and self-centered

A position assigned by an organization or specifically designated by a group leader, sometimes known as a job title, is a ____ role.

formal

Implicit theory of leadership refers to the fact that leaders are born and not made.

true

What is the implicit theory of leadership?

Implicit theory of leadership refers to the fact that leaders are born and not made.

What is emotional intelligence?

having a lot of empathy, and knows how to read her own emotions and the emotions of others, and is also good at learning what those emotions mean and get to know the other person better. Jess is high in _____.

People are born with certain characteristics that predispose them to leadership refers to the ___ perspective of leadership.

styles

What is problem solving?

The comprehensive process of moving from an unsatisfactory state to a satisfactory state, which includes a plan for reaching your goal refers to...

What is the functional perspective?

The functional Perspective outlines what group members must communicate with each other to do an effective job of problem solving and decision making

What are the five criteria for evaluating information?

-credbility
currency
relevance
representativeness
sufficency

Choosing from a set of alternatives refers to...

decision making

What is the Standard Agenda?

process of rational decision making and problem solving that focuses on the problem before considering solutions

All teams are groups, but not all groups are teams.

a) True

What does the group "charge" refer to?

task of the team

Team goals should be clear, cooperative, challenging, and...

have commitment from everyone on the team.

What are the four Cs of team goals?

clear
cooperative
challlenging
commitment

What are the four dimensions of team empowerment?

potency, meaningfulness, autonomy, and impact (

potency

is the "shared belief among team members that they can be effective as a team"

meaningfulnesss

is a team's perception that its tasks are important, valuable, and worthwhile. Meaningfulness is enormously important to team success

autonomy

is "the degree to which team members experience substantial freedom, independence, and discretion in their work"

Impact

is the degree of significance given by those outside of the team, typically the team's organization, to the work produced by the team

What is the definition of conflict?

the expressed struggle of interconnected parties who perceive incompatible goals and interference from each other in attaining those goals

What is a conflict spiral?

an escalating cycle of negative communication that produces destructive conflict

What is face?

The projected image of one's self in a relational situation is known as ____.

Which is NOT part of the definition of conflict?

verbal disagreement

What do consultants typically do?

Critique groups constructively so that they can improve.

If you were observing a group discussion and made note of member behaviors, topics discussed, and the types of statements made by specific members, you might be conducting a _____.

content analysis

A _____________ is an observer who does not participate in the group's discussion, often a real asset in spotting what might be wrong and helping a group fix its problems.

participant

Tips for Consulting

Do no harm.
•
Tell the truth.
•
Give constructive criticism.
•
Respect confidentiality and privac