Group Communication Paper

The forming stage is characterized by dependency, and need for acceptance and guidance. In this stage the "meet and greet" is done. During the meet and greet each member gathers information that will determine the strength of potential relationships amongst group members, as well as establish group hierarchy. Generally, in this stage the leader of group is selected. The group leader has a tendency to be someone that is viewed as stable and

Whether groups are formed for social or task oriented purposes, the ability to produce and maintain a sense of affiliation, peer support and collaboration is important for overall group functioning. The cohesion of a social group is produced through the establishment of a set of group norms, which are later defined as a guide for conduct accepted within a group of individuals. However, in order for a group to perform and produce results, the team leader should guide his/her team through the proper stages of group development, which includes the following steps: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Although teams should follow all these stages of group development, the forming and the norming stages are the most important,

Similar to Tuckman’s five stages of group development is Corey and Corey, they claim that the first stage; Pregroup is “setting expectations, establishing group rules and procedures, role preparation and skills building” (Corey, Corey, Corey 2010 p123). The group did well in this stage, as the group was given a very clear aim, we discussed each members skill sets and while preparing a group contract with our aims objectives and rules. A group contract is a very useful facilitation tool as it sets out very clear guidelines for the group and defines what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour for the group members (Tuckman 1965). The group members were able to gain clarity from the group contract, allowing them to identify the norms and boundaries of the group. For example our group decided that if a member were for any reason not be able to attend a meeting they would have to let the team know in advance, if this did happen the rest of the team would relay the information via email to the missing group member.

In my opinion, group work is a type of cooperative learning that helps people to accomplish a certain task in a faster and more effective manner. Team working also helps to achieve the tasks that are impossible to finish by one individual. However, if people in a group have a lot of conflicts, group work will not be able to achieve as much as we expected. There are many reasons which lead to dissatisfaction in group work such as individualism as well as conflicts in opinion and time.

A group should be small between five to nine persons, so that each one will be able to relate and engage every member in the group. The group is viewed as a system, the condition of any member affects the other (Fatout, 1992).

Tuckman (1965) proposed that when developing teams, groups proceed through four general stages of development, namely: Forming, storming, norming and performing.

Mrs. Johnson I would like to start off by saying congratulations on your new manager position within the company. In your managerial position, you will have four employees who have worked with the company for a period of time. The employees have worked and communicated well with each other. Each person puts each others needs and the companies’ needs before their own. While I have been their manager, they have been very productive and have met all goals that have been placed before them. Here are some tips on making your transition in becoming their new manager

Group members must build mutual respect for and trust and confidence in one another, so that “feel free to express opinions, test ideas, and ask for, or offer help when it is needed” (Smith, 1983).

Communication Climate is a tool for helping to examine how people cooperate in a group. The most recent small group communication I had was a one and half hour team meeting with my supervisor and six teammates in a conference room yesterday.

Tuckman proposes that groups develop via five stages; forming, storming, norming, performing and finally adjourning (Archee, Gurney, & Mohan, 2013a). The first stage, known as forming, involves clarifying the task and purpose of the group, and identifying boundaries of both the task and interpersonal behaviour (Archee et al., 2013a). For the presentation task we were randomly allocated into groups. This worried me greatly as I have struggled in the past with group members who do not contribute equally or see the task as important as other group members. To avoid this problem, the group collectively determined and agreed upon a number of ground rules. For example, we decided that all group members were expected to contribute equally to the presentation, all group members were expected to attend and contribute at all group meetings, and all group members would adhere to agreed upon deadlines. Having failed to do this in previous group assignments, this clarification stage

The organization has five stages of group development. In the forming stage they have identified that there is a

The four stages of group development also known as ‘life cycle’ has been developed by the respected psychologist Bruce W. Tuckman in 1965. He observed the behavior of small groups in different working environments and concluded that individuals need to pass through the four stages of group development in order to achieve their best results (Chimaera Consulting, 2001). He is well known for his article “Developmental Sequence in small groups”. The four phrases of group development are forming, storming, norming and performing. Later in 1977, a fifth stage known as adjourning was added by Bruce Tuckman and Mary-Ann Jensen (Hingst and Raymond, 2006).

Apart of the beginning stage, we had to enable a sense of trust for one another in order for the group to proceed. We also clarified confidentiality within the group, developed a contract, and helped to guide the development of the group and group tasks. The beginning stage play an important role in this experience because it was the foundation for each of us to become engaged. Things that were accomplished during the beginning stage were getting to know one another, define our roles within the group, recognize communication styles of each member. We decided that everyone in the group would have a chance to lead in each meeting. We decided on ground rules and developed a concrete plan by completing time tables for each task. Initially, the group was formed and completed only to fulfill the class assignment and seemed annoying. However, as the process progressed I found it extremely useful. In preparation for continuing the group, it helped to structure our obligation within the group and gain group experience.

Effective group communications come in forms of verbal and non-verbal techniques. Essential parts of the entire group’s contribution are that the group contains full participating members, the group is diverse, and that the diversity is recognized and respected (Hartley, 1997). In the videos viewed, three were evaluated on the effective and ineffective communication skills of the participants and suggestions made on how they could improve. The videos are titled, “Planning a Playground”, “Helping Annie”, and "The Politics of Sociology.

I would like to talk about my experience using the frame of Tuckman’s Five Stages of Group Development, which our team definitely experienced. During the first stage, which is forming, there is a great deal of uncertainty about the group’s purpose, structure, and leadership. We found this to be true during the scavenger hunt activity. When faced with the tasks, I noticed that we did not know how to make up our minds about who to listen to. We tried our best to strategize together, but without a clear structure, it made it difficult and we were always confused about our next move. This stage