WHAT IS

GROUP?
 A collection of individuals who have
regular contact and frequent
interaction, mutual influence,
common feeling of camaraderie, and
who work together to achieve a
common set of goals.
A number of people that work

together or share certain beliefs.

A number of people or things that

are located, gathered, or classed

together.
 TYPES OF GROUPS
PRIMARY GROUPS

exist chiefly to satisfy
human needs for
inclusion and affection
rather than to
accomplish a task;
usually long term.
 SECONDARY GROUPS
Formed for the purpose of doing work,
such as completing a task, solving a
problem, or making a decision
Activity groups
Personal growth groups
Learning groups
Problem solving groups
UNDERSTANDING THE
NATURE OF GROUPS
ASPECTS OF THE GROUP:
 ROLES

The various
parts played
by group
members
Position that

people occupy
within the
group, each
with different
expectations
for behavior.
NORMS

The rules
and
expectations
that develop
within
groups.
STATUS SYSTEMS

The distribution of
power and prestige
among group
members.
COMMUNICATION
STRUCTURE

The communication
channels in the
group and who
communicates with
whom.
COHESIVENESS

The members
sense of
belonging

Attracted to each
other, accept its
goals and help
achieve it.

WE that makes
us together---
work like an
adhesive.
COMMUNICATION IN
GROUPS
 WHAT IS
COMMUNICATION?
 The perception, interpretation, and
response of people to signals
produced by other people.
The verbal and nonverbal process by

which individuals forge themselves

into a group, maintain the group ,and
coordinate their efforts.
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
Human
communication is
symbolic

Meanings is not
transferred from
one person to
another: rather
people send
messages to each
other that must be
interpreted

Signals may be
either SIGNS or
SYMBOLS
Communication is
personal

The same word

can have different
meaning to
different people

meanings are in
people not in
words
Communication is a
transactional process

Transactional
implies:
Participants in a
communication
encounter must
cooperate and work
together to achieve
mutual meaning
and understanding.

The sender-receiver
roles in a
communication
transaction occur
simultaneously.
 the
communication
is an ongoing
event with no
clear beginning
or end.

Process
implies:
Communication is
not always
Sometimes
intentional
stated you
cannot NOT
communicate
.
the way

signals are
interpreted
may not be
the way they
were
intended .
 Communication involves content,
relationship.

a)Content or the denotative level of the

message is subject or topics of the
message.
b)Relationship level of the message refers
to what the message reveals about how
the speaker views his/her relationship to
other participants.
c)Affective level of the message reveals how
the speaker feels about what she/he is
saying.
( the latter two levels provide the
 Failure to communicate in group will lead to

Misunderstanding
Conflict
Uncommitted
Mistrust
Disintegration
Confrontations etc.
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION
 Be Clear.
When members of a
team are unclear on
the goals of the team
and their individual
responsibilities, team
motivation and
morale can suffer.
The expectation
must be set that if
any team member is
not clear, they have
an obligation to ask.
One simple trick to
help team leaders
overcome this barrier
is to check for
understanding at the
end of each meeting.
 Be Present.
When team
members
communicate with
one another, each
team member
must make a
commitment to
really listen, seek
to understand one
another, use
appropriate body
language and ask
clarifying
questions.
Be Courteous .

Probably one of the most

overlooked Bs to effective
team communication is the lack
of good old fashion politeness.
Not being courteous in
communication can result in
hard feelings towards team
members and the potential for
individuals on the team to put
up walls.
Cutting people off when they
are talking, not saying thank
you excuse me and
please, personally attacking
team members and being
condescending are all examples
of poor team manners that can
result in poor work
communication on teams.
Be Flexible.

There are going to be

times when not everyone
on the team is going to
agree with an opinion or
on a decision that has
been made.
Team members need to
be flexible enough to
support decisions
contrary to their own
desires, given that their
opinions have been
shared and adequately
heard.
Supporting the decision
doesnt mean that
everyone has to agree,
but they must be willing
to help make whatever
has been decided a
success.
Be Kind .

Team members must

be careful to never
talk bad about each
other.
If you cant say
something nice, dont
say anything at all.
Or, if you arent
willing to address a
problem with the
person there, then
dont.
Refrain from gossip,
it erodes the trust of
those you are
gossiping to and
takes big chunks out
of team morale.