Communicating in Groups: Applications and Skills

Communicating in Groups offers a concise, step-by-step introduction to the theory and practice of small group communication, and teaches students to develop and apply critical thinking in group problem solving. With the firm belief that group participation can be an uplifting and energizing experience, authors Kathy Adams and Gloria Galanes give students the tools they will need in order to achieve this outcome. Research and theory are presented with a focus on what is important to students--understanding their group experiences and making them effective communicators.

Table of Contents:
Part One: Orientation to Small Group Systems1. Small Groups as the Heart of SocietyGroups in Your LifeGroups versus Individuals as Problem Solvers Groups, Small Groups, and Small Group CommunicationClassifying Groups by their Major PurposeBeing a Valuable Group MemberBeing and Ethical Group MemberThe Participant-Observer Perspective2. Groups as Structured Open SystemsOverview of General Systems TheoryThe Small Group as a SystemOrganizations as Systems of Groups Part Two: Foundations of Small Group Communicating.3. Communication Principles for Group MembersCommunication: What’s That?Implications for Small Group CommunicationListening: Receiving, Interpreting, and Responding to Messages from Other Group Members4. Verbal and Nonverbal Message Use in Small Group CommunicationCreating Messages in a Small GroupHow Communication Structures the Small GroupUsing Language to Help the Group ProgressNonverbal Messages in Small Group CommunicationComputer-Mediated Communication and Group Messages5. Creative and Critical Thinking in the Small GroupWhat Is Creative Thinking?Enhancing Group CreativityWhat Makes Thinking “Critical”?Enhancing Critical Thinking in a Group6. Group Problem-Solving ProceduresA Systematic Procedure as the Basis for Problem SolvingWhat Is a Problem?Effective Problem Solving and Decision MakingThe Procedural Model of Problem Solving (P-MOPS)Applications of P-MOPS Part Three: Understanding and Improving Group Throughput Processes7. Becoming a GroupThe Life Cycle of a GroupPhases and Social Tensions in the Development of a GroupGroup Socialization of MembersGroup RolesRules and NormsDevelopment of a Group’s Climate8. Celebrating Diversity in the Small GroupWhat is Diversity?Celebrating Diversity/Bridging Differences9. Managing Conflicts ProductivelyWhat is Conflict?Myths about ConflictGroupthinkManaging Conflict in the Group10. Applying Leadership PrinciplesLeadership and LeadersMyths about LeadershipCurrent Ideas about LeadershipWhat Good Leaders DoEncouraging Distributed LeadershipEthical Guidelines for Group Leaders Part Four: Small Group Public Presentations11. Planning, Organizing, and Presenting Small Group Oral PresentationsThe Planning StageThe Organizing StageThe Presenting StageWhat Makes a Good Oral PresentationAppendix: Techniques for Observing Problem-Solving GroupsReferencesBibliographyIndex

About the Author :
Katherine L. Adams is Professor of Speech Communication at California State University, Fresno, where she received a Meritorious Promise and Performance award in 1989. She has served as their Graduate Coordinator since 1989. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah under the direction of B. Aubrey Fisher. She has authored four instructors manuals in interpersonal and small group communication and most recently, this group communication book with Gloria Galanes. She has published articles in the areas of conversational analysis and interpersonal communication. Currently she is an associate editor for Communication Reports and The Western Journal of Communication. She participates, at all levels, in the Western States Communication Association and Speech Communication Association and teaches in the areas of interpersonal communication, communication theory, small group communication, and research methods. Gloria J. Galanes is Associate Professor of Communication and Mass Media at Southwest Missouri St. University and has received the Universitys Faculty Excellence in Teaching and the Outstanding Graduate Faculty Member awards.