Small groups contain between 3 and 15 people
who interact, are interdependent, and use communication
to create a bond.
Small groups are used to facilitate public
presentations because many organizations
require people to specialize and, consequently,
no one person can effectively know
all the details necessary for a presentation.
Groups make the process of presenting less
stressful because they help us meet our
needs for affection, inclusion, and control.
Group decision making involves four steps:
(1) wording the discussion question, (2) discussing
criteria for evaluating potential solutions,
(3) brainstorming alternatives, and (4) evaluating
alternatives. The group leader(s) can play
an important role in helping the group maintain
structure and creativity throughout this
process.
Various formats can be used for group presentations.
A symposium is a group presentation where
individual members of the group divide a
large topic into smaller topics for coordinated
individual presentations.
A panel is more interactive than a symposium
and relies less on the transmission of
information from speaker to audience.
A debate involves group members presenting
both pro and con messages about a controversial
topic or issue.
When evaluating group productivity, you should
reflect on how well the group met the goals
established through dialogue and planning, and
you should also reflect on and evaluate how
well individual members.
