Communicating Successfully In Groups

This practical guide to the psychology of effective communication is suitable for anyone for whom communication in groups is a key part of their job. No previous knowledge of psychology is assumed and the emphasis is on exercises, key point summaries, assessment and improving your skills in everyday situations like committees, project teams, seminars and focus groups. Suitable as an introduction for psychology students, it will be invaluable for students of business, medicine, allied health, social work and probation, whether studying on a short course or attending an intensive training session as part of their continuing professional development.

This practical guide to the psychology of effective communication is suitable for anyone for whom communication in groups is a key part of their job. No previous knowledge of psychology is assumed and the emphasis is on exercises, key point summaries, assessment and improving your skills in everyday situations like committees, project teams, seminars and focus groups. Suitable as an introduction for psychology students, it will be invaluable for students of business, medicine, allied health, social work and probation, whether studying on a short course or attending an intensive training session as part of their continuing professional development.

In order to understand what it means to communicate successfully in groups, students must develop a foundation of communication skills and an understanding of the key elements in group success. This text emphasizes the skills needed in building strong group relationships for problem solving and decision making.

For courses in Small Group Communication A practical approach that helps students learn how to work together in groups successfully Working in Groups provides students with practical strategies, built on theory and research, for communicating and working successfully in groups. Utilizing the concept of balance as a unifying metaphor, authors Isa Engleberg and Dianna Wynn help students acquire the tools to apply group communication theories, methods, and skills effectively-helping them become more valuable and ethical group members. The Seventh Edition offers coverage of fresh topics as well as a new closing chapter on group presentations that better helps students master this key skill. NOTE: This ISBN is for a Pearson Books a la Carte edition: a convenient, three-hole-punched, loose-leaf text. In addition to the flexibility offered by this format, Books a la Carte editions offer students great value, as they cost significantly less than a bound textbook. Working in Groups, Seventh Edition is also available via Revel(tm), an interactive learning environment that enables students to read, practice, and study in one continuous experience. You can also purchase a loose-leaf print reference to complement Revel Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies . This is optional.

Much of contemporary communication occurs between and among small groups, whether in person in a work setting or on the Internet via email, Facebook, or instant messages. How we engage in our small-group communication in each medium matters. To be effective we have to consider our group roles, norms, cohesion, process, and phases of development, as well as our personal verbal and nonverbal communication and listening styles. To succeed as a member of a team, we need to consider the limits of our personal experience and perspective, recognize the creative strength of diverse perspectives in decision making and problem solving, develop our conflict-management skills, and strengthen our leadership skills. To be successful necessitates an understanding of group process, participation style, ethical group behavior, and the influences of the medium. Small Group and Team Communication explores all these different interconnections and the communication strategies we use in our work and social groups. The authors use the systems perspective as their core approach throughout the text, treating small groups as complex open systems reliant upon communication to achieve success. Many chapters highlight the importance of considering ethics and diversity in relation to a variety of topics. Harris and Sherblom address the growing influence of computer-mediated communication to this discipline. Real-world, applied examples show students that what they’re learning aren’t simply abstract concepts, but knowledge that will serve them outside the classroom.

This text employs systems theory as a basic orientation to describe small group communications as open and complex systems, presenting several perspectives for understanding group communication within this systems framework. Focus is on diversity, creativity and teams.

This text focuses student-learning on the key communication competencies recommended by the National Communication Association. With applied examples and a vibrant and engaging design, this text covers all the expected topics in an introductory course (foundations of communication, interpersonal communication, small group communication, and public speaking - plus a special appendix on interviewing). Scenarios begin each chapter with a problem to which students can relate and then solve as they learn about the concepts discussed in each chapter. A concentrated focus on careers in communication, highlighted in a two-page spread near the end of each chapter, brings home the relevance of communication outside the classroom and helps students learn more about how studying communication can help them throughout their lives. Additional emphasis on topics such as ethics, culture, gender, and technology is found throughout the text.