Creating Effective Groups: The Art of Small Group Communication

by Randy Fujishin

Overview

The second edition of Creating Effective Groups provides a straightforward yet comprehensive introduction to the study of small group communication, including the areas of group decision making, group problem solving, group dynamics, leadership, and team building. This practical book gives students the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary to communicate more effectively and interact more productively in the small group setting. This updated edition of Creating Effective Groups contains new sections on reducing speaking anxiety, increasing intercultural understanding-including the S.O.A.R. technique for intercultural awareness-and more. The book also presents new end-of-chapter exercises. With the help of this book, any group member can learn the skills necessary to participate in and lead a task group in an effective, productive, and healthy manner.

About the Author:
Randy Fujishin is a speech communications professor at West Valley College

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538164457
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/06/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
Sales rank:	350,584
File size:	800 KB

About the Author

Randy Fujishin is the author of seven books in the fields of communication, human relationships, and ministry. He has taught Communication Studies at the college level for more than thirty-five years. In addition to teaching, Randy has worked as a family and child therapist and is currently a featured speaker for the high-tech industry and religious organizations throughout the western United States. Most important, Randy is a loving husband, dad, and grandpa.

Table of Contents

Preface     xi
Working in a Group     1
Working in Groups     2
Four Elements of a Problem-Solving Group     3
The Small Group as a System     5
The Power of One     7
Characteristics of Groups     7
Individual and Group Exercises     14
Discovering Yourself     17
Being Open to Self-Discovery     18
Spending Time by Yourself     20
Self-Discovery Inventories     22
Speaking Kindly to Yourself     26
Accepting Yourself     29
Accepting Others     29
Individual and Group Exercises     30
Expressing Yourself Clearly     33
Communication Is a Learned Behavior     34
Five Roles That Prevent Clear Expression     35
The Communication Process     36
I-Statements     41
Four Levels of Communication     42
Gender Differences in Conversational Strategies     45
Guidelines for Speaking Clearly     47
Reducing Anxiety When Speaking     49
Individual and Group Exercises     51
Listening for Understanding     53
The Importance of Listening     54
The Process of Listening     54
Poor Listening Styles     55
Barriers to Listening     57
Acceptance: A Requirement for Listening     57
Listening for Understanding: Active Listening     60
Advantages of Active Listening     65
Guidelines for Active Listening     66
Intercultural Awareness     67
S.O.A.R. Technique     70
Individual and Group Exercises     73
Problem Solving in Groups     75
Myths of Small Group Problem Solving     76
Decision-Making Techniques     79
Discussion Questions     82
The Standard Problem-Solving Agenda     84
The Circular Nature of Problem Solving     88
Being More Creative     89
Individual and Group Exercises     92
Preparing for Discussion     95
You Don't Know Everything     96
We Can Always Know More     97
Where to Research     97
What to Research     101
Constructing an Information Sheet     103
Using Visual Aids     104
Testing Evidence and Reasoning     105
Recognizing Logical Fallacies     110
Being an Ethical Group Member     112
Individual and Group Exercises     114
Guiding Discussion     117
Guiding Discussion to a Shared Path     118
Task-Guiding Behaviors     119
Social-Guiding Behaviors     123
Being an Effective Follower     125
Individual and Group Exercises     127
Leading a Group     129
What Is Leadership?     130
Approaches to Leadership     131
The Attitude of the Servant Leader     135
Leading an Effective Meeting     136
Taking Care of Yourself as the Leader     141
Individual and Group Exercises     143
Building a Cohesive Group     145
The Social Dimension     146
Feeling Successful     147
Feeling Connected     149
Feeling Valued     151
Feeling Supported     153
Trusting Others     155
Groupthink: When Groups Are Too Cohesive     157
Individual and Group Exercises     158
Managing Conflict     161
A Different Approach to Conflict     162
Myths of Conflict     163
Advantages of Conflict     164
Three Types of Group Conflict     166
Dealing with Procedural Conflict     167
Dealing with Substantive Conflict     168
Dealing with Interpersonal Conflict     170
Specific Interventions for Dysfunctional Behavior     172
Forgiveness     175
Individual and Group Exercises     180
Afterword     183
Bibliography     185
Index     189
About the Author     193

Editorial Reviews

Fujishin's book is packed with useful tips on communicating more effectively. It is concise, engaging, and shares valuable insights for students to care for themselves. Along the way, it provides great small group discussion activities. I highly recommend this text.

Jim Hanson

Fujishin's book is packed with useful tips on communicating more effectively. It is concise, engaging, and shares valuable insights for students to care for themselves. Along the way, it provides great small group discussion activities. I highly recommend this text.

From the Publisher

I am grateful to Randy for understanding the “art” of communication and compiling a truly valuable resource for teaching group communication. I will use this text in my consulting practice and recommend it to others facilitating communication courses. The new edition adds a number of valuable sections including, “Critically Thinking about Yourself as a Communicator,” and “Defensive verses Supportive Group Climates.” I look forward to incorporating this new material into my existing course curriculum.

Barbara Thorngren

I've used the previous edition in my introductory small group course for several years. Students find the material practical and easily accessible. He weaves together decades of group-related literature into this concise, readable volume. The book focuses on key aspects of group relationships, something that is too often overlooked or ignored in other small group textbooks. Professor Fujishin has again put together a wonderful resource for students and practitioners alike.

Justin Walton

Randy Fujishin provides a thoughtful framework for successful group work. He diagnoses the most likely ways that teams can fail and provides usable fixes. Fujishin's book introduces students to the complexities of group work and good habits that can help groups succeed; it added concreteness to discussions of successful group dynamics in my seniors’ projects course. Also, you will recognize your own experience in committees in Fujishin's examples, and will be grateful for his ideas about how to avoid problems.

Ben Marsh

I have used Creating Effective Groups in conjunction with a more traditional textbook in my group dynamics course for several years. This is the most approachable book on groups—that is also solidly grounded in research—on the market. Whenever I'm approached to provide guidance to groups who are struggling, I give a copy of this book to the person making the inquiry. Uniformly these individuals have told me that the book made a positive difference in the functioning of their committees and groups.

Betsy L. Morgan

I've been using Randy Fujushin's book for several years now as a supplemental, although required, text for my introductory class in social work practice with groups. The students consistently tell me that this book makes a difference in their professional development and helps prepare them to function as better group leaders and members. The accessible and pertinent content complements and supplements the other, more traditional, group work texts. I'm pleased with the revised edition and will continue to use the text in my teaching.

Debra Nelson-Gardell