MediaSpace Wiki

Small Group Spring2006 Session04

Agenda

• Study opportunity
• Returns
• Group discussion of questions
• Notes review
• Questions

Modeling Group Communication

• In session 2 we discussed basic models of the communication process, including:

An Ecological Model of the Communication Process From Foulger (2004).

• Today we'll talk about the process of modeling, as it is a convenient way of making ideas comprehensible
  • Of course standard models of communication still apply
  • But small group involves more than two people by default, so at least in the above model, there is always more than one consumer
  • If we keep in mind that every one of those consumers
    • will be a creator within the group
    • has learned different things
    • has different relationships with others in the group
    • will interpret and attribute things differently
    • has different relationships outside the group
    • has different motivations within the group
  • We move a long way towards making this model work for groups
• But there are certainly things beyond size that it doesn't capture
  • The importance of shared purpose
  • The notion of interdependence
  • The concept of perceived boundaries
  • The importance of regular interaction
• So there will be value in looking at small group communication in other ways, as we did in a small way at the end of session 2:

• The systems approach is one such way
  • From a systems perspective, a group is not just a collection of people
  • Its an artifact, constructed by its members, that has the potential achieve more than its members might achieve individually
    • As Henman puts it, 1+1=3
    • Of course that doesn't always happen
      • Groups often succeed
      • But they also fail, sometimes spectacularly
        • 59 of the 138 group reports overviewed in Hirokawa, ?DeGooyer, and Valde failed
• The systems perspective is a response to "reductionism"
  • Breaking a system down into its fundamental components
  • And studying those components in isolation in the hope of better understanding the system
  • Systems thinking says that this doesn't work
    • because it misses the context all the other pieces provide
    • because it misses the interaction of all the pieces
  • But systems theory still has to structure things
    • So the pieces don't go away
    • The system theorist just doesn't study them in isolation
    • Simon's (1968) model of artifacts captures some of this

• Note here that for our purposes:
  • The group is the artifact
• We can also trivially turn Henman's article into a group model

• Note that in this model that
  • the group acts as a kind of medium
  • Many of the traditional group structures might be viewed as "noise"
    • Groups that fail do so because these these things create noise that increases entropy
    • Groups that succeed do so because we leverage these things into synergy that helps the group to reduce entropy

• Hirokawa, ?DeGooyer, and Valde also produce a model in their five factors that impact success or failure.
  • These factors were summarized in a table that is partially reproduced here:

Factor	Reported as success factor	Reported as failure factor
Member Attributes (Competence, Communication Skills, Motivation)	32%	92%
Organization (Clarity of roles and responsibilities; leadership)	47%	58%
Process	32%	54%
Relationships	35%	9%
External Support	6%	10%

• And here's the model:

• Informal models like these can be an invaluable tool in taking notes:
  • Note that this is a convenient excuse to talk to you about the process of note taking
  • Ways of taking notes
    • Index cards
      • great for taking notes by hand
      • easy to organize, reorganize, and sort
      • build your outline like a little movie storyboard
    • Paper
      • Reference List
        • Keep track of every source you use
        • Record in APA format, even in note taking (http://library.montclair.edu/APAStyle.html)
          • An APA formatting tool: http://www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php?mode=form&list=nonprint&cm=9
          • More online resources on APA style: ManualOfStyle
      • Mind Maps
        • try drawing a picture instead of making a list

A mind map:

(taken from http://www.jcu.edu.au/studying/services/studyskills/mindmap/sampleessay.html)

• Note that a mind map is a kind of informal model
• Directly on your computer
  • Laptop computer
  • Handheld computer
• Web note taking systems
  • Blogs
  • Wiki Collaborative Composition Systems (for example: http://evolutionarymedia.com/student.htm)
• Whatever your method, take three sets of notes
  1. Collect Keywords to help with searching
     • Start with your topic
     • Look at your purpose and thesis
     • Draw on personal experience
     • And add any other useful keywords you encounter while resarching
  2. Collect References as you find them
     • In APA format (as best you can remember it)
     • I usually number my references in the order I find them
     • And then use put that number with any idea I get from that source
  3. Ideas and the relationships between ideas
     • Quotes where the way something is said seems compelling
     • Paraphrases in your own words otherwise
     • And any ideas that occur to you as you research

Index Card Assignment due Thursday

After you do this weeks readings, create your own model of small group communication.