Effective groups sit together and discuss in order to reach a final decision. Ideally, members would communicate ideas and exchange feedback in response to the issue raised. This process can be labelled as "group communication" - that we talk to each other, explain our stance, ask for clarification, and debate contradicting ideas.
Sometimes, group discussions lead to conflict - don't panic. This is a healthy progress because group members are open to express their own opinions - never succumb to groupthink, that is. This conflict will invite debate, sub groups, further debate, and finally a group decision via majority vote or consensus.
Indeed, group communication entails a lot of talking!
So, what if you're "born" - shy? quiet? and you believe you have problems with self-confidence and self-esteem? What if you become sick on the discussion day, and you've lost your voice, and you can't cognitively process the information in order to argue for or against a preliminary decision. Do you suddenly lose your significance? What can you do to (still) contribute to the success of your group communication?
Sometimes, group discussions lead to conflict - don't panic. This is a healthy progress because group members are open to express their own opinions - never succumb to groupthink, that is. This conflict will invite debate, sub groups, further debate, and finally a group decision via majority vote or consensus.
Indeed, group communication entails a lot of talking!
So, what if you're "born" - shy? quiet? and you believe you have problems with self-confidence and self-esteem? What if you become sick on the discussion day, and you've lost your voice, and you can't cognitively process the information in order to argue for or against a preliminary decision. Do you suddenly lose your significance? What can you do to (still) contribute to the success of your group communication?
TIPS:
- Recall the good, easy moments in class when your close friend talks (or presents a speech) in front of the class and you sit back comfortably at your seat. Once in a while, you'd nod your head and smile to show support. Now, apply this skill to your group and see how you encourage others to talk. When they return your favour, you'll find support in speaking your mind - speak up!
Can you imagine a group of speakers with no listener at all? Hence, one way to make groups work is to train listeners as much as we train speakers. Of course not passive listeners!
Use nonverbal messages like leaning forward, head nods, hand movement, as regulators to direct the flow of interaction.
If you have quiet and shy members, who undoubtedly have lots of ideas, prompt them to talk. Probes like - "Let's listen to Qila's opinion on this issue" or "I'm sure Raj can explain this better than me" - shifts the responsibility to talk onto the less extrovert member - at least, it saves him from volunteering his idea!
Limit your group discussion to one idea or issue within one time frame. Arguing over four or five ideas at one time makes you muddled and puzzled...and move on to the following ideas using transition signals or signposting.
In a nutshell, this article emphasizes on how completely anybody can play an effective role in a group discussion. It doesn't require a talkative person, nor an extrovert personality, or a leader to make groups work!
I'm sure you have experienced your own secrets of group success. Please share it with the person next to you, and also this blog community.
25 comments:
group success is only visible when every member participates, on any scale.
like Pn.Zue said, it can be a simple nod, leaning forward, eye contact.. this makes the speaker feel that his input is valid and accounted for.
"do to others what you would have them do to you" - Matthew 7:12
what we can apply here is that, treat others input and ideas with respect and attention. Cause when its our turn to voice out an opinion, who would you feel if you were taken for granted and not listened to?
group dynamics simply requires chemistry among group members. People who are comfortable with the people around them will certainly be active in a discussion. So how to cultivate group chemistry? Well, in my opinion knowing the person helps, or at least spending time with them.
So spend time "arguing" with your group mates and you will notice the development of ideas and proper flow of a discussion.
Organization of ideas is extremely important esp. in a group discussion, people tend to get caught up and stray away from the target idea, its the job of the group leader to bring order in such a situation.
The important thing in a group discussion i believe, is the ideas,opinions,point of views,the i thinks, how abouts, why nots, and the what ifs....speaking capability or your flair of the language comes second to this.
when im workin in a group, i used to be the most unactive member.. im too shy to speak up n express my ideas.. after my dad who is a lecturer told me that i need to counter my shyness, i realize that people will appreciate more of our presence if we contribute to the group.. even if it is juz a small contribution, it do helps! :)
I know many people who fear public speaking.This includes the enthusiastic learners in class, the budding talents, who are the future leaders of our nation. Graded speech can become threatening, yeah...now, take it one step at a time...like what almost everybody here believes and has done. Try speaking to a small group of audience, 2 or three friends, small group discussion, and most importantly, make as many friends as possible in the semester. It really helps to communicate to people whom you already know, but of course, in reality, you will have to expect a crowd as well as unfamiliar faces - who may be critical, skeptical, also supportive ones. cheers:)
I like the quote hemalan posted in his comment. In fact it is my principal of life. It is who I am right now.
Working in a group is always a plus. As the saying goes, "two brains is better than one".
Through this method many suggestions can be voiced, many alternatives can be discussed, many solutions to choose from. It can also lighten the too serious mood and minimize stress as members share the amount of effort and responsibilities.
Hmm..what else..i think hemalan has said it all..well done :p
i use to hate groupwork, primarily because there is always someone that doesn play their role. right from primary school up to high school and even now in university, this always happen. I enjoy working on my own but then again, I think groupwork are necessary. To build confidence when speaking in a group can be a kick-start before speaking in a huge audience which is bound to happen in the near future for everyone.
back in school i didnt have many chance to work in a group. Thats because most of the works then requires us to work on our own. But during the times when i had the chance i would just sit quietly in my corner and let everyone else do the talking and the work. Its not that i'm lazy or anything, i'm just way too shy then and was afraid i'd messed things up if i opened my mouth.
When i entered uniten things changed drastically. We had group works for practically every subjects and each one of them required me to actually talk and contribute something to the group.And for everytime i have to get in a group its usually with different people..which is great..since i began to conquer my fear of speaking up and gets to mingle around with more people.
I also found out that when trusted with a responsibility i am quite able to do my job like getting every member in the group to speak up, play their parts and start contributing something and all. After all, 'there's no I in a team.'
its true that people can probably work better together if they already knew the other person. Because then it will just feel like a chat with friends rather than a discussion so they will probably be more willing to speak up their minds. At times it can be refreshing to hear what others have to say especially if you find it interesting to hear ideas which totally differs from yours.This will make you start to think differently and out of the box.
The way i see things now, groupwork doesnt mean groups that are assigned to do work only, groupwork also become a group that get together casually, in our word 'just for the heck of it'. we just meet up and talk like there's nothing in this world that matters. but still in those groups, there is always someone that doesnt talk, people that like to keep to themselves, i havent stop wondering why. and I still cant figure out the answer. I mean, in that group, we're all friends right? So, why do they keep to themselves all the time?
group work actually can get others opinion or ideas.. dont think all of our opinion or ideas is true and dont want to hear about others opinion anymore.. our knowledge is limited..as we all know, ALLAH's knowledges is very wide..since than we're die also His knowledge does not covered all of that.. through group discussion, i think we can get a lot of ideas maybe before this we dont know about that..
group work can also make our mind to think about the point that we're discuss.from this, it will make our mind to think n responds quickly.. that's all can make our group discussion more interesting n attractive..
accidental, we can got self-confidence except by those who are "angguk2 geleng2" about the point that we're discussed at all the time!! ;p
i think group work is very important because it will make us minggle around with people or in other words socialize with others and it will also help us to share ideas with others....this may benefit in many ways.As Pn.Zue said it also may bring us to conflict and i have experiance it many times.When it is called group work it should always be interaction and particpating.I get on my nervous when the other group members don't particpate well and they expect us to do most of the work or assignment which is given by the lecturer.So this problem can be salved only when the group members particpate.May be our opinions are funny or not logiz to them, but they should listen and think before saying anything.As i said just now group work lead us to socialize which is very important when we work so that we can mingle aroung with our collaegue to perform a better job. other than that sharing ideas will also benefit us because it will give us new information bout things and we can also tell others about things that they don't know.
in a conclusion group work helps us a lot in the future so we must always work together...I remeber Pn.Zue said in class that no one is alone on this earth...I agree with it very much.
salam madam zue..
last class you divide us to 6 groups and each group must have minimum 3 girls and 2 boys and also must have 1 indian or chinese members.. i've got my groups and my group members is awesome... you gave us first task in group that is impromptu speech and the title of speech is flood... for the first time in group, we communicate and share idea among us... each of us have different idea and i realize that they give their cooperation very good and each of the ideas they give,we respect it very much..
the points is, working in group have a lots of benefits even though we are arguing to shared the ideas.. sharing and changing ideas is the best method when you are in study group or group discussion...
talking about group members that is shy to speak up their ideas or opinions, to me it it always happen... it also happen to me before this, i'm to shy to share my ideas or opinion among my group members... after that, i realize that even i give a small contributions in my groups actually it is helped my own groups..
when in groups, we cannot selfish, we cannot ask peoples just follow our words, we cannot simply reject ideas or opinions from other group members...we need to respect each other, cooperate together and respect other peoples ideas or opinions..until then, that groups will become the best groups in class..
I think group work is very important because it will make us socialize with others and it will also help us to share ideas with others....When it is starting a group work it should always be interaction and participating... during group work...we listed out several ideas...Mayb the ideas or opinions are funny or not logic to other members in the group, but they should listen and think before saying anything...Group work lead us to socialize which is very important when we work at outside..So that we can perform a better job..Sharing ideas will also benefit because it will give us new information out of our own box..Nevertheless,we can also tell others about things that they do not know or no think about it...
In conclusion, group work helps us a lots...so we must involve more in the group work...
Groups that work are groups that functions as a unit. It also requires two-way communication among all the group members. I would like group work more if it wasnt for some members who have zero commitment. Nevertheless, by working in groups, we can definitely expect people to come up with ideas or opinions we've never thought of. It happens quite frequently in fact - and i would nod and quickly jot down the splendid idea that the person had said. A successful group needs a caliber leader as well, which is one of the aspects that im working hard on to excel as a leader who can manage a group of people and drive us all to victory. Other than that, I can meet new people by engaging in group assignments. It offers the opportunity to initiate the interaction between you and a stranger, who you wouldn't normally talk to in a million years' time. This can hone our communication skills which is priceless in this competitive age.
team works! great. one thing that is not familiar to the students at the university. most projects, course work will involve group work. However, not everyone can commit full time to do the work assigned. therefore, the group should have a person who led the work to be done. the team also needs to compromise with members because it is very important. when all the work, the work becomes easier. the group also teaches us to interact, collaborate, and many benefits can be obtained. so, enjoy working for the group!
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group discussion is better than you do it on your own especially when you are trying to solve a complicated issue or task.when you are in a group.you dont need to crack your head to much.you only need to give an idea even a little can be helpful to your group because the others have their own thought. too.Thus,group discussion can bring me benefits to us.
Firstly,an idea to a certain task can be expand by combining the idea of your group.Besides that,person who are shy or quiet.they can developed their self-esteem and inner confidence within themselves when they are asked to speak out their thoughts.
Apart from that,group discussion can also lead us to make new friends.
So,work together as a team because teamwork is the most important in almost evrything.
salam.
Pn Zue,
G.R.O.U.P.S its a words that needs lot of teamwork. if there are no teamwork,sure its killing one by one. Its like a game,strategies,a ideas to make it successful. We must achieve a good result to make it more attractive and when we can do it, we feel like a blow a thousands of wind. in a groups, there should be a leader to make it in sequence. this is my opinion in this topic.
regards,
there were once i am a very shy and unactive member of my study group or any group i join in. i have a problem of shyness and also afraid to try out. i was so afraid and always say "what if im wrong?" to myself. but not now. my shyness has gone down to such a degree. but still said the same thing to myself. since i have study hard and i know some of my fact were 100% correct, i now speak up and let my idea out even if it was not accepted. sometime i even feel depress when my brilliant idea was rejected at the very moment i let it out. sometime i said "why do they ask for my idea if they want to reject it?". however i have kept a very important words from my brothers "never give up" and "try again"
syimir izzaffy said:
Why do group discussion is implement in all kind of learning process?there must be its own reason.As for me, group discussion is about responsibility in exchanging idea for together benefits.But,we have to remember that every group member should have their own task. This is to avoid sleeping partner in the group. If everybody are doing their task, this may lead to the group success. Compilation of idea will generate an excellent final result. More over, the idea that produce will make everybody satisfy and feel the team spirit. Feel like the team or group is like your family then everybody will feel close to each other.
A group is defines as "two or more people working together and satisfying needs through interaction (Millar et al. 1996). Groups are formed when people work together. There are formal and informal group. Formal group are group that formed to complete a specific task while informal group is formed voluntarily with common interest or roles.
Which ever group it may be, whether it is formal or informal, the group work give a better productivity at most of the time. A group is a group only if the member work together. group work enable us to interchange ideas and improve the ideas. Besides, it also allow us to interact with other. In other words, it build our communication skills and increase our socialising.
But remember, although ' a few brains is better than a single brain', there is also a constrain where ' too many cook spoil the soup'. a group must have an idle number of member to be a dynamic group.
A few brain generate greater ideas rather that single brain. Group work is important so that whatever discussion or decision made will be the best.
group discussion is a great skill that can we make communicate our own ideas and opinions...can also exchange our feedback...but some person shy to be in a small group and not be participate in group discussion...y we must be shy to join a group,to tell our opinions or ideas...y...y...y...we must be brave to share...no one can control or block we to express our ideas and opinions..."Success is not final,failure is not fatal:it is the courage to continue that counts"...finaly we must be brave to share our ideas n opinions...
mosese
Group that works will consist of very active people. People that will participate in every way to share their different ideas to help the group to succeed or to have strong points in a given task. In a group they must a have a couragess and hard working leader. Couragess- to stand up in the class or in public and share with others what the group have compiled in a loud clear voice. Hard Working- always giving in ideas during discussion and not waiting for the group members to give their ideas while he/she sits back and relaxes.
there is no s"u"ccess without "u"
hi Pn Zue,
r u wondering wat i'm tryin to say by the phrase above??
it actually say's that, without the letter "u", a word success can't be formed. what i'm tryin to say here is that, each n evry1 in a group is important in forming a team work.
it is meaningless forming a group if there's no full support from all the members of the grup. even if a person is shy or nervous, i think this is the best way to groom one's self. it will help to improve communication skills and also help to produce quality ideas.
I love working in groups because they give me a chance to work together with new personalities and as each person in the group can bring something different to the table. The only time I don't like working in groups is when there are people who aren’t willing 2 put effort into the work assigned.I used to believe that I operated very well in groups, but during this year, I found out that I have a few faults that need correcting, and am in the process of re-evaluating my values and myself.Finally, group work is a very practical method in the real world. Many occupations require work to be done by more than one person.
Some people are naturally prone to a weakness in areas such as public speaking or writing. Work done in a group is better.
I love working in groups because they give me a chance to work together with new personalities and as each person in the group can bring something different to the table. The only time I don't like working in groups is when there are people who aren’t willing 2 put effort into the work assigned.I used to believe that I operated very well in groups, but during this year, I found out that I have a few faults that need correcting, and am in the process of re-evaluating my values and myself.Finally, group work is a very practical method in the real world. Many occupations require work to be done by more than one person.
Some people are naturally prone to a weakness in areas such as public speaking or writing. Work done in a group is better.
Hi, Pn.Zue..
"Groups that work".. it means group work.When work in group we get many benefits. we have to exchange our ideas and feedback among our group members.we also can debate with our group members about our opinion and ideas. other than that,when we explain our ideas, we get know how much we understand about it.Then, when our friends give their opinion, we can ask question and clarify our doubt.In group everybody have to play their role.beside that, we cannot simply reject our group member opinion, we have to respect all our group members ideas.working in group rise our self confident and also communication skills.so, when working in group we cannot be possessive and selfish. finally, in group discussion we have to be confident, play our role as good as possible and believe our own self and also our group members.
when i entered in uniten life, everything was change. what i means here is like the way we learn, the way we socialize with friends and so on.
about the homework? yeah! in university life we didnt call it as homeworks but assigments. most the assingments that given from the lecturer must conducted in group.
worked in group is nice. by doing in group, we can share and change a lot of idea with others members. everyone in the group need to take a responsiblity. in group, we must have the leader. then, the leader will manage the group. i really like to worked in group because from that, we can gain our confident level to communicate with other people (stranger).
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