QUESTION 1

Have you experienced negative results due to self-disclosure (as a sender or receiver)? If so, what could have been altered in the decisions of what, where, when, or how to disclose that may have improved the situation?

QUESTION 2

Recall a past group that you have been a part of. When conflict arose, what conflict management strategies were to resolve the conflict? Explain these strategies worked or did not work.

QUESTION 3

Synergy is one of the main advantages of small group communications. Explain a time when a group you were in benefited from or failed to achieve synergy. What contributed to your success/failure?

QUESTION 4

Think of a leader that you currently work with or have worked with who made a strong (positive or negative) impression on you. Which leadership style did he/she use most frequently? Cite specific communication behaviors to back up your analysis.

QUESTION 5

Group communication researchers have found that heterogeneous groups (composed of diverse members) have advantages over homogeneous (more similar) groups. Discuss a group situation you have been in where diversity enhanced your and/or the group’s experience.

QUESTION 6

When you are trying to determine someone’s emotional state, what nonverbal communication do you look for and why?

QUESTION 7

Of the five conflict management strategies, is there one that you use more often than others? Why or why not?

QUESTION 8

Recall a previous class that you took. Trace the class’s development using the five stages discussed in this section. Did you experience all the stages? In what order? Did you stay in some stages more than others?

QUESTION 9

Define Interpersonal Communication Competence. In what ways might Interpersonal Communication Competence vary among academic, professional, and civic contexts? What competence skills might be more or less important in one context than in another?

QUESTION 10

Describe a situation in which you have witnessed a person playing one of the self-centered roles in the group. How did the person communicate? What were the effects?