Group Communication Pitfalls

John O. Burtis (Ph.D., University of Minnesota) is a Professor in the Communication Studies Department at the University of Northern Iowa. He has taught courses in leadership, management, group communication, argumentation, persuasion, and communication theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been a consultant, trainer, and speaker on related subjects in both the private and public sectors. He has been the director of the Concordia Leadership Center and of the West Central Minnesota Leadership Program and the head of the Communication Studies department at the University of Northern Iowa. He has been the Director of Forensics at Kansas State University and Concordia College, where students in the programs won numerous individual and team championships in speech or debate including more than twenty national championships. Paul D. Turman (PhD, University of Nebraska) is the Vice President for Research & Economic Development for the South Dakota Board of Regents. His scholarly research focuses on the role of communication in the coach-athlete and parent-child relationship within a sport context. Prior to his time with the Board of Regents, he taught courses in communication and sport at the University of Northern Iowa. His scholarly work has been published in journals such as Communication Education, the Journal of Applied Communication Research, the Journal of Family Communication, and Communication Studies.

Preface Unit I: We Co-construct Our Groups by Communicating 1. Why Study Group Communication Pitfalls? Overview of the Book Why Do Groups Matter Enough to Make a Study of Them? Definitions of "Communication", "Group", and "Pitfalls" Casting a Wide Net to Include All Pitfalls and Breakdown Group Communication Pitfalls by Commission or by Omission The Breakdown-Conducive Group Framework Why Should We Focus Our Study of Groups on Group Communication Pitfalls? 2. How Grouping and Group Direction Help Create Effective Group Experiences The Universals of Grouping Activity The Framework for Grouping and Group Direction Rhetorical Situation and a Purgatory Puddle Unit II: We Struggle to Co-construct and Frame Our Circumstances and Processes 3. Pitfalls in Task and Supragroup Exigencies Groups as Systems Purgatory Puddle Pitfalls Supragroup Pitfalls Wrong Task for a Group How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls 4. Personnel Pitfalls "Wrong Group for the Task" Pitfalls Traits Orientation Style Circumstances How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls 5. Pitfalls in Grouping Techniques, Tendencies, and Process Prizes Grouping Techniques Technique Pitfalls Grouping Tendencies: Norms and Roles Norm Pitfalls Role Pitfalls Process Prizes Process Prize Pitfalls Deliberation Outcome Pitfalls 6. Pitfalls in Confusion, Conformity, Conflict, and Group Consciousness: Grouping Concomitants Confusion Pitfalls Conformity Pitfalls Conflict Pitfalls Consciousness Pitfalls How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls 7. Pitfalls in Vision and Direction Giving Vision/Outcome Pitfalls Savior Complex Pitfalls Ascension Pitfalls Transitions Pitfalls How to Expect, Detect, and Correct These Pitfalls Unit III: We Co-construct Our Exigencies for Grouping Into Our Group Outcomes 8. (Un)Intended Group Outcomes Dynamics Involved in Potential Group Outcomes A Set of Potential Group Outcomes 9. To Group or Not to Group, That Is the Question General Exigencies Against Grouping Distrust of Grouping Distrust of Self as a Grouping Member Distrust of Any Aspect of This Particular Grouping Effort Inertia and Specific Exigencies Against Grouping How Exigencies Against Grouping May Manifest Expecting, Detecting, and Correcting These Pitfalls: General Orientational Advice 10. Observing Groups Well Observing Groups Improving Observational Focus and Quality Observing the Purgatory Puddle Observing The Way/Process Observing the Vision/Outcome and the Savior Complex

"They have done this with a rich, provocative, and creative conceptual vocabulary that will resonate for readers who practice, supervise others' practice, teach about or do research in group life and group work." -Paul H. Ephross, MSW, PhD, Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work -- Paul H. Ephross * Social Work With Groups *