Group communication and decision making

Prompt 1 

I communicate a lot in groups such as class projects, sports teams, and those teams that include work or a specific assigned task in church. In most cases, such teams apply the functional perspective in their decision-making processes, thereby finishing their tasks in the right manner. I am least involved in communication in groups that involve extended family and friends that I do not share interests with. I am mostly involved with friends when we are planning something together. I rely on communication with my teammates to maintain the personal and professional relationships that I have with them. I always ensure that everyone is heard when analyzing the problems and setting the goals that we are to achieve through communication. For example, when assigned a class task, my team and I always look at it and determine the deliverables before looking at the ways of doing it. 

Prompt 2 

The most important concept that stood out for me in the two chapters was the need to discuss the alternatives to the main ideas outlined by the group members. From experience, the only way that a group can arrive at the right choice is through having a critical analysis of the alternatives before arriving at one. After analyzing the problem, the second step should be to set the goals for the group. The third step relates to discussing the alternatives. Many groups go wrong at this phase, which results in reduced productivity. Brainstorming on the possible ways of tackling the problems gives the group a chance to come up with the right method. Any attempt to arrive at a hasty decision will only make it harder for the team if the decision fails to materialize. 

References 

Griffin, E. M. (2006).  A first look at communication theory . McGraw-Hill.