speech hw 16
Chapter 16 Developing and Delivering Group Presentations
SPEAK
© 2012 Cengage Learning
In this chapter, you will learn about the responsibilities of group members in effective problem-solving groups. Then you will learn about an effective problem-solving method described by educational philosopher John Dewey. The chapter then discusses how to prepare group presentations and describe five public presentation formats. Finally, you will learn how you can evaluate your group’s effectiveness both in terms of the group process and presentation.
5/27/2014 12:34 PM
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
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Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.
~Henry Ford
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Learning Outcomes:
1. Why is teamwork becoming so popular as a means for solving problems?
2. What does it mean to be a responsible group member?
3. How can you solve problems effectively in groups?
4. How do you prepare for a group presentation?
5. How can you evaluate your work?
5/27/2014 12:34 PM
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
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Problem-Solving Groups
Groups composed of four to seven people that are formed to carry out a specific task or solve a particular problem.
Advantages of problem-solving groups include deeper analysis of problems, greater breadth of ideas and potential solutions, improved group morale, and increased productivity.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Usually at the end of their deliberations, they present their findings and analysis, and recommend solutions to others in the organization. Whether you want to or not, you can expect to work in a group or on a team in your professional life, sometimes in face-to-face settings and often in virtual settings through e-mail, chat rooms, discussion boards, and video conferences.
When problem-solving groups work well, the product is better than what any one member could have accomplished alone. This is known as synergy. Your goal when working in a small group is to achieve synergy.
5/27/2014 12:34 PM
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
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Responsibilities of Group Members
Be committed to the group goal
Keep discussions on track
Complete individual assignments on time
Encourage input from all members
Manage conflict among members
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Being committed to the group goal means finding a way to align your expertise with the agreed-upon goal of the group. In addition, all group members need to help keep the discussion on track by offering only comments that are relevant and by gently reminding others to stay focused if the discussion starts to get off track.
One potential advantage of group work is that tasks can be divided among members. However, each member is responsible for completing his or her tasks thoroughly and on time.
It is important to stress that all group members have valuable perspectives. Extroverts need to refrain from dominating the discussion and to ask others for their opinions; introverts need to make a conscious effort to express themselves.
Finally, realize that all small groups experience some conflict—disagreement or clash among ideas, principles, or people. If managed appropriately, though, conflict can actually be beneficial to the group goal by stimulating thinking, fostering open communication, encouraging diverse opinions, and enlarging members’ understanding of the issues.
5/27/2014 12:34 PM
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.
The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.
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Exhibit 16.1 Responsibilities of Group Members
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Small groups usually fail when members do not understand or follow through with the ethical responsibilities shown in this exhibit.
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Signs of Groupthink
Groupthink occurs when ideas are accepted without subjecting them to critical analysis. Signs of groupthink include:
Avoiding conflict to prevent hurt feelings
Pressuring members to agree with the majority
Reaching “consensus” without unanimous support
Discouraging or ignoring disagreements
Rationalizing decisions without testing them
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Groups that don’t experience any conflict run the risk of engaging in groupthink.
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Conflict Management Styles
Withdrawing
Accommodating
Forcing
Compromising
Collaborating
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Withdrawing involves physically or psychologically removing yourself from the conflict.
Accommodating is a passive conflict management style of accepting others’ ideas while neglecting your own, even when you disagree with their views.
Forcing involves satisfying your own needs with no concern for others’ needs or for the harm it does to the group.
Compromising, occurs when individuals give up part of what they want in order to provide at least some satisfaction to other opinions.
Collaborating is probably the most desirable way to manage conflict. When you collaborate, you discuss the issues, describe feelings, and identify the characteristics of an effective solution before deciding what the ultimate solution will be.
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Exhibit 16.2 Collaborative Conflict Management
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Researchers describe collaboration as a win-win situation. Your goal in managing conflict is to achieve a win-win solution through collaborative conflict management among members. A win-win solution occurs when input from all members is heard, valued, and evaluated honestly and fairly until the group reaches consensus about how to proceed.
The tips in this exhibit can help you achieve effective collaborative conflict management.
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Managing Personality Conflicts
Perception checking—a verbal statement that reflects your understanding of another’s behavior.
Paraphrasing—a verbal statement that conveys your understanding of another person’s verbal message.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Perception checking is a two-step process: (1) In a non-evaluative way, describe what you observed or sensed from someone’s behavior. (2) Add to your statement your interpretations of the behavior.
Paraphrasing is a four-step process: (1) Listen carefully to the message; (2) notice what images, ideas, and feelings you experience from the message; (3) determine what the message means to you; (4) create your own a message that conveys these images or feelings and asks the other person to confirm what you have understood or correct it.
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Exhibit 16.3 Changing ‘You’ Statements into ‘I’ Statements
© 2011 Cengage Learning
To help you put aside your personal feelings and manage conflicts effectively, employ perception checking or paraphrasing, using “I language” that phrases your interpretations and opinions as your own rather than defense-arousing “you language.”
In other words, your language needs to reflect the fact that you are responsible for your feelings.
The exhibit shows some examples of how to change a “you” statement into an “I” one.
Exhibit 16.4 (page 262) provides examples of perception checking and paraphrasing as they may be applied to avoid personality conflict.
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Systematic Group Problem-Solving Method
Identify and define the problem.
Analyze the problem.
Determine criteria for judging the problem
Generate a host of solutions.
Evaluate the solutions and select the best one based on the criteria.
Implement the agreed-upon solution.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
The first step of the systematic group problem-solving method is to identify the problem or problems and define them in a way all group members understand and agree with.
To analyze the problem, you must find out as much as possible about it. Most groups begin by sharing the information individual members have acquired through their experiences.
Criteria are standards used for judging the merits of proposed solutions—a blueprint for evaluating them. Without clear criteria, groups may select solutions that don’t adequately address the real problem or, perhaps, solutions that create a host of new problems.
After determining criteria, you’ll want to brainstorm for possible solutions.
Once you’ve generated potential solutions, evaluate the merits of each based on the criteria established by the group. Consider each solution as it meets the criteria, and eliminate solutions that do not meet them adequately.
Finally, the group implements the agreed-upon solution or, if the group is presenting the solution to others for implementation, makes recommendations for how the solution should be implemented.
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Preparing Group Presentations
Divide the topic into areas of responsibility
Draft an outline of your topic area
Combine member outlines to form a group outline
Finalize the details of delivery
Practice your presentation together
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Once the group has worked through the systematic problem-solving method, it’s time to prepare a group presentation. First, as a group, determine the thesis and macrostructure for the presentation. Each member can then be responsible for researching and organizing the content necessary to develop a particular main point.
Each group member should then construct an outline for his or her main point. Once the individual outlines are completed, the group is ready to combine them into a single outline.
Because this is a group presentation, more than the usual number of decisions must be made about delivery. For example, which presentation format will you use? Who will speak when? Who will introduce the speakers and when? Where will group members sit when they are not speaking?
Finally, it is necessary to practice—both individually and as a group—using the delivery guidelines described in Chapter 11.
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Public Group Presentation Formats
Symposium
Panel discussion
Town hall meeting
Electronic conferencing
Streaming video
© 2011 Cengage Learning
A symposium is a discussion in which a limited number of participants (usually three to five) present individual speeches of approximately the same length dealing with the same subject.
A panel discussion is a problem-solving discussion in front of an audience.
A town hall meeting is an event in which a large number of people who are interested in a topic convene to discuss, and at times to decide, one or more issues.
Electronic conferencing is a widespread method for individuals to engage in live exchange in real time without being in the same room. The most common forms are teleconferencing, where individuals share information aurally over the telephone, and videoconferencing, where individuals share information aurally and visually over the Internet.
A streaming video is a pre-recording that is sent in compressed form over the Internet.
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Evaluating Group Effectiveness
Evaluations of group presentations should focus on…
…group dynamics during the preparation process.
…the effectiveness of the actual presentation.
It is also a good idea to conduct a self-evaluation about your own portion of the group presentation.
© 2011 Cengage Learning
The notion of how individuals work together as a team toward a common goal is known as group dynamics. You can evaluate group dynamics by judging the merit of each member’s efforts in terms of the five group member responsibilities discussed earlier in this chapter.
Effective group presentations depend on quality individual presentations as well as quality overall group performance. So evaluations of group presentations should consist of both an individual and a group component.
Effective group presentations depend on the combined efforts of individuals. So it’s also a good idea to conduct a self-evaluation to determine whether you could be doing something better during the group problem-solving process, while preparing the group presentation, and when giving your portion of the group speech.
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Exhibit 16.5 & 16.6 Sample Evaluation Form for Group Presentations
© 2011 Cengage Learning
Exhibit 16.5 & 16.6 (page 268) shows a form you can use to evaluate the effectiveness of a group presentation.
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© 2011 Cengage Learning
Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
~ Vince Lombardi
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