Soc/110: A Short Note On Group Communication

Group Communication
Darrin Palmer
SOC/110
12/15/14
Susan Corliss
Group Communication
Good communication is a very important part of any group, or team success. There are numerous ways to communicate within a group, both verbal, and non-verbal, as well as those that are in a virtual environment. Finding ways to overcome conflict, and achieve a common goal that the whole group agrees upon is a long process, and is one most of us will experience throughout our lives.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
Verbal or spoken communication on its own is something we use every day of our lives. How it used and how we apply it to our conversations differs depending on the person, or their personality. I think a lot of people have a certain mindset
Speaking clearly and confidently is one key to good verbal communication, as well staying calm, focused and showing politeness in your words. Another good example of verbal communication is showing interest by asking questions. Doing this is often overlooked as having no bearing on verbal communication, but it is one of the few ways to show the speaker they have your attention without using non-verbal communication by asking relevant and topical questions. Which brings me to the differences in non-verbal communication. To me non-verbal communication involves the use of facial expressions, the tone of your voice, and general body gestures or language. A lot of problems with non-verbal communication is that not everyone interprets it the same way, which can lead to conflict and unintentional arguments. Learning to control your body language while conversing is very important, maintaining eye contact and good
I think part of this is because I tend to allow myself to believe I have the leadership skills that gives me the “know it all” mentality, so if the information being given is on a “need to know” basis, or is coming from someone above me, then I sort of tune it out. Another part of that problem is that I have become so good at still visually appearing to be actively listening, which just means I have managed to use my non-verbal communication skills and body gestures to appear as such, though I could not be further from focused in my mind. So in the future I definitely hope to avoid this by learning to take interest in the full conversation and not just the bits and pieces I think I need to, it is disrespectful to not give full attention to the topic at hand and the speaker, so I hope to make this change and improve my overall worth to the