Satisfaction

Social and Emotional Satisfaction
 
   Participation
 
   Types of Messages
 
   Feedback

Task Outcome Satisfaction

   Setting Goals

   Action Plans

Social and Emotional Satisfaction Defined

Much of this occurs at a personal level, but ends up satisfying the group as a whole. In other words, if all the individual members of a group are satisfied, it will reflect on the group in its entirety. This does not attempt to say that conflict will not arise in a group, but it will offer communication skills that will promote healthy conflict and healthy resolutions. Below are some of these skills. (As always, skills are not achieved overnight and must be practiced in order for them to be effective.)

Improving Participation

Participation from all members of a small group is vital for group success and satisfaction. Many variables go into encouraging participation from group members, and if properly implemented into your small group they will ensure a much more efficient and pleasurable working environment.

• Assertive Communication Skills: Below is a list of steps that are sure to improve confidence in yourself and your ideas. Group members with increased confidence levels add that much more to the group's success. Practice these ten rules of assertive communication, and you will vastly improve your standing within the group.

1.  I have the right to assert myself as a worthy individual and so do you.
2.  I have the right to express myself and be heard and so do you.
3.  I have the right to change my mind and so do you.
4.  I have the right to live my life without needing the approval of others and so do you.
5.  I have the right to express my feelings without having to justify them and so do you.
6.  I have the right to say "I don't know" and so do you.
7.  I have the right to say "I don't understand" and so do you.
8.  I have the right to decide if I want to be responsible for the problems of other people and so do you.
9.  I have the right to make mistakes as long as I accept responsibility for them and so do you.*
10.  I have the right to avoid what I do not want and so do you.**

** The right to avoid what you don't want refers to the refusal to allow others to force their needs upon you. It does not refer to the avoidance of your responsibilities.

• Group Size: Size does matter when talking about participation. The reason small groups are so effective is just that, they are small and they are groups. It is easy to tell when a group is becoming to large. Many group members will begin to withdraw and tend not to participate as they once had. The group becomes less attractive to outsiders. Individual personalities get lost, often attributing to groupthink. Pursuit of the group's goal slows as individual concerns are not heard. Basically, a positive forum for quality interaction cannot be met if it becomes to big. The member's needs cannot be met, leading to group disgust. So, you may ask, what is the ideal number when conducting a small group? A good number to aim for is 5. Research shows this as an ideal number for ideal participation, although this can vary as to the aim of your small group. You don't want to go too low as members may feel to much pressure to participate, adding to a stressful work environment. If you are wondering if your group should be smaller or larger, you should discuss it with you group members!

• Preparation: Just because your meeting is over does not mean you can no longer benefit your group. Many good ideas can come up when you are alone by reflecting on your group's sessions or looking toward your next meeting. Write these down and be prepared to discuss them with your group. This will help you better organize your own thoughts, and will save group time. Whenever you are prepared for your group discussion, you will always come off looking better than those who have not. This easy tip can help you receive confidence, as well as respect from the other members.

• Meeting Length: The length of group meetings should offer enough time to allow for all members to voice their concerns and to present themselves to the group. If enough time is not allotted, some members will feel secluded if they do not get their chance to speak. Meetings will vary in length depending upon the agenda set for that day. Over time, you will get a feeling of how long to schedule your meetings according to the group's agenda.

• Negative Communication: Negative communication will stifle a groups ability to reach its goals. This should not be confused with criticism, as that is a necessary aspect of any king of group interaction. However, criticism can sometimes jump over the line. All open thinking will become suppressed and also contagious if this happens. Group members can avoid this by remaining objective and open to new ideas. Be careful not to say anything too personal to any single member. Try also to avoid using humor that might offend anyone in the group.
• Ambiguous Communication vs. Orienting Communication: When communicating with your group you should try to be as clear and concise as you possibly can. If you begin to utter vague notions or conclusions, other members will react with equal vagueness. This can lead to confusion which will quickly throw the group off track. Orienting communication, on the other hand, will keep the group focused and will greatly contribute to group satisfaction. These messages direct group discussion by clarifying previous statement, asking appropriate questions, introducing new and relevant information, and keeping the discussion focused on the issues at had. (Hirokawa & Pace, 1983)

• Positive vs. Negative Feedback: During a group discussion, feedback will range from positive to negative. Although negative feedback can be effective and is sometimes necessary, it is important to realize the effectiveness of positive feedback. Members will be much more open to your ideas if you continue to stay open to theirs. Also, if you normally offer positive feedback, when you have to give negative feedback, others in the group will accept it more readily , and with good heart.

Task Outcome Satisfaction Defined

Why do we establish small groups? Besides just acting as a social outlet, groups come together in order to get something accomplished, presumably better and more efficiently than an individual might. There is power in numbers. If the idea of creating a group is to solve a problem, then what is the most satisfying aspect of being a part of a group? It's solving that problem or accomplishing that task which the group set as its goal. Thus, goal setting becomes an integral part in creating and maintaining group satisfaction.

Stating Group Goals

Before becoming reality, a goal starts its life as a dream or vision. This dream can often be thought up during a brainstorming session, or perhaps it may be delegated to the group through its leadership. These goals can then be written as attitudes. However, an attitude does not constitute a goal. It is merely the intermediate step between dreams and goals. Attitudes have no time restraints placed on them. They are abstract, without deadline, hard to define, and hard to measure. Goals, on the other hand, are concrete, with deadline, defined, and easy to measure.(Corder) Let's look at an example:

Attitude: To achieve total group satisfaction.

Goal: Right now, there is much dissension within our small group. In two weeks, I want our group to be more cohesive. That means satisfaction must increase at each meeting until our project is completed.

Achieving Group Goals

If your group's goals have been stated properly, your group is only a part of the way there. Now you must come up with an action plan to complete your objectives. An action plan lists the steps your group should take to achieve the group's goals. Below are the steps required when coming up with a plan.
 

What are all the steps needed to make this goal a reality?

Which step should we do first? Second? Third?

What changes will our group have to make?

Do we have the necessary training, motivation, and commitment?

How will we maintain our enthusiasm?

What obstacles lie ahead? How will we overcome them?

What tracking system will we use? (Corder)
 

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Cathcart, Robert S. and Samovar, Larry A.  Small Group Communication  Sixth Edition.
        Wm. C. Brown Publishers, 1992.