Assignment task: Please answer each of the following questions regarding Communicating in Groups:
1.) List the family and social groups you belong to and interact with on a regular basis-for example, within a twenty-four-hour period or within a typical week. You may also consider forums, online communities, and Web sites where you follow threads of discussion or post regularly.
2.) List the professional (i.e., work-related) groups you interact with in order of frequency. Please also consider informal as well as formal groups (i.e., a book club or colleagues you often share your commute with). These may be online groups (for instance, blogs or online support groups).
3.) Identify one group to which you no longer belong. List at least one reason why you no longer belong to this group.
4.) Do you prefer working in a group or team environment, or working individually? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?
5.) Imagine that you could choose anyone you wanted to be on a team with you (this person does not have to be someone in our class). Who would you choose, and explain why?
6.) Think of a leader you admire and respect. How did this individual become a leader-for example, by appointment or nomination, democratic selection, etc.? How would you characterize this leader's style (For instance, is the leader a coach)? What makes this individual so admirable. Explain why.
7.) Think of a problem encountered in the past by a group of which you are a member. How did the group solve the problem? How satisfactory was the solution? Looking back at this group experience, is there anything you would have done differently? Explain why or why not?