Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups

Clarity of Goals

As you learn in Chapter 1, goal achievement is an important function of communication in all contexts. Just remember that although it’s important for a group to keep the end goal in sight, competent communicators are flexible—they try to maintain interdependence while being open to various ideas on achieving goals. They also recognize that the goal itself may change as group members share ideas and present solutions to problems.

Think of the worst group meeting you’ve ever attended. How would you describe that meeting? Was the conversation disorganized? Unproductive? Confusing? Did you leave the meeting with a bad feeling about working with the group again in the future? Often such a poor communication climate is caused by the group’s lack of a clear goal to begin with. To communicate productively and promote a positive atmosphere in any group, members need goal clarity: that is, they must understand what the group’s purpose is, what goals will help the group achieve its purpose, how close the group is to achieving its goals, and whether the activities members are engaging in are helping the group move toward its goals.

Goals vary considerably from one group to another. For example, a team in one of your classes may have the simple goal of completing a fifteen-minute in-class exercise and reporting the results to the rest of the class. An urban beautification fund-raising committee may have the goal of collecting $4,000 for new landscaping at a neighborhood park.

JUST AS ANY Girl Scout troop sets personal and group goals for the cookie-selling season, your groups can productively divvy up responsibilities to make sure you achieve your aims. © Matt Slocum/AP

One effective way to make sure your group has clear goals is to encourage the members to define them as a group. When members take part in establishing goals, they feel more committed to and excited about achieving those objectives. Research shows that a group is more likely to reach its goals when those goals are communicated in terms that are specific (“Raise $4,000 by the end of March”), inspiring (“Imagine our neighborhood becoming a community of choice for young families”), and prioritized (“We’ll need to focus on this goal first and then this other one next”) (O’Hair, Friedrich, & Dixon, 2007).

Enable group members to prepare. Each group member should have a clear idea of what he or she is to be working on and should prepare accordingly. Send an agenda and any relevant assignments to team members in advance of any meetings.
Use time productively. Avoid unnecessary meetings—don’t meet just for the sake of meeting. In any meeting situation—be it a face-to-face, sit-down meeting or a telephone conference calls, be sure to establish clear goals in advance to keep the meeting on task.

Once your group begins working toward its goals, encourage yourself and your fellow members to talk regularly about the decisions you’re making and the actions you’re taking to ensure that these all support progress toward the goals.