Discussion questions

question 1

Develop a meeting agenda for an upcoming meeting. Develop a meeting goal or goals, and identify the sequence of agenda items. After you have written your agenda, write a brief explanation of why you structured your agenda as you did. Use the information on pages 234–236 as a basis for your rationale.

question 2

Of the roles listed on pages 211–213, which role or roles do you typically assume in groups, teams, and meetings? Identify two task and two social roles you usually do not assume. Why don’t you assume these roles?

question 3

Identify all the ways you have communicated, using media or technology, in the past week to collaborate virtually with someone. Identify how the presence of anonymity, physical appearance, distance, and time (see textbook, p. 207) have had an effect on your virtual communication.

question 4

Attend a public meeting, such as your local school board, city council, or campus council. Using the principles and skills discussed in this chapter, evaluate the meeting using the five principles of leadership discussed in this book (p. 253). Were group members self-aware and aware of comments and actions of others? How effectively did group members use verbal messages to make their points and organize their ideas? Did nonverbal messages provide supportive and positive reinforcement of other’s comments? How effectively did group members listen and respond to messages? What evidence did you find that group members appropriately adapted their message to others during the course of their conversations?