Week 2: Question 3

One concept that really caught my attention was the section in The Essential Guide to Group Communication about identifying and overcoming problems in group roles. I find that having known this information when working in groups in the past would have helped gotten our assignments a lot faster and a lot more efficiently. I also reflected on how I have taken these rolls many times. It's easy to disengage and be the problematic group member, so having knowledge of the following roles will help make me a better participant. I often find myself being an avoider. Sometimes I act as if I really don't want to be at a meeting even when I am passionate about what is being discussed because I don't know how to effectively communicate my discomfort with certain statements or decisions. The other role that I constantly play is that of distractor. When something is on my mind that I think is amazing I feel as if I have to share it with the world. I also find that when I'm working in a group setting a lot of discussions bring up memories or stories that I feel compelled to share then and there. This often invites others to share their stories, and hours later we find that we haven't gotten anything done. Putting names and definitions to these roles has helped me better understand how I can change and become a better group worker.

-CesarCOMM41