Page 202 - Essentials of Human Communication

Information-Sharing Groups 181

Skill DeVelopment experienCe

using Brainstorming techniques

Together with a small group or with the class as a whole, sit in a circle and brainstorm on one of the topics
identified later in this chapter in the Skill Development Experience “Solving Problems in Groups” on page 187.
Be sure to appoint someone to write down all the contributions, or record the discussion. After this brainstorm-
ing session, consider these questions:
1. Did any members give negative criticism (even nonverbally)? Brainstorming is useful
2. Did any members hesitate to contribute really wild ideas? Why? even if you do it by
3. Was it necessary to re-stimulate the group members at any point? Did this help? yourself. Follow the
4. Did possible solutions emerge that would not have been thought of without the group stimulation? same rules.

● Rule 2: Quantity of ideas is the goal. The more ideas generated, the more likely it is that a
useful solution will be found.
● Rule 3: Combinations and extensions of ideas are encouraged. Although members may not
criticize a particular idea, they may extend or combine it. The value of a particular idea
may be that it stimulates another idea.
● Rule 4: Freewheeling (i.e., developing as wild an idea as possible) is desirable. A wild idea
can be tempered easily, but it’s not so easy to elaborate on a simple or conservative idea.
After all the ideas are generated—a period that lasts about 15 or 20 minutes—the group
evaluates the entire list. Unworkable ideas are crossed off the list; those showing promise are
retained and evaluated. During this phase, criticism is allowed.

Objectives Self-Check
● Can you define brainstorming?
● Can you paraphrase the four major rules of brainstorming?
● Can you effectively apply these rules in an idea-generating group?

information-Sharing Groups

The purpose of information-sharing groups is to acquire new information or skills by sharing
knowledge. In most of these groups, all members have something to teach and something to
learn; a good example is a group of students sharing information to prepare for an exam. In
others, the group interaction takes place because some members have information and some
do not. An example is a discussion between a patient and a health care professional.

eDuCaTIOnal Or learnInG GrOupS
Members of educational or learning groups may follow a variety of discussion patterns. For
example, a historical topic, such as the development of free speech or equal rights, might be
explored chronologically, with the discussion progressing from the past into the present and,
perhaps, into predictions of the future. Issues in developmental psychology, such as a child’s
language development or physical maturity, might also be discussed chronologically. Other
topics lend themselves to spatial development. For example, the development of the United
States might take a spatial pattern—from east to west—or a chronological pattern—from
1776 to the present. Other suitable patterns, depending on the topic and the group’s needs,
might be cause and effect, problem and solution, or structure and function.