Leading a Group Discussions Responses

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Liberty University Personal Skills & Leading a Group Discussions Responses

Liberty University

Question Description

 

first reply:

Russell Gray

Forum 3 (Modules 3 and 4) – DB3

The skill that I am accustomed to and is the easiest for me is Active Listening. This tends to be ingrained in my being because of my military background while serving twenty years in the U.S. Navy. When someone is speaking to me, I tend to branch out through my surroundings and ascertain my environment from more than one perspective of thought. Comprehending the complexity of the task, and relaying that to all members in a group are critical for the group success. Most importantly a leader needs to be aware that all in the group are valuable and knowledgeable. Looking at other signs such as consent, voice and body language tell the story of how a person wants to communicate according to Jacobs, Schimmel, Masson, & Harvill (2016).

The skill I have the hardest time with would be Self-Disclosure.In the past of talking with my sailors I would run into peculiar moments of conveying experiences in which I would give out too much information.I found this out within leading groups in the military and civilian environments is totally different. Disclosing life and my experiences tend to get me on a ramble kind of communication, which causes confusion.Therefore, realizing that I am not perfect and I need to learn from doing and understand that I do not have to be perfect will help others in the group trust me according to Corey, Corey & Haynes (2014).Showing care and understanding to all in the group members will bring out trust and safety within the group setting.Learning from the group and all the collective experiences of the group is essential for growth.Being able to clearly understand, show empathy and respect to each other is vital for the group’s growth and health. Our society success could not survive without group interaction (Forsyth, 2019). Providing upbeat environment with group interaction will create great communication amongst people within our society.

References

Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, Inc. (Producer). (2014). Groups in action: Evolution and challenges (2nd ed.). [DVD]. Belmont, CA: Corey, Corey & Haynes.

Forsyth, D. R. (2019). Group Dynamics (7th ed.) Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Second reply

Glenda Skipper

Forum 3 (Modules 3 and 4)

Leading a group effectively is not something that is left to chance. There are many factors that determine the course as well as the success of the group. According to Jacobs, et al., (2016), there are many skills that make up an effective leader. Out of the skills listed in our reading, I have analyzed each to determine which would be the easiest to incorporate into my leadership style. this was fairly easy. We all like to think that we are good at most things. Active listening is something that I have not always been good at. Active listening not only includes listening to what is being said but for other clues also (p. 131). Listening to things such as tone and watching their eyes or facial expression is paramount. evaluating their body language is essential also (p. 131). One on one, this is not overly difficult, but when talking to a group, the difficulty level increases exponentially. Now you are focusing on many faces, eyes, body language and speech (p. 132). The hardest skill that I could incorporate into my leadership style is modeling and self-disclosure. As important as this skill is, it is one that I struggle with the most out of the list of skills in our reading. Jacobs, et al. (2016), states that teaching the desired behavior is most effectively done through modeling (p. 140). If I could split this into 2 parts, I would say that the modeling would be much easier and the self-disclosure would be the hardest part. Self-disclosure is what humanizes you to the members of the group. It lets them know that you have practical knowledge of the topic you are discussing (p. 140)

Leaders come to power in many different ways. According to Forsyth, D. (2019) there are many factors that influence the creation of a leader. Task leadership and relationship leadership are 2 common leadership styles (p. 285). A leader rises to power in one or a combination of these styles through several influencing factors. the obedience of a group is determined by how well they follow the leader. The power and status that the leader has over the group help the leader to remain in that role and have a successful outcome (p.286). Some groups are formed by simpler means such as status generalization. They let the general characteristics of people help select and grow a leader (p. 250). There are many factors that can affect the outcomes of leadership development and group outcomes. My plan is to become as well versed as I can in all of these factors so that I can be aware if not always fluent.

References

Forsyth, D. R. (2019) Group dynamics (7th. ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage

Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group Counseling, Strategies, and Skills (8th ed.).

Boston, MA: Cengage

third reply:

Misty Phillips

DB 3

COLLAPSE

When I consider skills that would be hardest and easiest for myself as a group leader, I appreciated the video series to help me see what they would look like. The one I would consider to be the easiest would be drawing members out. Jacobs et. al. (2016) shared that eye contact with everyone, especially those not participating, helps to draw group members into speaking. I am the type of person that does not like to speak up because I do not like the feeling of rejection. However, sometime ago, I learned that if the leader made eye contact with me, I felt more secure with sharing. I have found that even now, I make eye contact with people I would like to speak up. I may not be leading groups, per se, but even in friend circles, I will make eye contact with the person not speaking. That usually encourages them to speak.

When considering the area that would be hardest for me, is cutting off. I am a timid person and the idea of stopping someone from speaking is quite intimidating for me. I felt better after reading from our textbook because the idea of using eye contact and shifting to another person, makes it seem so much easier (Jacobs et. al., 2016). I saw Jerry Corey do this often in the video series and he was also very good at finding a small gap and asking the new person, to whom he was making eye contact with, what they thought of the topic.

There is importance to different personality styles and they contribute to the overall good of society. In groups, power in the right manner, is very productive. Forsyth (2019) shares that positive power encourages positive responses and actions by those under them. The idea of a group is to have a positive power that encourages goal meeting and community. Status is important because without it, someone is going to step up and form the hierarchy (Forsyth, 2019). Establishing the status of the group, and leaders balancing that status, so that no one person runs it all, takes delicate balance.

References

Forsyth, D. R. (2019). Group dynamics (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage

Jacobs, E. E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L., & Harvill, R. L. (2016). Group counseling: Strategies and skills. Boston,

MA: Cengage

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