With the increasing demand to participate on teams, facilitate group decisions, come to consensus, make your point in meetings, your  ability to communicate in small groups and get involved is essential.   With greater confidence in your ability you will contribute your ideas and expertise and exchange and coordinate work effectively. To be successful, you need to know how small groups operate, how to build consensus, listen actively  and how to get your point across.  Understanding the phases of group dynamics, the kinds of roles one needs to assume in each phase, the personal qualities that accompany those roles n each phase are key. This program has been specifically designed to provide a systematic approach and the skills necessary to be as effective as possible. 

BENEFITS
 • Understand the different functions that meetings serve and how to choose the most effective way to accomplish their goals

 • Know skills to encourage member contribution, maximize individual participation, enhance motivation and assure commitment to the decisions reached

 • Frame your ideas so that they have impact, substance, and credibility

 • Understand whether to hold a meeting, when to schedule it, how to arrange the meeting rooms, and how to develop agendas that keep meetings on track and get results

 • Handle problem behaviors and problems  effectively

 • Manage the complex dynamics of small groups  such as communication, hidden agendas, consensus decision making, change and conflict 

CONTENT:

SETTING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
 • Identifying how this class can help you in small group interactions
 • SMALL GROUP COMMUNICATION QUESTIONNAIRE

CHARACTERISTICS OF PRODUCTIVE GROUP INTERACTIONS
 • Seven characteristics of meetings that make a difference
 • The similarities and differences among information sharing, decision   making and     problem solving meetings
 • Practicing analyzing meetings, developing strategies and methods for  on-the-spot     improvement

PRESENTING YOUR IDEAS WITH IMPACT
 • Three steps to getting your point across with impact
 • Understanding what makes people listen
 • What to do if you are in charge

INVOLVING OTHER PEOPLE -WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE IN CHARGE
 • Planning effectively - establishing an agenda, preparing and informing others to assure    participation at the meeting
 •  Recording group memory to enhance involvement at the meeting
 • Roles and skills to utilize strengths of participants
 
OBSERVING AND HANDLING GROUP DYNAMICS
    • The eight dimensions of group functioning:
     Communication, Decision Making, Conflict, Leadership, Goals and Roles, Group Norms, Problem Solving, Group Climate, Individual Behavior
    • Practicing group observation skills
    • Practicing feedback skills 
    • Practicing effective expression and active listening
  to cultivate constructive roles and control destructive roles

CONSENSUS BUILDING-ESSENTIAL SKILLS
    • The importance of giving and receiving information non-defensively to conflict resolution, problem solving, decision making and building trust
    • The I.C.A.R.E. model to build relationships
    • Understanding and overcoming barriers to consensus
    • Practicing the seven step - P.R.O.B.L.E.M.-model of consensus building
    
AVOIDING  PITFALLS
    • What can go wrong and why?
    • Proven strategies for dysfunction and non- functional members and groups
    •  Diagnosing and analyzing meetings, developing strategies and methods for improvement

CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES
    • Your typical response to conflict - its costs and benefits        
    • The stages, the characteristics, the tasks and the issues at each stage  of meetings and the conflicts it presents
    • Utilize the A.B.B.C.  approach to conflict situations.
    
Putting It All Together