{"id":2187,"date":"2020-10-27T16:33:31","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T16:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-publicspeaking\/?post_type=chapter&p=2187"},"modified":"2022-07-26T16:22:41","modified_gmt":"2022-07-26T16:22:41","slug":"roles-in-small-groups","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-publicspeaking\/chapter\/roles-in-small-groups\/","title":{"raw":"Roles in Small Groups","rendered":"Roles in Small Groups"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nIdentify the different roles in small groups.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nIn small groups, members can be assigned roles by themselves or \u201cfall into\u201d roles based on personality, group needs, background, and experience. All these roles will affect the communication in a small group. Group members might perform multiple roles in a particular group, and more than one group member might perform the same role. O\u2019Hair and Wiemann describe three categories of roles that group members tend to assume.[footnote]Wiemann,\u00a0Mary,\u00a0and\u00a0O'Hair,\u00a0Dan.\u00a0Real Communication: An Introduction with Mass Communication<\/em>.\u00a0N.p.,\u00a0Bedford\/St. Martin's,\u00a02012.[\/footnote]\r\n

Task Roles<\/h3>\r\nThese roles relate to what the group wants to accomplish, or what it will take to reach specific goals. An information giver<\/strong> provides input in group discussions, including feedback, experiences, or opinions. An information seeker<\/strong> seeks clarity or additional information when others are talking\u2014asking questions like, \u201cCan you tell me more about what you mean by that?\u201d Elaborators<\/strong> add on to what other group members have said, offering agreement or additional insights. Initiators are good at presenting new ways of thinking about a problem by offering solutions or new ideas. Finally, administrators<\/strong> take the lead on keeping a discussion, meeting, or exchange moving along, including starting and ending on time.\r\n

Social Roles<\/h3>\r\nSocial roles are typically based on members\u2019 personalities, abilities, background, and interests. Harmonizers<\/strong> try to resolve differences or tensions in the group. A harmonizer might restate a harsh comment in less abrasive language or offer encouragement to a member who is struggling. Gatekeepers<\/strong> make sure everyone has a chance to participate and contribute. You might hear a gatekeeper stop and ask a group member who hasn\u2019t commented to add their feedback to an idea. Finally, sensors<\/strong> are in tune with the group\u2019s feelings and express feedback to try and resolve that feeling. They might say something like, \u201cI feel like we\u2019re really unified right now and making a lot of progress. Shall we keep going for another 15 minutes?\u201d\r\n

Taxonomies of Roles<\/h3>\r\nVarious communication researchers have elaborated other taxonomies\u2014or systems of classification\u2014of group roles.[footnote]https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2019.01322\/full#B45[\/footnote] For instance,\u00a0Mathieu et al. proposed and validated the Team Role Experience and Orientation (TREO), that includes six team roles:\r\n