Final Paper: Profile of Your and Your Group’s Communication Styles
Task: You are then to write a paper where you use what you observed and report what is happening in your group. You are to write a 4–5 page paper (written work, not including cover page and references) analyzing communication behavior in your small group, and attach your field notes at the end of your paper. Since this paper is being turned in as a document, you do not need to worry about using an accessible online font. Instead, follow APA guidelines and use 12 point Times New Roman font with double spacing. You will need to have a cover page, running head, intext citations, and a reference page (See APA info on D2L).
I. Cover Page
II. Introduction (1/2 a page): Introduce yourself, identify the group and the members you have interacted with. Suggest that you will be integrating course material in your analysis of your group. By the end of the intro I should have a clear idea of what you did and there should be a thesis statement. *While you can say “I” in this paper, it still needs to be written professionally. Sample thesis sentence: This paper will analyze my experience as a group member in an online health chatroom. This analysis will identify roles, norms, and power among member. (You should fill in the underlined area with the content and focus of your paper).
III. Body (3–4 pages): Discus what you have observed in light of the theories that you’ve read about and discussed in class by responding to each of the four questions below.
1. Identify the task, social, and individual roles in your group. When naming a role for the first time, define it first. Be sure to identify your roles and then some of those of your group (if this is a large group, you may not need to identify everyone). How well do your r`oles work in your group?
2. Identify one implicit and one explicit norm in your group, be sure to explain or define what an implicit and explicit norm is first. Provide examples of how these norms are communicated and enforced. Again, what do people say and do?
3. Identify the type of power you and others exhibit in your group using specific examples of your communication behavior to explain it. When using a type of power for the first time, be sure to define it.
4. What do you perceive to be your group’s strengths and weaknesses– at least 1 of each? (Use specific concepts from course material. Label and define the concept then show how it is a strength or weakness)
IV. Conclusion (.5): Answer the question below. Then, close by summarizing what you learned about groups and how it applied to the group you were part of.
1. At this point, what might you do to become a more effective and competent communicator in your group?
