Communications

Two heads are better than one.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Group communication is the process by which a cooperative effort is made by a group of people to complete a task and make a decision. Through this interaction with others, one acquires and maintains the concept of ego and thus satisfies our social needs. None of us can function individually and thus group communication is vital for survival.

A group may consist of 3-12 people but all have a common goal. These individuals meet and have a certain goal or purpose and there is communication, the meeting has a finite point and there is an eventual conclusion. In a one to one communication, there may be communication but it tends to be on a social level. Individual conversations have no time limits, there is no objective to accomplish and there is usually not much achieved. In individual communication, one may have a non verbal motion to signify something, a posture or a gesture, a blink of the eye, a wink or simply pointing to something. In group communication, there are formalities in communication and non verbal cues have a limited role in ensuring that everyone understands.

In a group communication size defines the purpose, there is a reason, organization, duration and goal. For example the president may meet with the press and discuss a few questions liberally with hundreds of reporters. This type of mass communication has less impact than small group communication. For example, the president may meet with a few people in his private office where the communications are more secretive, have a purpose and the meeting it timed because the president has to be elsewhere. The number of people in the group defines the means of communication and the nature. Anything more than 15 or more, then the communication are free spirited open and probably attain a more social agenda.

Group meetings usually can occur online via telecommunications or face to face. Whatever the medium, communication is vital. No...