Small Group Members Essay

There are many elements of a small group discussion each of which is important and play a key role. One of these elements is small group member roles and leadership which entails each member of the group taking on a specific role to benefit the group as well as gaining some form of leadership to help guide the group. The main roles that exist are; initiator-contributor role, information giver, orienter role, recorder role, and encourager and harmonizer roles. Each of these roles helps to keep the group and the discussion on the right path. The first role established in small group discussion is the initiator-contributor role and the person who takes this role assumes the role of the group task leader, which requires a person to take charge and help to guide the group towards accomplishing the task at hand. This requires the person to have great problem solving and decision making skills as they are often the one which other members will turn to when they have a problem or there is an issue/conflict in the group. The next role that a group member can assume is the information giver role which is just as it sounds. In this role the person who assumes this role puts forth new or alternative ideas in

They do this by questions the solutions another member gives or by providing new and different solutions. This forces group members to take into account both the positive or negative consequences of the solutions that have been suggested and if there are other, possibly better, options available. The recorder role is another role which is available and is pretty self-explanatory as it simply requires a member to do things like take the minutes of meetings and keep track of the groups’ actions by writing them down. This person may also have to create an agenda, make arrangement for the group, or be responsible for sending out emails to group