Who, Me Lead a Group?

by Jean Illsley Clarke

Overview

An indispensable guide for anyone nervous about leading a group, this practical book take readers step-by-step from planning to leading a meeting successfully. It discusses techniques that maximize group dynamics, qualities that make an effective leader, how readers can avoid sabotaging themselves before they speak, ground rules that help keep meetings on track, what to do when someone wants to use the meeting for their agenda, and how planning and preparation—while critical components—are only part of guaranteeing a successful meeting. This is an invaluable aid for anyone working with adults in community and religious organizations, training, counseling, business, schools, hospitals, social services, and a number of other fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936903306
Publisher:	Parenting Press, Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/1984
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Jean Illsley Clarke is a human development specialist and the author of Time-In and a coauthor of How Much Is Enough? She lives in Minneapolis.

Read an Excerpt

Who, Me Lead a Group?

---

By Jean Illsley Clarke, Dean Vietor

Parenting Press, Inc.

Copyright © 1984 Jean Illsley Clarke
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-936903-30-6

---

CHAPTER 1

HOW TO START

So you are going to lead a group? Fine. If you have led groups, you will find that this book addresses, perhaps in new ways, many things you have already experienced. If you are about to lead your first group, you will notice that the book is organized around ten questions. These are the questions that people frequently ask as they prepare to lead groups. I suggest that you read quickly through the first nine questions (see pp. iv–vi). No doubt you will realize how much you already know about leading groups.

The tenth question, "How Do I Plan My Meeting?", offers help in preparing for a specific group meeting. As you make your plans, you can look back to earlier questions and reread sections that will help you clarify what you need to do.

At the end of the meeting-planning section are two checklists for leadership evaluation. One checklist is organized around leadership skills; the second checklist is designed to follow the structure of the meeting plans. Choose one to help you identify things you did well and ways you can improve your leadership of future events.

Go ahead, make your plans, and lead your group. If you are a beginner, remember that the way to get started is to start. If you are an accomplished leader, use the questions to help you focus on skills that need improvement.

I hope that you enjoy Who, Me Lead a Group? and find it helpful. Feel free to write in the book. Add your own ideas and experiences, star ideas for future growth, disagree, write notes to yourself. The book is based on the experience and research of many leaders, but it will only be useful to you when you make it your own.

Four Types of Groups

As you read, you can be thinking about what kind of group you are going to be leading. There are four general types of learning groups:

Discovery groups

Sharing groups

Skill-building or task groups

Planning groups

Some leadership techniques work well in all four types of groups, but there are specific areas in which different techniques are appropriate. For example, methods of writing behavioral goals for the four groups differ significantly. These differences will be explained and illustrated throughout the book with examples for each of the four types of groups. The group types will be identified by the symbols that are listed above.

Each of the four types of groups has a different focus or emphasis.

Discovery groups focus on raising awareness of some kind. The emphasis is often on internal and personal aspects.

Sharing and support groups provide an opportunity for people to exchange something of value. The emphasis is on the individual's interactions with other persons.

Skill-building or task groups center on the skill or product that the person or group is to acquire or produce. The members of the group concentrate on learning a skill and/or producing a product.

Planning groups focus on designing a plan that is future-oriented. The goal is to produce a specific recommendation or blueprint for action.

Let us compare how the activities of the four groups would differ if they were all organized around the same topic. For example, think about how the groups would differ if each were about music. The same group of people could come together:

in a discovery group designed to help each person get more pleasure from listening to classical music. Group name: "Enjoying Classical Music."

in a sharing group to play instruments and sing together just for fun. Group name: "The Joyful Noise Bunch."

in a task group to practice for a band concert to be given at the fourth-of-July community celebration. Group name: "Minnetonka City Band."

in a skill-building group to increase the individual's ability to sightread and the group's ability to singdifficult harmonies. Group name: "Advanced Chorus."

in a planning group to design the calendar of concerts and parties for the coming year. Group name: "Orchestra Events Committee."

Before we talk about how a specific group can fall into more than one category, let us expand on each of the four group types. Read the description of each type of group and the list of examples on the following pages. Choose a title that could be of interest to you from each list of examples. Decide what the major activities for the group you chose might be, and write those activities in the space available on those pages.

Discovery groups

Discovery groups focus on self-awareness or on increasing an awareness of each individual's relationship to a special group, issue, possibility, or problem. The focus of such a group may be on knowledge, values, or both.

Examples:

Title

"My Family Myths and Me"

"Nuclear Arms Study Group"

"The Lessons of the Book of Job for My Life"

"Enjoying Classical Music"

"Styles of Child Rearing"

"The Role of OSHA in Industrial Safety and Efficiency"

"Clothes Make the Person"

"Can Quality Circles Help Your Company?"

Activity

- I will identify several myths that were strong in my family & how I follow them, -I will Learn about many facets of the nuclear arms race--safety, costs, politics.

Sharing groups

Sharing (and support) groups are designed to help members exchange information, feelings, hopes, grief, concerns.

Examples:

Title

"Symposium on Worker Safety"

"How Nuclear Power Affects Our Daily Lives"

"Marriage Encounter"

"Grief Support Group"

"Bible Discussion Group"

"Parent Support Group"

"Alcoholics Anonymous"

"A Workshop for Managers: What Makes Your Quality Circles Work?"

Activity

-I will explain ways our business promotes worker safety & I will listen to what others do. -I will get new info on effects of nuclear power. I will discuss with other people what the implications of use of nuclear power are for our lives

Skill-building groups

Skill-building (or task) groups are intended to help the members complete specific tasks or increase job, recreational, physical, mental, spiritual, personal, interpersonal, or group skills.

Examples:

Title

"Couple Communication"

"How to Influence Your Legislators"

"The Steps in Grieving"

"How to Lead a Junior-High Church Group"

"Systematic Training for Effective Parenting"

"How to Design a Safe Environment for Day Care"

"Sew a Weekend Travel Wardrobe"

"Introducing Quality Circles in Your Business: A Six-Step Method"

Activity

-I will identify and practice new ways of communication with another person.

-I will learn methods people use to influence legislators & will use several of them.

Planning groups

The members of planning groups meet to plan for the future. Anything from one event for a single individual to the next thirty years for a nation can be explored by a planning group. You may be familiar with these groups as boards, task forces, or committees.

Examples:

Title

"Safety Recommendation Committee"

"The Ad Hoc Committee on Nuclear Power"

"Jewish Community Center Long-Range Planning Committee"

"Task Force on Finding Ways Our School Can Identify and Support Children of Divorce"

"Parish Education Committee"

"Governor's Task Force on Families"

"Advisory Board"

"Executive Planning Board"

Activity

-We will review safety codes for the industry. We will assess safety practice & make recommendations.

-We will assess current use of nuclear power in the state as it relates to energy needs. We will make a list of recommendations on role of power during the future.

As time passes, some groups may move from one category to another. A group on "The Power of the Media" could [??] raise awareness of current media practices, [??] share responses to different media approaches, [??] learn how to design a media presentation, and [??] plan ways to use media for a specific purpose. Such a group would have moved through all four categories.

Other groups will fall into two or three categories at the same time. For example, groups studying Self-Esteem: A Family Affair [??] increase their awareness of their own attitudes and behavior, [??] find out what other parents think, and [??] practice parenting skills at each meeting.

Remember that your group is important, no matter what its purpose or its size. Go ahead. Explore the book and develop your plans. Good luck to you as you learn more about leading groups — and may your leadership be empowered and your success abundant.

CHAPTER 2

QUESTION 1

What Are the Qualities of an Effective Leader of Adult Learning Groups?

Warmth, indirectness, cognitive organization, and enthusiasm are four qualities that are found in effective leaders of adult groups. Ask yourself how much of each of these qualities you already possess.

1. Warmth.

Effective leaders:

• speak well of people.

• tend to like and trust rather than fear other people.

• establish warm relationships with people.

2. Indirectness.

Effective leaders:

• let people discover things for themselves.

• are willing to refrain from telling everything they know, even when it would be "good for people." Researcher Allan Tough found that learners preferred helpers who offered helpful resources rather than "answers."

3. Cognitive organization.

Effective leaders:

• have clear behavioral objectives in mind.

• divide learning into orderly steps.

• have knowledge well-categorized so that they can offer appropriate data in response to questions.

• are clear about what they know and what they don't know.

• are willing to say they do not know and do not pretend when they are in doubt.

4. Enthusiasm.

Effective leaders:

• feel enthusiastic about people.

• are enthusiastic about the subject matter.

The combination of these qualities is a powerful force for learning. The warmth gives people permission to learn; the indirectness offers people the protection they need to discover their own learnings; and the cognitive organization and enthusiasm are reflections of potent leadership.

Using the scales on p. 16, rate yourself by circling a number for each of these qualities. When you have finished reading this book, return to this section and rate yourself again. You may discover that you already have more leadership skills than you thought you had. When you rate yourself after you lead several meetings, you may find that you have sharpened your leadership skills considerably.

You may already possess an abundance of each of these qualities. If not, you can generate your own warmth and enthusiasm. Who, Me Lead a Group? can help you to sharpen your organizational skills and to improve your ability to lead indirectly.

CHAPTER 3

QUESTION 2

How Do Adults Learn, and How Can I Facilitate Adult Learning Groups?

What Motivates Adults to Learn?

Adults who want to learn are motivated in either a general or a specific way. A vague dissatisfaction and a desire to do something better are examples of general motivations. People with general motivation say things such as:

"I wish I understood myself better."

"I just want to talk with some other people."

"I would like to learn to communicate better."

"I keep wondering where this group is going."

Specific motivations come from internal pressure generated by a specific life situation. Examples of specific motivation are:

"Will this program help me understand what the threat of nuclear war means to me and my family?"

"I'm upset because my spouse and I don't agree on how to handle our teenager who got a DWI ticket. Are there any parents in this group who have solved that problem?"

"I want to know how to speak Spanish before my trip to Mexico."

"Our committee has to come up with a plan for moving into the international market, but I only know the domestic market."

Sometimes the motivation to learn comes from outside the learner. The need for academic certification or pressure from a superior to change one's behavior are good examples. People who come to meetings because they are motivated by outside pressure can be resistant learners. One way for the leader to lessen this resistance is to take the time to help people discover how the learning experience can directly benefit them. Involve them in the goal-setting process. Challenge them to lind a way that the group meeting can benefit them even though it is required.

What Are the Steps in Adults' Learning Process?

STEP 1: Where Adults Get Information

Once motivated to begin working toward a learning goal, adults seek information or help at some time. Some people turn to friends or co-workers, some go to the library or find other sources of written material, some use television or other media sources, and some attend meetings in order to learn. Adults who attend meetings often expect:

• to learn useful concepts and skills offered by the leader.

• to be offered visual helps such as books, charts, films.

• to benefit from the collective experience of other people in the group.

Adult learners prefer to be in charge of their own learning. So it is important for the leader to be a facilitator, whose role is:

• to present material and then leave the decision about the materials and the life application up to the learners.

• to be sure that the visual material is available, clear, and readable.

• to structure ways in which the learners can tap the resources of other people in the group.

STEP 2: How Adults Organize Learning Material

Adults organize new information as they collect it, but not all of them organize it in the same way. Some of them prefer to get an overview of the material — a big picture — or an abstract theory, and then see where various parts or the concrete experiences fit in. Other adults organize learning material by searching about for bits and pieces, or even large chunks, from which to create their own view of the big picture. Many adults like a quick view of the big picture or the general theory, immediately followed by some parts, or some concrete experiences, to start fitting into it.

The people who need the big picture first are often very goal-oriented. They are uncomfortable when asked to do something unless there is an explanation first indicating how the activity contributes to the larger goal. These people like to hear the abstract theory before the direct experience that illustrates it. They prefer to learn the basic principle and then see how it applies. Such adults are eager to get a feeling for the whole project before they start work on an individual task. Not only do they want to know the purpose of the learning, but they feel uncomfortable if they do not know what content and methods will be used. They say things like:

• "I really don't get it."

• "I don't know what you are driving at."

• "I don't understand how this fits."

• "What does this have to do with me?"

• "I don't see why you are doing this."

It is as if they are not part of the learning, as if something is happening to them. If these adults don't get the structure they need in order to become part of the learning process, they are apt to leave.

Once these people have the big picture, they join the learning process and make judgments about how individual pieces fit into the overall scheme. Then they say things like:

• "I see how that fits within the framework you described."

• "I think this piece makes more sense if we use it this way."

• "I have an idea that relates to our topic."

Now they are in charge of their learning and are helping to make things happen.

People in the second category, those who like to build from small pieces, organize their learning experiences in a different way. They like to see a play before reading a review that summarizes the plot; they prefer to hear a story from the beginning without being told the ending ahead of time. These people are comfortable learning each individual step of the dance and then putting it all together. They start to assemble a toy before they read the directions. They enjoy taking a variety of direct experiences and combining them to see if they make a meaningful whole.

When these people aren't offered enough separate pieces or concrete experiences, they say things like:

• "That wasn't a good meeting — too much lecture."

• "The explanation was too long."

• "I like it better when we jump right in and do things."

• "Too boring."

After they get the pieces they need, they regain their enthusiasm and make remarks such as:

• "This is beginning to fit together for me."

• "I like how this builds on what we did at the last meeting."

• "Have you noticed how these things connect?"

• "I saw something on TV that relates to one of the things we did in the group."

Now these adults are in control of their learning and are contributing to the process.

Most groups include some people who want to see the big picture from the beginning, some people who want to build the big picture for themselves, and some people who want some of both. Early in each meeting be sure to:

• state the goals or review the big picture clearly and quickly.

• present at least one separate piece of information or one specific example.

(Continues...)

---

Excerpted from Who, Me Lead a Group? by Jean Illsley Clarke, Dean Vietor. Copyright © 1984 Jean Illsley Clarke. Excerpted by permission of Parenting Press, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Contents

HOW TO START,
Discovery Groups;,
Sharing Groups;,
Skill-building Groups;,
Planning Groups,
QUESTION 1: What Are the Qualities of an Effective Leader of Adult Learning Groups?,
QUESTION 2: How Do Adults Learn, and How Can I Facilitate Adult Learning Groups?,
QUESTION 3: How Do I Open the Meeting, and How Important Is Opening?,
QUESTION 4: How Can I Design a Meeting to Help Learning Happen?,
QUESTION 5: How Do I End the Group, and How Important Is Closure?,
QUESTION 6: What Is My Responsibility to the Group? What Is My Contract? Contract,
QUESTION 7: What Will I Do If Problems Arise? Drama Triangle,
QUESTION 8: What Will I Do If Someone Wants to Use the Group for Personal Therapy?,
QUESTION 9: What Can I Do to Prepare Myself?,
QUESTION 10: How Do I Plan My Meeting?,
HOW TO CONTINUE,
NOTES,
THE PLANNING WHEEL,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR,
HOW MANY SENSES?,
CONTRACT,
EVALUATION FORM,
CHECKLIST FOR LEADERSHIP SKILLS,
CHECKLIST FOR MEETING STRUCTURE,
MEETING PLAN,
INDEX,