Group process skills are important for all members of a community, not simply professional facilitators. We gather in formal and informal groups for many purposes – social activities, joint living arrangements, committees, local governance to name a few. The likelihood that we will all have precisely the same views and want the same outcomes is very small. Instead, we need to find ways to make sure that all points of view are heard and respected, and then that a common consensus is reached. Consensus does not mean that everyone agrees. It means that each group member can support the joint decision.
Keep in mind that each of us in a group holds considerable potential power. All we have to do is to keep objecting, without providing any positive alternatives, and we can bring constructive group process to a halt. Below are a few of the group process techniques that can help a group work well together:
- Active listening principles
- Assertiveness principles
- Conflict resolution principles
- Constructive feedback
- Decision-making principles
- Direct communication principles
If the group process is focused on change, then it will help to keep adult learning principles in mind:
as well as to remember what is involved in the process of change:
Two other resources may help the facilitators of group work:
