Goal setting is one of the most important aspects of communication. Imagine a game of soccer, the goal of this game is to get the ball past the goalkeeper of the opponent's team. To achieve this objective, the team has to set its goals, such as communicating with each other, getting the ball to the strikers, etc. When the team loses its way to achieve these goals, the entire team will suffer and might end up losing the game.
Now apply these concepts but in similar situations; Situations that are related to your business, or class work, or even your life long goal. When these concepts are applied in group events, such as the soccer game, or at business / work, these goals are very important. For this, O'Hair and Wiemann suggest a group leader, who can take control of these goals and help his/her team fulfill them to the group's potential. O'Hair and Wiemann also suggest that the team should always ask a couple of questions when the goals are being implemented :
1 ) For what purpose does your group exist ?
2) Do all group members understand and accept the goals? Are they committed to them?
3) How close is your group to achieving its goals?
4) How well are your group's activities or functions aligned with the goals ?
( O'Hair, Wiemann. The essential Guide to Group Communcation . New York, Bedford / St. Martin's. 22 )
It is really important for everyone to participate in the group's discussions, problems, and goals. It is even more important for the group leader to guide the team with the help of these goals. As the authors mention " The more you use the group's goals to guide you, the more satisfied you are likely to be as a participant" (O'Hair, Wiemann).
Hey! I really liked this post for a couple of reasons. First, I still haven't read this topic in the text and I feel like you did a really good job making it clear so that even someone with very little knowledge in this topic can still get a decent understanding for what it is about. Also, you made it interesting for us and yourself by tying it in with your hobby of soccer. You made it very easy to picture communication by using examples such as "getting the ball to the strikers" and such. I played soccer and many other sports and they all require lots of communication. Great post thanks for making it descriptive and interesting!
ReplyDelete-Tell 'Em
Hey SoccerFreak! I just read through the very chapter on this book and passed by this section. I like how you chose this topic and related it to a soccer game, which I assume is your favorite thing to play...haha! However, what you mentioned is indeed true: setting a goal for any group is essential. My favorite part of this blog would be where you said, "if the team loses its way to achieve these goals, the entire team will suffer." In short, I think you did a good job of finding an analogy to relate to this topic. I hope this motivates you to aim for the goal without being distracted, whether it is in school or any of your soccer games!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your post! I love soccer and your analogy of the soccer game is amazing. I liked how you used the game as a metaphor for your life and your goals in life is like trying to make a goal but you don’t want to let down your friends and family which is your team metaphor (you don’t want to be like the goalie from England in the world cup match versus America). Your questions are also very thought out and make you think hard on what your goals are and how you can achieve them. Over all I think this was a good post and I hope you keep playing soccer!
ReplyDelete