Communicating in small groups

Steven A. Beebe, co-written with John T. Masterson, has long been a leading college text on how small groups communicate, and this edition has been in use for well over fifteen years. Its approach pairs conceptual frameworks with exercises and skill-building activities, so readers can test ideas as well as learn them.

The revised edition puts particular weight on communication competence within groups. It adds material on fantasy themes and symbolic convergence theory, and it shows how to spot and avoid faulty reasoning when a group works through a problem or reaches a decision. Problem solving is treated as one integrated process, with practical tools for structuring both problem solving and decisions in groups and teams.

Other topics include handling difficult participants during conflict, recent research on leadership and team performance, and new principles for organizing any meeting. The book also covers total quality management and the growing role of collaboration in the workforce.