1. Roles
1. Self-concept development: Role formation
2. Diversity of roles in small groups
3. Group task roles
4. Group building and maintenance roles
5. Individual roles
2. Norms
1. Identifying group norms
2. How norms develop
3. Conforming to group norms
3. Culture
1. Individualism and collectivism
2. Conversational style
3. Monochronic and polychronic time
4. Status
1. Privileges accorded to high status group members
2. Effects of status differences
3. Status differences and group dynamics
5. Power
1. Power bases
2. Effects of power on group process
3. Power and gender
4. Status and power
6. Trust and Self-disclosure
7. Development of Group Relationships Over Time

1. Defensive and Supportive Climates
1. Evaluation versus Description
2. Control versus Problem Orientation
3. Strategy versus Spontaneity
4. Neutrality versus Empathy
5. Superiority versus Equality
6. Certainty versus Provisionalism
2. Disconfirming and Confirming Responses
1. Disconfirming responses
2. Confirming responses
3. Listening
1. Types of listening
2. Barriers to effective listening
3. Guide to active listening
4. Verbal Dynamics in the Small Group
5. Group Cohesiveness
1. Composition
2. Individual benefits
3. Task effectiveness
4. Communication
6. Communication Networks
7. Group Size
8. Group Climate and Productivity
9. Summary

1. Importance of Nonverbal Communication to Group Communication
2. Application of Nonverbal Communication Research to Small Groups
1. Body posture, movement, and gestures
2. Eye contact
3. Facial expression
4. Vocal cues
5. Territoriality and personal space
6. Personal appearance
7. Communication environment
8. Time
3. Culture and Nonverbal Communication in Small Groups
1. High-context and low-context cultures
2. High-contact and low-contact cultures
4. Gender and Nonverbal Communication in Small Groups
5. Guidelines for Interpreting Nonverbal Communication in Small Groups
1. Clusters of cues
2. Different responses
3. Cultural and gender differences
4. Past experience
5. Liking, power, and responsiveness
6. Perception checking

    Chapters 4, 5, and 6 are related in their focus on things which will help you get along better in small groups, or at least to help you better understand why you might not get along very well. These three chapters cover a lot of material, so again I have tried to structure an exam which focuses on the main ideas rather than all of the small details. However, the main headings do not necessarily give you a good indication of what the main ideas are, so to help point you in the direction of what I would consider to be the important points I am again providing you with some hints on how to focus your study. This way you will better know which details are more important.
 

• I will not ask you to identify specific roles (of the 25 or so listed), but you should at least know the difference between task roles, maintenance roles, and individual roles. You should also know something about how roles are formed and why people take on different roles in groups.
• Norms are typically considered unwritten rules or standards for behavior in a group. If they are unwritten, how can you identify them?
• The book talks about both high-contact and high-context cultures. What is the difference between the two? How would you describe your culture?
• Although we like to think of everyone as equals, status differences still exist. Even if we do not like to admit that they mean anything, consider how they might effect a small group composed of various supervisors and subordinates or even people who have been promoted to different levels. What communication differences between high status and low status individuals will likely exist, according to the generalizations drawn from the research cited in the book?
• Although we have not yet had a chance to discuss power specifically, French and Raven's power bases gets referred to frequently in a number of different contexts. Therefore, you should know where the different bases of power come from. How do you get legitimate, referent, expert, reward, or coercive power?
• Many groups feel a certain uneasiness or tension at different points in its development. Bormann makes a distinction between primary tension and secondary tension. How do you know when you've moved from one stage into the next?
• Whenever you hear anything about supportive and defensive climates, you'll find a reference to Gibb's categories. Check out the synopsis handed out by the Group Formerly Known as 3, as well as the text to become familiar with the ways defensive climates are created and how more supportive climates could be created.
• It does not take a lot of effort to give a disconfirming response, but if you really want to let someone know that you value their input, you may have to think about what the best way to give a more confirming response. Could you formulate an example for each of the five types of confirming responses listed in the text?
• Many times people become defensive simply due to a misunderstanding. Many misunderstandings result from ineffective listening. You can build a more supportive climate simply by letting others know that you have heard them out and that you understand where they are coming from. In order to truly understand other people's perspective though you have to be an active listener. What is involved in active listening?
• It should be clear that there is more to listening than simply hearing. The book lists three different types of listening which distinguish several processes involved in how we respond to audible messages. Be familiar with what goes on in each type of process.
• The focus of the workshop by the Group Formerly Known as 3, seemed to be on cohesiveness. Remember how I asked for a clarification about the relationship of conflict and cohesiveness? You might want to be sure you can say something about the role of conflict in cohesive groups.
• When we think of nonverbal communication, we frequently think of different gestures or physical signals. The text suggests that we can divide these gestures into five categories: emblems, illustrators, affect displays, regulators, and adaptors.  Make sure you understand these categories so that you could correctly identify an example of each type.
• Many people seem to believe that eye contact gives one of the better indicators to the meaning of a nonverbal message, however, anyone can control any one nonverbal signal if they pay attention to it. What happens when we do not try to control our eye contact. When are we more likely to engage in eye contact and when we be more likely to look away?
• The book suggests even the way a room is arranged (the use of space) can influence our behavior. They call the study of this phenomenon small group ecology. What would the conclusions of this type of research suggest for a way to either encourage more participation or to regulate overly vocal members?
• We have seen how language can be ambiguous and that meaning is found in people and not in words. Well, nonverbal messages are even more ambiguous because sometimes we can perceive a message from the simple behavior of a person which was not even intended to be communicative. Therefore, you should be familiar with the good suggestions the text makes for interpreting nonverbal messages.