a.Give the definition of "Group" in your own words.
Two or more people get together to make some decisions or solve problems.
b.Discribe the detailed characterictics of the groups.
•Interdependence: The mutual dependence of group members on one another.
•Common Goal:The driving force that brings people together to form is a common goal.
•Group Personality: When people come together in a group, they form a collective identity that becomes the group personality,such as conservative, intelligent, social and so on.
•Commitment: The desire of group members to work together to complete their task to the satisfaction of the entire group.
•Cohesiveness: An extension of commitment, is the attraction that group members feel for each other and their willingness to stick together.
•Group Conflict：Whenever people come together in any communicative context there is bound to be conflict of some sort.
•Social Facilitation：The tendency for a person to release energy that would not be released if the individual were acting alone is called social facilitation
•Gender Differences：groups consisting of both men and women are more likely to be dominated by men talking than by women talking.
•Group Size：A group is composed of a number of people who are brought together or who come together voluntarily and who share a common goal, task, or purpose.
•Norms：Norms are the expected and shared ways in which group members behave.
C.How to make the group members get into a positive participation during the group communication?
•Members’ comments should pertain to the topic and goals of the discussion at hand and should deviate only when tension needs to be released.
•The goal of relatedness is to make sure that contributions tie in with what has been said before and what is apt to be said next.
•To give more impact to a good idea you should, introduce it at a favorable time so that it gets the group’s full attention and consideration.
•Choosing the best length for a comment requires good judgment. The goal is to make sure that the comment you contribute is long enough to make your point
•To avoid misunderstandings, define your terms and provide examples to ensure a common ground.
•Make sure that your statement are accurate and objective. This requires having a good understanding of the topic and doing prior research.
•Criticism should not be ignored or avoided. At the same time, members must remember that evaluation can be constructive only when they focus on the contribution and not on the person.
•Comments should be made not only to bring the group closer to its goal, but also to fuel thought for further contributions.