Who, Me Lead a Group?

Jean Illsley Clarke, Jean Illsley Clarke

• Publisher: Parenting Press
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781884734410
• eBook ISBN: 9781936903306
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Meetings & Presentations
• Index: Business

An indispensable guide for anyone nervous about leading a group, this practical book take readers step-by-step from planning to leading a meeting successfully. It discusses techniques that maximize group dynamics, qualities that make an effective leader, how readers can avoid sabotaging themselves before they speak, ground rules that help keep meetings on track, what to do when someone wants to use the meeting for their agenda, and how planning and preparation—while critical components—are only part of guaranteeing a successful meeting. This is an invaluable aid for anyone working with adults in community and religious organizations, training, counseling, business, schools, hospitals, social services, and a number of other fields.

QUESTION 1

What Are the Qualities of an Effective Leader of Adult Learning Groups?

Warmth, indirectness, cognitive organization, and enthusiasm are four qualities that are found in effective leaders of adult groups.² Ask yourself how much of each of these qualities you already possess.

1. Warmth.

Effective leaders:

• speak well of people.
• tend to like and trust rather than fear other people.
• establish warm relationships with people.

2. Indirectness.

Effective leaders:

• let people discover things for themselves.
• are willing to refrain from telling everything they know, even when it would be “good for people.” Researcher Allan Tough found that learners preferred helpers who offered helpful resources rather than “answers.”³

3. Cognitive organization.

Effective leaders:

• have clear behavioral objectives in mind.
• divide learning into orderly steps.
• have knowledge well-categorized so that they can offer appropriate data in response to questions.
• are clear about what they know and what they don’t know.
• are willing to say they do not know and do not pretend when they are in doubt.

4. Enthusiasm.

Effective leaders:

• feel enthusiastic about people.
• are enthusiastic about the subject matter.

The combination of these qualities is a powerful force for learning. The warmth gives people permission to learn; the indirectness offers people the protection they need to discover their own learnings; and the cognitive organization and enthusiasm are reflections of potent leadership.

Using the scales on p. 16, rate yourself by circling a number for each of these qualities. When you have finished reading this book, return to this section and rate yourself again. You may discover that you already have more leadership skills than you thought you had. When you rate yourself after you lead several meetings, you may find that you have sharpened your leadership skills considerably.

You may already possess an abundance of each of these qualities. If not, you can generate your own warmth and enthusiasm. Who, Me Lead a Group? can help you to sharpen your organizational skills and to improve your ability to lead indirectly.

QUESTION 2

How Do Adults Learn, and How Can I Facilitate Adult Learning Groups?

What Motivates Adults to Learn?

Adults who want to learn are motivated in either a general or a specific way. A vague dissatisfaction and a desire to do something better are examples of general motivations. People with general motivation say things such as:

	“I wish I understood myself better.”
	“I just want to talk with some other people.”
	“I would like to learn to communicate better.”
	“I keep wondering where this group is going.”

Specific motivations come from internal pressure generated by a specific life situation. Examples of specific motivation are:

	“Will this program help me understand what the threat of nuclear war means to me and my family?”
	“I’m upset because my spouse and I don’t agree on how to handle our teenager who got a DWI ticket. Are there any parents in this group who have solved that problem?”
	“I want to know how to speak Spanish before my trip to Mexico.”
	“Our committee has to come up with a plan for moving into the international market, but I only know the domestic market.”

Sometimes the motivation to learn comes from outside the learner. The need for academic certification or pressure from a superior to change one’s behavior are good examples. People who come to meetings because they are motivated by outside pressure can be resistant learners. One way for the leader to lessen this resistance is to take the time to help people discover how the learning experience can directly benefit them. Involve them in the goal-setting process. Challenge them to lind a way that the group meeting can benefit them even though it is required.

What Are the Steps in Adults’ Learning Process?

STEP 1: Where Adults Get Information

Once motivated to begin working toward a learning goal, adults seek information or help at some time. Some people turn to friends or co-workers, some go to the library or find other sources of written material, some use television or other media sources, and some attend meetings in order to learn. Adults who attend meetings often expect:

• to learn useful concepts and skills offered by the leader.
• to be offered visual helps such as books, charts, films.
• to benefit from the collective experience of other people in the group.

Adult learners prefer to be in charge of their own learning. So it is important for the leader to be a facilitator, whose role is:

• to present material and then leave the decision about the materials and the life application up to the learners.
• to be sure that the visual material is available, clear, and readable.
• to structure ways in which the learners can tap the resources of other people in the group.

STEP 2: How Adults Organize Learning Material

Adults organize new informati...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• How to Start
• Question 1: What Are the Qualities of an Effective Leader of Adult Learning Groups?
• Question 2: How Do Adults Learn, and How Can I Facilitate Adult Learning Groups?
• Question 3: How Do I Open the Meeting, and How Important is Opening?
• Question 4: How Can I Design a Meeting to Help Learning Happen?
• Question 5: How Do I End the Group, and How Important is Closure?
• Question 6: What is My Responsibility to the Group? What is My Contract?
• Question 7: What Will I Do If Problems Arise?
• Question 8: What Will I Do If Someone Wants to Use the Group for Personal Therapy?
• Question 9: What Can I Do to Prepare Myself?
• Question 10: How Do I Plan My Meeting?
• How to Continue
• Notes
• The Planning Wheel
• About the Author
• How Many Senses?
• Contract
• Evaluation Form
• Checklist for Leadership Skills
• Checklist for Meeting Structure
• Meeting Plan