After reviewing the first two meetings of our T-Group, I laughed out loud when I read them. It was as if we had been following an invisible checklist. “People will try to ease anxiety by showing up.” Check. “Awkward silences will follow.” Check. “A member will typically select a course of action such as setting their goals or choosing topics to discuss.” Check and check. All that was needed was for someone to write them on the board and someone else to type them up and take them to the next meeting. It's ridiculous now to think that we struggled with what the group's goal was when it was clearly given to us at the beginning of the lesson, but at the same time we missed norms that were being put into place. After reading about the phases and subphases, I even remember commenting the next day that we should prepare for a “leadership reversal” phase. I said it, but only in jest, not expecting it to arrive later that day. On the other hand, we observed the first group as they reacted (or did not react) to the trainer who was in the room by making short comments that reflected what was happening during the group time. It was clear that they exhibited counter-dependent behavior that was at odds with our reliance on “positive” comments from trainers. The final stage was also taken directly from the script. We moved
tags