Ryan Rienzo

CNS 742 FG
Assignment 4.1
June 4th, 2014
Personal Experience in A Group
One group that I was a part of was my varsity cheerleading team in
high school. Prior to becoming part of the group, I had to make the team by
trying out. Group members were selected based on their skills and ability
during the tryouts. After the results were posted, it was now time for the
team to meet and begin practicing together.
During the first couple practices, or the forming stage, there was a
sense of awkwardness and discomfort. Little communication occurred. The
team was comprised of girls from all four grades and many team members
did not yet know one another. The group voted and we selected captains, I
was lucky enough to be elected as one of them. As the newly elected group
leader I felt it was responsibility to offer support to my fellow teammates. I
strove to keep our goal of obtaining a national title in mind, and to resolve
any conflicts that occurred. I also felt it was my job to eliminate any anxiety
about being part of the team. The first day of practice I used icebreakers to
get the team associating with one another and to try to reduce any
apprehension. Once the group was better acquainted with one another, rules
and guidelines were established.
Now that the group was more comfortable with one another the group
transitioned to the storming phase. It was at this point that members began
to compete with each other to find their place in the group. Conflicts surfaced
during this time and my fellow captains and I used conflict resolution to
eliminate any problems.
However, once issues between group members were eliminated, the
group began to function well together. Communication channels were open
and members interacted freely and openly with one another. A sense of weness became evident and the group began to act as a cohesive unit. Each
individual was proud to be a part of something bigger. The group was
cooperative and collaborated with one another to reach our goal of going to
nationals. Because the group functioned so well together, we were able to
complete this goal by the end of the season. After winning our national title,
the season ended and the team no longer met for practices. Although the
season was over, the bonds and skills learned from the group were not
forgotten and everyone benefited from their time spent with the group.