Effective Group Discussion: Theory and Practice

About the Author

Carrisa Hoelscher

Carrisa S. Hoelscher (Ph.D., University of Oklahoma) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Interim Associate Dean of the Graduate College at Missouri State University. She enjoys teaching, consulting, and training in the areas of communication competence, business and professional communication, group communication and teamwork, and leadership communication. As an organizational communication scholar, she researches and publishes on communicative tensions in the context of groups, organizations, and interorganizational collaborations. Most recently, her focus has been on the tensions between organizational/employee consent and embodied, culture-driven work ethic. Prior to joining the Graduate College at Missouri State, she served as the graduate program director for the Master of Arts in Communication program and as the assistant department head for the Department of Communication. In her associate dean role, she oversees graduate student recruitment, retention, and professional development.

Stephen Spates

Stephen A. Spates is an associate professor, in the Department of Communication, at Missouri State University. He has taught a variety of courses in organizational communication, workplace diversity, quantitative research methods, and health communication. Dr. Spates conducts grant funded research projects that look at bias and discrimination in the workplace. He has consulted with several corporate, and nonprofit organizations on communication topics. His Ph.D. is from The University of Tennessee.

Katherine Adams

Katherine L. Adams is an Emerita Professor and Chair of Communication at California State University, Fresno.  She received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah under the direction of the late B. Aubrey Fisher; a renowned small group communication scholar. She taught in the areas of interpersonal communication, communication theory, and small group communication.  She authored a textbook in interpersonal communication as well as an introduction to communication.  She co-authored with Gloria Galanes, multiple editions of this group communication book as well as Communicating in Groups: Application and Skills. During her 38 year tenure in academia she chaired five academic departments and is a Past President and Distinguished Service Award winner of the Western States Communication Association.  

Gloria Galanes

Gloria J. Galanes is professor emerita and former dean, College of Arts and Letters, Missouri State University. Her 22 years spent in university administration have fueled her long-standing interest in small groups. In addition to small group courses, she has taught organizational communication, leadership, communication and aging, intercultural communication, quantitative research methods, and applied communication research. Dr. Galanes was the founding director of the Citizenship and Service Learning program at Missouri State.  Her classes have investigated such topics as the needs of youth in the community, the needs of older adults, and the perceptions of Springfield Public Schools on behalf of numerous community organizations in Springfield. Her research into community issues has continued since her retirement. She is the co-author of two small group communication textbooks and co-edited a text on social constructionism. Her Ph.D. is from The Ohio State University.