Groups have personalities of their own, which reflect the unique individual characteristics of each participant and especially the group leader. As a facilitator, you set the tone for the group. This does not mean that you control the group. It does mean that your leadership style has a major effect on group dynamics. While each group is unique, there are predictable stages that any group goes through. Knowing something about what to expect can help you handle the dynamics as they develop. The following is a brief summary of the stages and challenges that any group goes through.

FORMING
This is the polite stage of a group. People are feeling each other out, checking out who else is here. Even participants with experience in groups will be new to this one, so all groups go through a "getting to know you" phase. When there are people who have a lot of experience with groups, this stage may go very quickly. Where everyone is new to groups, it may take a few sessions for them to begin to challenge you.

STORMING
Challenge you they will, so don’t panic! This stage is essential to a strong group, so be prepared for it. It is actually an indication that people are becoming more comfortable with you and each other. Sometimes referred to as the "kill the leader" phase of a group, it is much like the "terrible twos" when an infant’s favorite word is "NO!" or adolescence when teenagers "know" that they are smarter than their parents. Be ready for challenges to the things you say and for the more dominant members of the group to try to take over leadership. Take a breath when this happens and enjoy the opportunity to learn about how participants handle competition and authority. In groups of mixed levels of experience, more aggressive members may try to dominate quickly while more timid ones hold back. The Artform process is an excellent tool for making sure everyone in the group has an opportunity to be heard. Remind them of the agreements they made for respecting everyone’s contributions.

NORMING
Once the challenge phase of a group is successfully resolved, members are ready to form meaningful relationships with you and each other. Participants look for areas of agreement and ways to appreciate and build on each other’s strengths. The good news for you is that they will also appreciate you and your role. You are first a human being, and appreciation of your contributions is important for your own self esteem.

PERFORMING
This is the productive, task-oriented stage of a group. Trust has been established and people are ready to get down to the real work of the group. In this stage, people work together to get tasks done.

TRANSFORMING
This is the completion stage of a group. If the group is ending, then separation issues will be the focus. Most people have a hard time with separation, it often brings up painful reminders of the past. Make completion and moving on an opportunity for celebration. If they are remaining together in a longer program, then it is time for a redefinition of the group purpose and goals. Be prepared, any time there are new members, or a redefinition of goals, to revisit the earlier issues discussed above.

BACKGROUND REFERENCES
There are lots of very good books about group dynamics available in libraries and bookstores if you want to do some more background reading. The National Training Laboratory produced a detailed reference of group activities and published an article, "The Group: A Cycle from Birth to Death" (Reading Book for Human Relations Training, NTL, ©1982) that describes the stages discussed here in more detail.

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