Real Communication An Introduction

290 Part 3  Group and Organizational Communication

Evaluating and Choosing Solutions

Once EcoCrew has generated its list of possible solutions, group members

have to evaluate the pros and cons of each idea to consider how well it meets

the criteria the members have defined. For example, one member, Kathryn,

points out that the lack of funding makes replacing the garbage cans out of the

question and would make an antilitter advertising campaign difficult, if not

impossible. Wade notes that organizing a beach cleanup would cost next to

nothing: they could all volunteer to get together to pick up garbage and clean

up the beach. Larissa adds that if they get the word out, they’d also be able

to attract additional volunteers—and potential new members—from outside

the group to participate. Thus the group decides to launch a monthly beach

cleanup: a regular social event to raise awareness of the group, encourage non-

members to participate and new members to join, and involve little to nothing

in terms of cost.

Implementing the Solution

Implementing a solution means putting into action the decision that the group

has made. For EcoCrew, this means making plans for the regular beach cleanup.

The group focuses first on logistics—setting dates and times. One member,

Allison, volunteers to act as a liaison with the county sanitation department to

see if it can provide trash bags and picks for the volunteers and to arrange for the

sanitation trucks to pick up the trash once it’s been bagged.

Larissa adds that, with a bit of legwork, the group could turn the cleanup into

a large community event; she volunteers to arrange for an end-of-day gathering

and to see if she can get her mother’s sandwich shop to donate food. Wade notes

that he can probably get his roommate’s band to entertain free of charge as well.

Assessing the Results

Once a group has implemented its agreed-upon solution, members should evalu-

ate the results. Evaluation can shed light on how effective the solution was and

whether the group needs to make further decisions about the problem at hand.

For EcoCrew, it will be helpful to assess the first event in

terms of how well it met the three key criteria:

c Was the beach cleaner at the end of the day as a result

of the group’s efforts? Before-and-after photos of the

beach reveal a very successful cleanup.

c Did the event wind up costing the members any

money? Thanks to the donations of local restau-

rants and supplies provided by the county sanitation

department, along with free advertising via social

networks, the event cost the group absolutely nothing.

c Did the event attract volunteers from outside the

group? Fifteen nonmembers participated in the

cleanup, among them several schoolchildren who

attended with their parents.

AFTER THEIR BEACH
cleanup, the EcoCrew team
needs to assess the results.
The first question should be:
“Was the beach cleaner after
our event?” © 2007 Getty Images