Exercise 3: Screening Potential Goal Statements

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                         EXERCISE THREE
               SCREENING POTENTIAL GOAL STATEMENTS

     Number of people:        3 to many 
     Minimum time:            20 minutes 
     Materials:               copies of the worksheet on the
                              following two pages; list of group
                              goals, if feasible

From time to time in the life of an organization, there develops a
longing for the security and assurance of having a neat and tidy
list of goals.  Then, someone or a committee will set about to
author a goal statement.  It may emerge from a problem statement:
"The goal of this group is to (remedy the problem)."  It may emerge
from your analysis of root causes or restraining forces.  It may
emerge from your group vision of the ideal situation.

This exercise assumes that you already have drafted a goal
statement.  The purpose of the activity is to help your group
decide whether it will accept a particular statement as an
official, high priority goal of the group.  It will also help
participants learn to distinguish a goal statement from a non-goal;
acquire skills in refining goal statements so they will be more
useful to the group; experience a process for deciding whether the
group will accept a goal.

(Any group that doesn't have a statement of possible goals could
call a quick huddle and come up with one.  Don't worry about the
wording-this activity will help you perfect it.)

1. Form groups of three to five people each; if your organization
is small or your time is abundant, the entire group could work
together.

2. If your group does not have a statement of goals

3. Distribute one or more "potential goals" to each small group.

4. Designate a facilitator and recorder for each group, who will
guide the group through the following steps:

     a.   Write the potential goal statement in its initial form in
          Section A of the Goal Revision Worksheet.

     b.   Discuss the six questions in Section B and record the
          group's answers.

     c.   Depending on your answers to the six questions, you will
          probably need to draft a "Revised Version #1" of the
          goal; alternatively, use that space on the worksheet to
          record ideas for improvements, suggested rewording of
          phrases, etc.

     d.   Draft a "Revised Version #2" and discuss whether it is an
          acceptable statement of the goal.  The group may wish to
          answer the six questions again with respect to the
          revised version.  

• Lois M. Frey, UVM Extension, RR #4, Box 2298, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 223-2389, email: lfrey@sover.net
• "Group Development: Creating Group Effectiveness" by Duane Dale, DFD Associates, 99 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138-3402 (moving to 764 South East Street, Amherst, MA 01022 after 8/1/98);
• Bob Biagi, 142 Cherry Lane, Amherst, MA 01002 (413) 549-1412;

Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98