Title: Verbal Strategies in Small Group Communication APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF THE THESIS COMMITTEE:

The purpose of this study is to investigate certain types of verbal communications people use in small task-oriented groups. The verbal communications analyzed are certain phrases a speaker may use prior to the central idea of the statement uttered. These verbal communications are referred to as "language tactics". Language tactics are defined here as specific phrases a speaker may use to excuse, justify, rationalize, or interpret for the listen~ er(s) what the speaker is about to say before saying it. The purpose of this study is to look at language tactics as they are used by mem-bers of small task-oriented groups to answer two basic research questions: 1. Does the amount of previous interaction affect the use of language tactics by members of small task-oriented groups? 2. Does the type of task a small group is performin