Jakarta – LSPR Communication and Business Institute gave practical group communication training to The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology staff. The training was given by the Director of LSPR Center for Research, Publication, and Community Service, Mr. Rudi Sukandar, Ph.D. The training was held on Friday (19/10/2021) in BSD. In this training, Mr. Rudi stated the importance of effective communication in a group. He said that there are several myths in communication that are untrue. For example, a lot of people believe that communication is a remedy to all of the problems.

The participants

“There are people who believe that communication can solve all problems; however, it is not true. Other variables influence the problem-solving process, not just communication,” he said. 

Mr. Rudi also gave group activities to the participants. He gave a simulation of a negotiation process within a group.  In these activities, participants were divided into several groups and challenged to solve negotiation problems. The last concept that Mr. Rudi gave in this training was mediation. Mediation is an essential concept because sometimes friction can happen between group members. This friction can influence group communication, which can jeopardize group unity. That’s why as a leader, we have to become a mediator to solve this friction. 

“One of the most important principles to become a good mediator is impartiality,” he said.   

Mr. Rudi stated that a mediator does not offer any solution for the two parties’ problems. The keys have to come from the two parties themselves. 

“Mediation is the first step to solve disputes between two parties. There is another way to solve disputes, for example, arbitration,” he said. 

The training was closed with group activities that simulated the mediation process. Kominfo staff was divided into groups of three, and then one person was asked to be a mediator to solve the group problems.

The participants