In a study supported by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, a research team developed a methodology for illustrating the effective and ineffective uses of audio, video, and computer teleconferencing by developing scenarios for eacb medium. The group first invented a general situation--a conference involving participants with global, regional, and local responsibility; an impending crisis on the local level; a need to allocate scarce resources; two languages; three major cultural perspectives; and a need to assess expert information. It then listed the strengths and weaknesses of each medium and identified eight basics necessary for group communication: (1) need to communicate, (2) common social protocol, (3) trust, (4) compatible personalities, (5) limited constraints, (6) acceptable physical environment, (7) opportunity for self-expression, and (8) a defined goal. By matching the lists of strengths and weaknesses with lists of variables related to these eight basics, the group then developed skeletal scenarios. Finally, to flesh out the skeletal scenarios, the group created different personality types and cultural backgrounds for the participants in the imaginary conference and developed matrices that summarized the way each participant acted in each scenario. This methodology, while unquestionably qualitative, creates a context that can inform human judgment. (GT)