A method of conducting a group communication session arbitrated by an application server within a wireless communications system, comprising: configuring a call request message, at a given access terminal, to request initiation of a given group communication session to a communication group and to request that an allocation of a floor to the given access terminal for a duration of the given group communication session remain uninterrupted by other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group, even if other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group have a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal; receiving, at the given access terminal, a floor-grant message indicating that the given access terminal has obtained the floor and can begin forwarding media for transmission to at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group; and forwarding media from the given access terminal to the at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group for the duration of the given group communication session without the floor being transferred from the given access terminal to the at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group, even if any of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group have a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal, wherein if one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group having a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal requests the allocation of the floor, the requested allocation of the floor by the one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group is either ignored by the application server or suppressed by the one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group. configuring a call request message, at a given access terminal, to request initiation of a given group communication session to a communication group and to request that an allocation of a floor to the given access terminal for a duration of the given group communication session remain uninterrupted by other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group, even if other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group have a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal; receiving, at the given access terminal, a floor-grant message indicating that the given access terminal has obtained the floor and can begin forwarding media for transmission to at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group; and forwarding media from the given access terminal to the at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group for the duration of the given group communication session without the floor being transferred from the given access terminal to the at least one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group, even if any of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group have a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal, wherein if one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group having a higher pre-emption rank than the given access terminal requests the allocation of the floor, the requested allocation of the floor by the one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group is either ignored by the application server or suppressed by the one of the other members (ATs 2...N) of the communication group.