Tips for Working in Teams or Groups

Not always easy  What challenges have you had when working in a team or group?

Be PRESENT  Respect others time  Be on time to meetings  Be THERE…not distracted by other classes or situations going on  Participate  Contribute  Pay ATTENTION to what is being said to you*  Stay on topic

Choose wisely  If you are given the chance to choose groups, choose wisely.  You may feel some pressure to choose certain people, but:  your choice of team members should revolve around who has the right skills  and who has the motivation to excel in the team assignment.

Your Team  Get to know your team members.  What kinds of activities are they involved in?  What are there favorite or best subjects?

Contacts  Write down everyone’s contact info-  phone numbers,  addresses,  IM screen names  other important pieces of data, such as class, activity and work schedules, and best times to meet.  Create a master list with all the key information and it to each team member.

Choose or agree on a leader.  Every groups needs a leader to be the key point.  Make sure to choose someone you can count on, who will be supportive and kind but get the job done and do their part.

Identify the team strengths.  Some people are better writers while others are brilliant at researching,  Some love to make presentations, while others would rather design the presentation (but not partake in it).  Once you have identified each other's strengths, divide the critical tasks according to abilities and interests.

Don't Monopolize Conversations.  Even if you think you have the best ideas -- or even if you are the best student in your group, do not monopolize the team meetings.  The best teams are the ones in which team members collaborate -- and share ideas and decisions.  Some members who are shy or introverted will not speak up if you don't stop talking.  Remember YES AND!

Be flexible  Group projects are ALWAYS a compromise of ideas, so you should go into these situations with the idea that even if you have a brilliant idea for the project, it might not be chosen by your team.  The key here is accepting the idea and moving forward with whatever decisions the team makes -- and fully supporting those efforts.  Remember YES AND!

Slackers  It’s true, teams have social loafers -- slackers -- that will not complete their tasks.  If you are the team leader, one of your key roles is making certain everyone in the team is completing their assigned tasks.  Use peer pressure -–the power of the entire team to motivate them to work equally.

If all else fails, let your teacher know:  Show the teacher the list of who was responsible for what and what you have done to get the other person to do their work.  Make sure to communicate to your teacher that you have tried everything else and you need their help.  Be professional, don’t whine or use it as an excuse that your group failed to get the work done.

Presentation Time  When it’s time to present  Practice  Don’t memorize – don’t recite – just speak!  Instead of having notecards with your speech on it, try having leading questions about your topic  TRUST YOURSELF. You KNOW your topic!  It’s much more entertaining AND interesting to hear someone speak instead of recite