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“The best way to get the most from group work is to approach it positively, determined to get the most from it. ”
Groupwork projects can help you to develop some key employability skills. Communication, facilitation and negotiation skills, for example, are key to successful group dynamics and essential in many workplaces.
Why is communication key?
The most common problems with groupwork assignments can usually be put down to poor communication between the group members. Communication is key to ensuring that everyone...
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Knows what the group is aiming for. |
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Knows what they should be doing individually to help achieve the aim. |
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Gets the chance to contribute ideas. |
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Feels they are being listened to. |
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Can use their strengths. |
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Has the opportunity to develop. |
How to communicate effectively
Having ways to communicate that work for all your members
It is essential that you make sure as many people as possible can attend meetings and everyone knows about them. Therefore, your first priority is making sure the leader or secretary has everyone's preferred contact details.
It is best if you can all use the same method (for example a Teams Chat or a WhatsApp group) but sometimes, one size does not fit all and you may need to use a mix of methods. If that is the case, make sure you do not inadvertently exclude members from conversations or information. Make sure someone always shares the same thing on all platforms.
Having regular meetings and attending them (can be face-to-face or online)
Try to ensure you meet-up regularly - even if you have not made major progress, a ten-minute check-in can stop things going off track early for example. Even if you have not managed to complete the work you hoped to, still attend (and do not judge others who have not completed the work - just encourage or help them to do so).
Online or hybrid meetings are increasingly common working practice and allow for more flexibility for people to attend if they have caring or working commitments or if they need to travel a distance to campus.
Staying in touch between meetings
It isn't all about meetings. A lot of comms can happen between them. If you have any queries or quick questions then send them to your team leader or to a group chat. If you have chosen to appoint a Progress Chaser then expect them to be in touch before meetings so that they can report back to the group.
Following your ground rules
Hopefully your ground rules should have a statement or two in them about how much and how often you agree to communicate and that you will respect each other's opinions and points of view. Make sure you stick to what you agreed - which can be hard if you vehemently disagree with a suggestion but just because you disagree does not mean you should disrespect each other. Stay professional.
Avoid confrontation by using "I" statements
There will inevitably be times when not everyone agrees with something and there are techniques you can use to build consensus (see separate box on this page).
The important thing is to avoid confrontation and avoid blaming others. Remember to use 'I' statements instead. i.e.
| rather than | 'You are not listening to me' |
| say | 'I feel my views are not being taken into account' |
| rather than | 'It's not fair that you always chair the meetings', |
| say | 'I think it would be beneficial if we could rotate the roles in the group' |
Learning facilitation techniques
Group work assignments are a great opportunity to develop skills that are also key to employability. Facilitation techniques involve things like active listening, wait time and building consensus.
See the separate sections on this page to learn more about these.
The role of the Team Leader
If you are elected Team Leader then it is your role to make sure:
- Everyone understands the task at hand and their role in achieving it.
- Meetings run smoothly, to time and decisions are clear and communicated.
- Everyone has a chance to contribute and feels their contribution is valued.
Parts of this can be delegated (for example you can have a rotating Chair or a Secretary to communicate agendas/decisions etc), but you still need an overview of the whole project.
Chairing meetings
First, decide as a group how formal you want to make your meetings. If your project is being assessed on process, you may need to have an agenda and take and share formal minutes. If that is not necessary, then at the very least you should keep a decisions log that everyone can access.
Agendas
If you have an agenda, make sure it is circulated in advance so that people can have an idea what they may need to do to prepare. This could be the job of a team Secretary if you choose to have one. The agenda could be partially fixed (the same every time with simple headings like 'Progress Reports', 'Next Steps) and/or you could ask the group for agenda items to be sent to the chair/secretary further in advance of the next meeting.
You can allocate amounts of time to each item if there is a lot to get through so that the meeting does not get dominated by one issue. Always end with AOB (Any Other Business) so that ad hoc things can still be addressed. There are many sites online that offer free agenda templates or you could search for 'Agenda' in the Microsoft online templates when you create a new Word document.
Whether it is a team leader or a separate Chair that runs meetings it is their responsibility to follow the agenda and keep to time.
Minutes
If you need to keep minutes, it is usually best if someone other than the chair takes them. This could be a team Secretary or you could rotate who does it. As with agendas, there are many templates available online or directly through Microsoft when you start a new Word document.
The amount you include will probably be dependent on whether you will have to submit them as part of your assessment, but generally keep it to the essentials.
Keeping to time
Even if you do not have an official agenda with timings listed, it is a good idea to plan out how long you think you should spend on different topics so that the meetings do not go over time. Some group members may be more pushed for time than others, and it shows respect if you keep to your timetable. When you come to the end of the time allocated for some items, just say "I know there could be more to say on this but let's move on and return if we have time". If you do not have time, think of ways to continue the conversation between meetings rather than extend the meeting time.
Making sure everyone can contribute
An important role of a Team Leader or meeting Chair is to make sure everyone has a chance to participate fully. Hopefully, your ground rules will encourage respect and make your team members feel comfortable sharing ideas. But some people are naturally reserved and may initially find this challenging.
Here are a few suggestions for how you can encourage wider participation if you are chairing a meeting:
Start the meeting by asking everyone to report on what they have been up to (if it is the first meeting, this would be introducing themselves and what they think they can bring to the team). Go round the table rather than waiting for people to speak up. Make it clear that it is sometimes OK to have not managed to get everything intended done (and work out new timelines or address any problems).
To generate ideas, look at participatory techniques used in business like brainstorming or even silent brainstorming. These can give more people a chance to contribute as the idea is that one person's ideas can spark an idea in another person. Check out the links provided to make sure you are doing it effectively.
Watch out for dominators (even yourself). If someone is taking up most of the talking time, think of ways to bring others in tactfully. You could ask for responses round the table or ask the dominant person to write things down so ideas are not forgotten (this will inevitably mean they cannot talk as much). Perhaps consider a talking stick (or ball or pen or whatever you have to hand). People can only talk if they have the stick and you decide when it needs to be passed on.
Don't be afraid of some silence - use wait time (see separate box on this page) to maximise the quality and quantity of responses.
Active listening
Listening is actually the most important aspect of good communication. Everyone can speak well but if nobody is listening, no communication is happening.
Active listening is about making sure you are fully present in the conversation and that the other people in the conversation are also confident of this.
It involves:
- Listening to understand not respond
How many times have you been so intent on what you are going to say next yourself that you miss what others are saying? When you listen actively, you are truly listening and genuinely trying to understand.
- Providing feedback/asking questions
Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing and ask questions to clarify certain points you don’t understand. You can even summarise comments periodically.
- Making eye-contact and small responses
Eye contact makes it clear to the speaker that you are listening. We accept that if you are neurodivergent you may find this hard, but other small responses like nodding, smiling (or other facial expressions) and encouraging with comments like 'yes' and 'uh huh' are also effective and can be used instead or in addition.
- Withholding judgement
Try not to interrupt as this can frustrate the speaker and may stop you understanding their message. Leave counterarguments until after speaker has finished and phrase them as options rather than criticisms.
Wait time
This is a simple facilitation technique that involves giving group members time to develop a response and answer before you jump in to fill the silence and move on.
It can be uncomfortable to allow silence to continue, and we are naturally averse to it, but research has indicated that when facilitators regularly use at least three seconds of wait time, the quality and quantity of students’ verbal responses is increased significantly.
It is particularly important if your group is diverse and you have members who have English as an additional language as they may need longer to process the question and consider their answer.
If people do not respond after 5-10 seconds, consider alternatives such as:
- Rephrasing the question
- Simplifying the question
- Breaking down the question into its component parts
- Making the question more specific
Building consensus
This is an important role of the Team Leader but it is naturally a joint enterprise, so everyone needs to develop the techniques and skills to achieve it. Remember consensus is not always possible either - so in your ground rules, establish if a majority decision can be used if consensus is hard to reach.
Techniques
Set objectives
Ensure everyone understands what you need to agree on and what the desired outcomes are.
Recognise facts over opinions
Establish and share the facts or known information - not opinions, but those things you can all agree on. You can go around and around when using opinions to make a decision so if you find that happening, stop and look at what you can agree on.
Also, recognise when you need more information to make a truly informed decision and make it someone's job to bring that to the next meeting (or share between if needed earlier).
Brainstorm alternatives
Having a lot of different options enables you to make more informed decisions too. Encourage the free flow of ideas without criticism, and then collaboratively evaluate and refine these ideas to reach a consensus. Think about the pros and cons of each idea, vote on your favourites etc. See the links under Chairing meetings on this page for help with the process.
Skills
When you are building consensus you will need to use, or at the very least develop, the following skills:
Empathy
Understand and appreciate the perspectives and feelings of others. This can help in addressing concerns and finding mutually acceptable solutions.
Negotiation
Balance differing interests and find compromises that satisfy all parties involved.
Patience
Allow discussions to take their natural course without rushing to conclusions. Consensus-building can be time-consuming.
Critical Thinking:
Analyse ideas and arguments carefully, identifying strengths and weaknesses in proposals and making informed decisions.
Leadership
Even if you are not the group leader, you can steer the group towards its goals, motivate members, and foster a positive and inclusive group dynamic.
Adaptability
Be open to changing your stance based on new information or perspectives, and be willing to incorporate others' ideas into the final decision.
Team Building
Develop trust and camaraderie among group members through team-building activities and open communication.
Dealing with problems
Let's hope you don't have any, but if you do, here are some tips for dealing with the most common ones:
Someone not doing their fair share of the work
Communicate Early: Address uneven contributions by discussing the issue calmly with the group, clarifying responsibilities, and setting clear deadlines to keep everyone accountable.
Offer Support: Understand if a group member is struggling and offer assistance or redistribute tasks to ensure everyone can contribute fairly.
Escalate if Necessary: If the issue persists, document the situation and involve your tutor with evidence, only after attempting to resolve it within the group.
People in the group arguing or general discord
Open Communication: Address disagreements early by discussing concerns respectfully, focusing on solutions rather than assigning blame, and actively listening to all perspectives.
Find Common Ground: Identify shared goals and work collaboratively to resolve conflicts, encouraging compromise and emphasizing the group’s success over individual differences.
Use it as an opportunity: If there is disagreement then perhaps this is an area where you can demonstrate a critical approach, showing both sides of an argument could have some validity.
Seek Mediation: If conflicts remain unresolved, consider involving a neutral third party, like a tutor or team leader, to help mediate and facilitate a fair resolution.
