9 Working with Others
Are you excited about meeting new people and working together on projects? Or, perhaps the idea of working with others gives you anxiety because group projects haven’t gone so well in the past.
Working as a group is not the same thing as working as a team. Here are some ways to have a great group work experience.
Decide where to meet
- Microsoft Teams: Share a workspace with a newsfeed, private chats, video calls and file-sharing.
- Microsoft OneNote: Share pictures, drawings and notes on this digital bulletin board. There are also audio recording and dictation functions. You can use OneNote in Teams for easy access.
- Microsoft OneDrive: Store files in the cloud and share them with individuals.
- Microsoft Sway: Create visually stunning presentations and newsletters online.
Decide how to get work done
Build rapport: Share information to help group members understand one another.
- Personalities: Who thrives with deadlines? Who procrastinates? Who is shy in meetings?
- Interests: Any shared hobbies or favourite shows?
- Commitments outside of class: Who provides care for a family member? Who works part-time?
- Strengths: Who is a strong writer, organizer and/or public presenter? Who has tech skills?
- Weaknesses: Who is afraid of public speaking or anxious about writing? Support one another!
Appoint roles for meetings to increase efficiency. Change roles regularly.
- The leader is responsible for completing one stage in a project. In a study session, this person plans the meeting and identifies topics to discuss.
- The timekeeper ensures the group stays focused and does not get side-tracked.
- The note-taker writes down important discussion points and records the decisions the group makes. Then, they share the notes with the group after each meeting.
Create a project plan (for group projects).
- Brainstorm all necessary tasks for completing the project.
- Create a schedule by planning backwards from the due date. Plan to finish everything three–five days early to account for setbacks.
- Appoint a leader for each stage of the project. Leaders must get stages done on time, but group members must help.
- Set deadlines for stages of the project.
- Schedule meetings for every stage of the project.
- Update your project plan at each meeting to reflect the group’s actual progress.
Create a study plan (for study groups).
- Review the syllabus to identify major themes for each week.
- Create a schedule of meetings for the whole semester.
- Appoint roles for each meeting.