GR:Many hands make light work, 23rd Sep. 7:30 pm AEST

@Milkninja222 all good! Tonight's GR will be run in this thread so here's where we'll be posting questions and having our dicussion! 😄 

@ecla34 

Thank you. Because I was wondering if we had to use a chat function for this thread? Like I know how to reply on the threads and tag people, but I do not know about chat option if that makes sense?

@Milkninja222 that makes total sense! 😄  But there's no need to do anything any differently to how you'd normally post in a thread, we mainly just call it a live chat because it goes so much faster!

@Milkninja222 all good!  

^us during GRs 😉 😛

i'm a bit of a slow writer myself so live chats are always a fun challenge! No stresses if you feel like the convo has moved on a bit and you haven't finished a response, it'll still make sense to everyone!

Alrighty everyone!
Hope your evening's going awesomely! 😄

Tonight's GR on Group Work is going to start very shortly at 7:30pm AEST !

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So excited for this one guys! The first question will be up very soon!

Let's get started! 
Welcome to tonight's GR everyone! 
The first question we have for the topic is:

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

Assigning tasks based on strengths.

Letting everyone voice their opinions and ideas

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

I feel like it can be really hard to get everyone to contribute as much as you'd like but letting people decide for themselves what areas they'd be best at working on and delegating from that can really help. I found starting early and setting deadlines for each task can really save you from those submissions 5 minutes before the due time.

@Tinkmatter @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @Hozzles @Pasta @dog_lover94  feel free to join in the chat

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

Taking time to work out each person's strengths can be a really good starting point to determine how to split up group work  Giving people tasks that play to their strengths and interests can help to maintain motivation throughout the course of a group task

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

I agree with you there @Milkninja222 , knowing who's doing what early on means that everyone know what they're responsible for and it's easier to make sure everything gets done! With group work I try and make sure we all are on the same page about what we're meant to do and by what date so that things go smoothly 😄
How about everyone else?

@ecla34 @WheresMySquishy 

Yeah it is. It can be difficult to find cohesion with doing a certain number of tasks in group-related projects. Because if say I do most of everything and the others do little, it is due to me not communicating what everyone needs to do. Which can cause more stress from working with the group and can make people feel undermined in their ability to problem-solve and work together. That's from my experience. 

@ecla34 

Sorry that was unintentionally my previous comment. 

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?

One strategy I believe is getting everyone to first mutually agree what sections and tasks they can individual they will do to complete a goal. This way everyone can avoid confusion on who does what and how much of a group assignment/task :). 

@Milkninja222 I agree. I think it's also important to make sure everyone fully understands their role, and isn't feeling overwhelmed. This can especially be the case for international students new to Aus, who can be shy and not speak up as often. It's important to check in with these individuals a little more frequently I think.

What strategies can be used to foster the best effort from everyone in the group?
I agree with @Milkninja222. I think deciding on roles can be a good idea.
In the past, I've found online resources (such as an editable table of what everyone has done) to be helpful, especially because you can see who is putting more effort in.

@WheresMySquishy i like that idea! 

When deciding on who's doing what task recently in a group, something that was hepful for me in terms of everyone being on the same page was to be really explicit about it. 
I'll do x if you guys can do y and z, does this seem like a fair distribution to you guys? That way no one feels like they got too much or too little to do 😄 like you guys said @Milkninja222 @katurian 

@Decal21 love the idea of deadlines for each task! that seems like it would stop that last minute panic!

@Bee and @Jess1-RO that makes sense! If people are more comfortable with/enthusiastic about their task then they're more engaged and happy with the group! 😄 

There's been a good discussion going on here, keep it up! 

Time for the next question:

What are some strategies to prevent unnecessary conflict?/If it does arise, what are some ways of managing conflict in a group?

What are some strategies to prevent unnecessary conflict? If it does arise, what are some ways of managing conflict in a group?

Really great question, and I would say one of the hardest parts of group work! Depending on the task and the group, it can be helpful to establish some ground rules/guidelines or methods of communication early. Having clear roles can be helpful in preventing conflict.

If conflict does arise, it really comes down to communication. This can be particularly hard if you don't know your group well!

What are some strategies to prevent unnecessary conflict?/If it does arise, what are some ways of managing conflict in a group?

I think what we've been saying about everyone knowing what they're doing and when is super important for preventing conflict! When someone feels taken advantage of, that's when the resentment starts brewing 😞 Keeping communication is going is hepful too!

I agree with what @Bee said, compromise is really important and a good skill to have! 

When conflict does arise, i think adressing it ASAP is best, so that things don't snowball. Having a discussion with everyone to talk about what's happening is the quickest way to resolve things i feel! 

Good point @WheresMySquishy ! Ganging up on someone or making them feel attacked can really escalate things! 

What are some strategies to prevent unnecessary conflict?/If it does arise, what are some ways of managing conflict in a group?
I think the main thing I've learned to prevent conflict is to make sure everyone knows their roles and that things are communicated clearly.
I recently read about the STAR technique, which might be helpful for managing conflict and addressing problems. It's where you explain the situation of the problem, what the other person did and how it affected the group. Then you provide feedback on what they would like to do instead.
I like to say something positive first, so that the other person doesn't feel as if they are being confronted or ganged up on.
Another thing I've found useful in managing conflict is assigning a group leader or someone who can mediate disputes (it could be a teacher or another group member). You could also try setting up a system where people can provide anonymous feedback.