Working as a team is a bit of a different language to me
Howdy y'all
So unis been going for a few weeks and it's been pretty chill. We're starting off the major assessments which is always a busy time. However one of these has got me scratching my head a bit and a little nervous ig.
It involves us being placed into a randomly allocated group of 5 or so and we have to work on a presentation together for the rest of the semester. Sounds straight forward right? Well it is except the fact that I have never ever been able to work in groups. I normally hate group work and try to avoid them as much as I can due to in the past being paired up with people who don't respect you and will take advantage of you no matter what. Also being the dead last pick for teams for sports also etc. I struggled a lot with contributing to others discussions because when I do I get muddled up in my words and kinda fumble a bit. It's let me to instead has led me to straight up refuse group work at times in favour of doing it myself because I work better alone.
This time there's no escaping it. However this time i hope will be different because I'm in a much less toxic and sometimes even wholesome environment at uni. So I need to shake off the nerves of doubts about being the let down of the team and yeah.
Any tips much appreciated ;).
Comments
Hii @Gojishura
I'm glad you're finding the first few weeks of uni somewhat manageable - that's a really positive sign that I think we can use to help you navigate group assignments.
To be honest, I think universities are ramping up group work as a means to get students to socialise more and ease into skills relevant to team work like collaboration, clarity, time management, etc. (I had 8 group assignments last year - clearly a hit with my subjects!).
This can be really frustrating since its often a conflict between students wanting to do things on their own terms (like you've expressed) versus more and more classes deciding to incorporate group work assessment. But that also means you're not alone!
Not every meeting will go well - some people naturally want to cooperate more and get the job done switfly, while other times it's a lot harder to navigate.
I would sus out the vibe of the group.
If the assignment demands more of you and it can't really be split up - I would recommend trying to meet up in person as much as possible. Group chats and zoom calls are awesome and convenient - but meeting in person makes commuication so so much easier. You can't be left on read or an idea will be thought through more or there's more accountability and critical thinking. Definitely super worth it.
If an assignment can be split up, and the members are more relaxed - there's probably less demand for in-person meetings and more communication online.
You also mention your previously poor experiences with group work. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. If it helps - university is a completely different environment and I think you can attest to that. Most people don't know each other. So there's less scrutiny, less cliques. People are generally a lot more accepting and flexible.
You might even come out with a friendship or two! I've actually met some of my loveliest friends going through the trials of group assessment and by working on a mutual goal it can often strengthen the relationship.
Overall, group assessments are super unique! Not every assignment will be the same and not every person will be the same either. It's often just a case of navigating it head on but I think your attitude towards university is a super strong start.
Best of luck to you!
Hi @Gojishura
It seems like your past negative experiences with group work has made you feel stressed about your situation with your current group. I can totally relate to you regarding groupwork in uni. It's something that I also find extremely daunting!
It's great that you're being optimistic about your current group by hoping that it won't be like your previous groups. And there also have been several good points raised by others on how you can better manage group collegues.
One thing I'd like to add is that communication is really really important! With university students, there are alot going on in their lives from other assessments, personal issues, part time jobs and other stressful situations. In these situations it's really important to check-in with each other.
There was one time when I was paired up with a girl. And we were doing great together. She was a great working partner, and we were compatible with each other's working styles. We were almost about to finish up our presentation, then a day before I noticed that she hadn't been adding up any new information to our shared Google Document.
I asked her a couple of times about her progress, and she kept on saying that she'll add to it after she finished with another assignment. The next day, I noticed that she hadn't come to uni either. We had planned to meet up in the morning to practice but she was nowhere to be seen. So I called her.
She answered the phone, and I could hear her crying. She was having a mental breakdown about the assessment. I told her to come to uni and that I'd help her on her part. We tried working on her part, but then I realised that it wouldn't just work out. We were short of time and it was making her more nervous. We ended up asking for a deferral. I also took her to see the counsellor as she was not looking well.
So the moral of the story is always check with others on their progress and feelings. If I'd known earlier about her situation, we could have asked for an extension earlier and the load of stress could have been avoided.
So now I always keep 2 things in mind for group work communication:
1.) Have mini deadlines and progress check meetings
- Like others have said earlier, using social media, messaging apps or even Google Docs and Teams to communicate is a great tool. Having mini deadlines for each segment and having progress check meetings will help the group stay on track. It ensures time-management, and everyone stays on the same page.
2.) Don't be shy to ask if everthing is okay, when things don't look okay
At the end of the day, we are all humans struggling in our own paths. Asking if things are okay can clear any misunderstandings on their performance especially with the quieter members. This will also help you know who is genuinuely facing an issue and who is slacking out.
And if they are just slacking out, don't be afraid to write an email to your tutor. They know uni students better. There have been times when tutors intervene and re-group individuals or mark work based on your individual part, even if it was a group work.
Hope this helps a bit and all the best with your group!
Hey @Gojishura
Can totally relate to the fears of group work, I think it's something a lot of people have touble with. In my first year of uni I had a couple of group-work presentations I really wasn't looking forward to. One of them ended up being a bit frustrating with some less cooperative people but the other one ended up being an amazing group of people who made me love coming to tutorials to meet up with them. Group work can be difficult but can equally be easy or fun depending on the people you get, and people in uni tend to be a bit more mature than high school.
Shared word/google documents are sooo helpful, as well as getting everyone on a group chat like messages or Instagram so you can all communicate as easily as possible. I'd also sort out everyone's roles in the assignment as early as possible to minimise confusion as to what everyone's doing.
Group work can be tricky but I think it's best to approach it with optimism and and excitement to learn better communication skills - teamwork is an important lifelong skills for arguably every profession! You've got this, and even if you end up with a bad group there's always people you can talk to to try and figure out the issue (and the group work is only temporary anyway). Good luck ☺️
Hi @Gojishura
I am sorry to hear that you have struggled with this in the past working with groups. As someone who does group assignments often I understand exactly how daunting it can be.
One of the biggest things I always enjoyed especially when I didn't know anyone in the class is everyone being allocated to a group, it made me feel less left out when I didn't know anyone and I was forced to interact with new people. The lecturer might tell you that it is to learn to work with different people which is true as well.
One of my first tips is creating a shared document. This can be for things as a group to add notes, and thoughts and stay connected even if you're not talking at the moment. This can help with discussions as well so you can write it out and you might be a less muddled. To add to this create a group chat whether it's teams or whatever your university uses to connect others, Facebook Messenger, Instagram etc. This is a great way to stay connected and ask questions you do not want to wait days for, reminders for due dates and group meetings. Group meetings can be so beneficial even if it is just to format and delegate tasks. Staying connected can make a difference.
My second tip is if it annoys you when someone else does it, don't do it yourself. This way you can't let down the team. So the biggest thing that annoys me is when I can't see someone's work and whether or not they have been working on it. So I upload and edit as I go in our shared document it can make a difference for yourself and others. This way you always know you have done your part. If someone hasn't done there's you can always contact the lecturer or coordinator they will want you to try and work it out yourself first but they can help.
My third tip is to delegate sections. So for a presentation, we have typically done whoever the design of the PowerPoint does the least amount of writing/ speaking so the workload is even. Following that splitting the time evenly, can make a difference in writing and speaking, work out what each speaking time would be and look up the word count. That can make it so much easier but also ensures everyone is doing a fair amount of work.
When delegating sections it can become hard so if there is something that you aren't strong at admit that to the group and someone else always wants to do it. My other suggestion is to split it into different sections and then create a poll and send it to the group. This can make it less demanding and feel like you have to tell others what they have to do. It gives them choice but also first in, first served kind of thing.
I hope some of these group work tips help. The first one can always be incredibly daunting but it does get easier and you might find yourself consistently in a role the more you do. My other thing is to express your concerns to the group if you need to or at least another member or even the lecturer they might provide some guidance for you.
Hi @Gojishura, thank you for reaching out. Being worried about working in groups is normal, especially when you have had unpleasant experiences with it in the past. I’m in my honours year but the mention of group work still makes me twitch sometimes because of how much I dislike it. Your concerns about being put in a group with people who don’t respect you or will take advantage of you are valid because you do get those kinds of people sometimes. And it’s frustrating, I know.
I think one thing that really helped me in group work at uni was being nice and cooperative but also being firm and assertive when I needed to. At uni, you’ll be paired up with people you probably never met before and that can sometimes make setting boundaries difficult. But it’s important to set boundaries and be firm with it. In group work, I try to help as much as I can and I often volunteer to do things when I know it’s reasonable and within my capacity. But I also learnt how to say no to people when I can feel that they’re not doing what they’re supposed to and when they’re trying to push their responsibilities onto me. I’m typically shy and I also struggle with expressing myself sometimes because I’m afraid of being a burden but I try to when I feel that people are not respecting my boundaries. Setting boundaries doesn’t mean you need to be aggressive, but it’s important to be able to say no to them. With that said, I know this can be difficult to do at the start and will take time and more experience working in groups, but for now remember your boundaries. If you find that you’re having trouble communicating with your group mates, it may be worth speaking to your professor/tutor about this and they can provide you support.
Group works at uni can be difficult sometimes but what I can say is that uni has more people who are interested in what their studying and therefore more cooperative than it was in highschool. Also, at uni, it’s likely that most of you have never met each other before and are likely to feel nervous about group works too. So, I’m sure that you’re not the only one feeling this way and people in your group are probably thinking this too. I also know that you’re doing your best so don’t think that you’re being the letdown of the team.
In any case, I wish you all the best in your studies and I hope that you get great and supportive group members. Sending you lots of hugs and love 🤗💙
