Group work based projects will mean you have to work with
others. Whether your best friends in the office or have not spoken before, you
have to be able to effectively communicate and discuss issues. Improving
communication skills will not only help the group dynamics work but will
demonstrate to your boss, you’re a good team player and maybe deserve that
promotion.
But with any groups there are bound to be problems? So how
do you overcome your personal differences in order to work together, whether it’s
on a project or studying together as a group for a certification?
First of all try t to build a group relationship where
everyone is on a level footing. This could be by identifying each other’s
knowledge and strengths and using them to your advantage as a group. As always,
there may be a dominant personality, however, if you take a person-centre
approach where everyone has something to contribute (Carl Jungs theories), the
power balance should be more equal.
It’s important to get to know who you are working with. All
make sure your introduce yourselves and ask each other questions, it will make
the atmosphere more relaxed and social. Group work in a work atmosphere can
often make people ill at ease, thus a friendlier atmosphere may encourage
people to feel comfortable, which often helps ideas come out as well as
improves the learning process. But you still need to take the whole process
seriously, so no larking about or you may get into trouble with your manager!
When having a group discussion, make sure everyone has their
say. There is always someone who won’t stop chattering and a quiet one, which
can often make it hard for everyone to be heard. Encourage everyone to speak
freely or invent other ways to work if someone feels too nervous speaking out
loud.
Working in a group is
never easy to begin with, but can achieve quite a lot once you all can
cooperate and work together. Whether you’re working in a group for a project or
training for a certification together, it’s vital you communicate effectively,
in order to achieve your results.
If you are interested in computer based training to gain
skills or achieve certification, have a look at the training from learn
key at www.cvision.co.uk