There’s not a doubt that teamwork is hard. But make it remote and it can get even harder. The pandemic has forced us to complete group work at home. Without seeing people we have to make we are still communicating with others whether it’s for a project or a study session.
We are currently left with students all over the world confused when it comes to working in groups.
So to be a successful team player and a great leader you have to be able to collaborate well. In this post we’ll show 5 ways to create high performance teamwork.
1. Set communication expectations
Communication is key. Whether you’re working in person or remotely, you have to be communicative with your teammates.
To put your best foot forward, your team must discuss communication expectations with one another. For example, how are you going to communicate? What tools will you use? How often will you communicate? What do you do if someone isn’t responding?
These are all really important questions to discuss among your group members to get the best possible results. You need to be responsive and attentive to your group members’ messages.
Through the use of CircleIn’s easy-to-use chat feature, your team can instantly group messages. Having all of your classes on one application along with your classmates, teachers, and teaching assistants will allow you to easily find your group members and message on your phone!
Once you have decided your ways of communicating, you have to set some expectations for one another and be receptive.
2. Listen and Be Responsive
This goes hand in hand with communication expectations. Be responsive to your group members. Attempt to start discussions.
If not one tries to speak up, your group isn’t going to get anywhere. It will result in a low quality rushed outcome.
While being responsive, you should also be listening to your group members. Listen to their ideas and plans and give them feedback. Show them you care about their work and they’ll do the same for you!
3. Create Shared Goals
There’s always going to be people dealing with different tasks in your group. However, having an end goal for your assignment is vital. Knowing all of your group members are motivated and want to get a good grade is something that’s good to know.
Before you start your assignment, talk to your team about their goals. Ask them what they want out of the class.
If you’re all on the same page, it will make your teamwork experience much easier.
4. Plan and Manage the Group's Time Wisely
Once you have figured out how you’re going to communicate with your group and what your shared goals are. Create a plan.
Figure out the timeline of the assignment and create a schedule. Make milestones for each week of the assignment so it’s not an overload of work near the deadline. Talk to your team and plan out a day every week to meet over video call or the phone.
If someone happens to be falling short or having a tough time, help each other out. Figure out what your individual strengths are and how they can help with the assignment.
5. Check in with each other
During this pandemic it’s become much harder to find motivation to get work done. There are also a lot of other personal issues that people have been faced with as a result of having to stay at home. This can make it difficult for them to complete school work.
If you find a teammate struggling to get work done or being less responsive check in them and make sure they’re doing alright. Don’t jump to assumptions!
If the issue appears to be something else, talk to your instructor to guarantee you have a successful work experience.
Working in groups is still possible, even during a pandemic! Just be communicative and follow these steps to succeed in your virtual classes. Be aware and empathetic towards your classmates and try your best to keep relationships with your team during these troubling times.
