Laurie Wilhelm offers the following royalty-free article for you to publish online or in print. Feel free to use this article in your newsletter, website, ezine, blog, or forum. ----------- PUBLICATION GUIDELINES - You have permission to publish this article for free providing the "About the Author" box is included in its entirety. - Do not post/reprint this article in any site or publication that contains hate, violence, porn, warez, or supports illegal activity. - Do not use this article in violation of the US CAN-SPAM Act. If sent by email, this article must be delivered to opt-in subscribers only. - If you publish this article in a format that supports linking, please ensure that all URLs and email addresses are active links. - Please send a copy of the publication, or an email indicating the URL to [email protected] - Article Marketer (www.ArticleMarketer.com) has distributed this article on behalf of the author. Article Marketer does not own this article, please respect the author's copyright and publication guidelines. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this article. ----------- Article Title: How to Influence Group Members to Work Well Together Author: Laurie Wilhelm Category: Personal Development, Relationships Word Count: 984 Keywords: good teamwork, how to work in groups, interpersonal relationship skills, social skills Author's Email Address: [email protected] Article Source: http://www.articlemarketer.com ------------------ ARTICLE START ------------------
Projects which are assigned to groups benefit from the variety of personalities and perspectives of its members. These personalities and perspectives, however, also bring with them challenges as we try to work productively together. The group route to success is both exciting and bumpy. A technique to establish a successful working group is to approach the project with an understanding and agreement regarding how the group will interact and operate. By doing so, we can steer clear of some of the common pitfalls that can plague a group's effectiveness and productivity while enabling us to enhance its ability to tap into the talents and skills of all members. One way to do this is by creating an informal, written group contract-of-understanding. While this is not a legal document, it establishes agreed-upon guidelines or rules that outline the group's goals and objectives, behaviour and conduct, communication, scheduling of meetings, and expectations of its members as well as any other factors pertinent to ensuring the success of the group. When putting together a group contract, here are some suggestions to consider including: 1. Assume that all members mean well and are working to their best ability. It's very difficult to work effectively in a group if you suspect that someone has their own agenda or ulterior motive. While that does happen from time to time, most often it's that someone has a different perspective on an issue than you do and it's more of a misunderstanding or lack of information than an untoward motive. When all members assume that everyone has the group's best interest in mind, issues are easier to discuss because it's understood that the result of the discussion is a successful outcome for the project. 2. Everyone participates. We often assume that most people want to do as little as possible, but there are some who want to take control and do it all themselves. Neither are appropriate ways for a group to function. There has to be a balance between doing too little and doing too much. State something like, "All members will come to meetings prepared and ready to contribute to the discussion as well as to the workload," so there's an expectation of equal participation. A note on the above statement: Recognize also that there will be meetings, assignments, or action items where one person or a few people will contribute more than another because of his particular area of expertise or interest. Over the lifespan of the group, however, all the work should even out by taking advantage of the skills and talents of all group members. 3. Show up on time. One of the biggest time wasters for a group is members who turn up late. When a meeting is scheduled to begin at 2pm, be ready to begin at 2pm - and not just entering the meeting room at that time. Being late holds up the productivity of the group especially when it requires all members to be present. Even if only one person arrives 20 minutes late, that's 20 minutes of material that has to be summarized or repeated for the latecomer which in itself can take another five minutes. When all is said and done, the meeting is fully underway half an hour past the agreed upon meeting time. That's a lot of wasted time. Needless to say, being late is inconsiderate to those who made the effort to arrive on time. If you're the one who is late, you've wasted their time and by doing so have silently stated that you don't consider their time to be important or valuable. If you thought it were, would you have arrived at the appointed hour. Some groups fine members for being late. This tends to be effective but it requires the fine to be significant enough to encourage all members to be punctual. 4. Listen to everyone's ideas. Some ideas will be better than others, but listening to all of them is good team work and team spirit. Not only does this encourage everyone to participate but also it brings a variety of perspectives to consider. Even if someone presents a weak idea, it may be adapted, adjusted, manipulated, tweaked, and developed into a great idea. Where we end up is not always where we expect to be. When we're open and are able to listen to the opportunity in an idea, we can sometimes create a better and more effective outcome than we originally thought. However - if one member of the group is a chatterbox who may potentially dominate the meeting with his idea, it may be advisable to have a time restriction for presenting. For example, bring a stopwatch and give everyone two minutes to communicate their idea. 5. Do what you say you will do. This is pretty self-explanatory. When you've accepted to do a task, it's a commitment and the other members of the group are relying on you to do it to the best of your ability. However, things do come up and if it turns that you are unable to complete it, ask for assistance as soon as possible. This doesn't mean to procrastinate until the eleventh hour and then send a panic email to the group asking for help. Manage your time so if you need help, you can ask for it in enough time that another member can assist without being stressed to make the deadline. When everyone does what they say they'll do, the project will progress smoothly and according to schedule. Once the informal contract has been created, have all members sign it and distribute photocopies so that everyone remembers what they agreed to. Like any interpersonal relationship, group dynamics need to be attended to, understood and managed. Having a contract from the onset of the project sets an understanding of what each member can expect from the others as well as what the others expect from them. Laurie Wilhelm manages the Express Yourself to Success website. Achieve success faster and easier by getting along well with others using good interpersonal and communication skills. Sign up today for our free eNewsletter, One Minute to Express, by going to http://www.expressyourselftosuccess.com. ------------------ ARTICLE END ------------------ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
