Written reflective commentary on group work - Assignment Example

?Written Reflective Commentary Introduction The purpose of this reflective commentary is to discuss how the assignment helped meto develop skills and enhance strengths and abilities while working with the group. I will also reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of the resources that I researched for the group assignment. Body I would say this assignment has strengthened my communication abilities within a group setting such as this. It becomes very important when you are working as part of a team to be able to effectively and clearly communicate what it is that you need the other person to understand. Information exchange concerning who will be doing what and devising a schedule and determining who will lead the group are key periods when your communication ability becomes evident. Our group chose to meet weekly to discuss and update each other on what is going on with our part of the task. We had four meetings that the group was able to attend and the final meeting we had to change plans and meet at my flat due to the library being full. We did not have any issues with group members being present and on time. Our group did not find it necessary to have a group leader as we all did our own parts and took equal initiative. Eaxh group member completed their part successfully. We also used email to correspond and exchanged telephone numbers. Flexibility and patience are elements of a successful group task, both of which I was able to use within the group. I was able to use flexibility when the library was closed. Because my group was on task it wasn’t necessary that I had a great deal of patience. Following and meeting deadlines was a group element that I could always use practice with though I’ve no problems. Listening or as the case may be, reading what the opinions of others are and taking those into consideration as a whole instead of focusing on my individual area was an ability that I have also been able to strengthen. Effectively and unemotionally handling constructive criticism is also an ability that played a role in this assignment (Feenstra 2011). When you are working as a team constructive criticism can be a valuable tool in getting the task complete and as good as you would like it to be. Being able to give and to receive this criticism is sometimes a problem for many and the opportunity to use it within a group is a great way to improve. In dealing with members not contributing there is no reason for me to get angry as I know that I cannot influence the contribution of another. It is best in this case to contact them several times after which if they are still not contributing then let the instructor know and be certain that I have completed my own part to the group task. We did not have any issues with attendance or anyone being tardy for any meetings on the group work. Interpersonal abilities and skills are the main skills one needs to work within a group setting in completing a task. Usually before doing a group presentation you will want to find out who your audience will be. Finding out what they already know about your subject, what their attitude is and what their interest level is in your topic can help you make a more successful presentation. Knowing the size of the audience and what type of people are in is will also help. Are these business members of the community? Are they students? Are they being forced through go to your presentation for job reasons? Are they truly there on their own because they have a deep interest in what you have to say? We also would like a way to receive feedback after we’ve done our presentation/ power point and in this case we will get from the instructor. In forming groups there are different steps and stages to make a successful group that can communicate effectively together. Forming the group is when we are all assigned the group and initially noticing who else is in our group. Storming is when the ground rules get set, roles are clarified, purposes and responsibilities of each individual decided. Norming is when the group has settled down to complete its tasks and norms of group behavior are developed. Performing is when the group is clear about what the task is all about and they begin doing their own roles within the group. Adjourning is when the group work is complete. Sometimes there are cultural dimensions within a group that must be considered. Language barriers or locations can make it difficult to work face to face or on the telephone in group tasks. In preparing to give a group presentation on any topic one should be as detailed as possible in their note keeping so that they sound knowledgeable about the topic, especially if there is going to be a question and answer session. Using your power point slides will remind you what you wanted to say regarding that slide. Be positive about yourself before you present, if you are nervous there is nothing wrong with stating this to your audience. The more actual practice you have with your presentation the more comfortable you’ll be with the information and even if you feel nervous that knowledge will show to the audience that you know what you are talking about. A positive that I must mention is doing an outline of the power point, which helps us to easily know whom is doing what and what they are doing it about. We could also use this outline to present. Finding quality resources about cohabitation in India was difficult. In India they do not care so much about cohabitation so there is very little good information about it available. I used the Gazette of India, a newspaper or periodical, which gave me all of the information I need to know about India’s stance on Domestic violence against women. It was easy to find with an internet search and had the actual bill in place for me to read in its’ entirely. The second resource I was used was also easy to find, the article ‘Living in the Age of Cohabitation before Marriage’ it was printed in Asia Views and had some good information that was easy to understand. I found more information in the Times of India with an article titled ‘Premarital cohabiting may spread in India.’ . Conclusion In conclusion I have enjoyed my experience working on a group task. I feel that my skills and abilities have only been improved with this process and I’m sure to do better each successive time. I learned better research techniques in order to find good information on my topic. In conferring with my group I strengthened my communication skills and in completing a group project I strengthened my ability to follow through and complete a large project that involved others besides me. Bibliography Feenstra, Kristin 'Study Skills: Team Work Skills for Group Projects', , accessed 03 December 2011. India Gazzette of (2005) ‘The Protection of Women Domestic Violent Act of 2005,' Ministry of Law and Justice, 14 Sept. 2005 . Accessed 12/03/2011 Sugkraroek,Pansak. "Living in the Age of Cohabitation before Marriage." Asia Views. Oct. 2011. Web. .Accessed 3 Dec. 2011 Banaras Hindu University. "Premarital Cohabitation May Spread in India - Times Of India." Featured Articles From The Times Of India. The Time of India, 16 June 2010. Web.. . Accessed 03 Dec. 2011 Read More