Working together with a group of different personalities is never easy. It can be difficult, tiring and down right annoying at times! But in the end, it is worth it. Work created by a team out performs work created by an individual nearly every time.
This semester I have had the opportunity to work with three other PR majors on a project for my final PR course at Kent State. So far, we have extensively researched our client, developed a PR plan and created communication elements to support our plan. This required several late nights at the library, about a hundreds e-mails and maybe two or three frantic phone calls. Now that we are working on the final stretch of the project, I feel like it is safe to say we have developed in to a fine working team.
Here are some lessons that I have learned:
Be flexible. Group meetings may not always be at the time you prefer, but if you are willing to give a little now your group members will respect you and return the favor. Listen to other’s ideas. They may be better than yours.
Use face-to-face communications. E-mail is easy, but can cause problems. Don’t assume that your group members will check and read every e-mail that you send. Remember that e-mail can be easily misunderstood. Many arguments have developed over e-mail that could have easily been stopped if group members were speaking face-to-face.
Be honest. If you don’t like the way something is, speak up! There is a way to tactfully disagree with a group member without hurting their feelings.
Do your part. No one likes a slacker. When you are a part of a group, you are there for the long haul. Finish your assignments. Help generate ideas. Offer to take on responsibility.
Agree to disagree. Members of a group rarely agree on everything. There will be a time when you disagree with your team members. And that is OK. If the team is willing to accept that not everyone thinks alike and is prepared for disagreements, your team can move smoothly past points of tension.
While these tips may sound simple, there are harder to put into practice than you may think. I encourage you to work with a team to see what lessons you will learn.
