Communicating in Groups/Meetings

Meeting 1 – Information Sharing and Brainstorming

Meeting 2 – Problem Solving Meeting – The Marshmallow Challenge

Part 1:  REFLECT ON BOTH IN CLASS EXPERIENCES AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

1. Approaching the challenge laid out, how did your group “brainstorm” or look for different solutions – in the information meeting and in the problem solving meeting?
2. Did your members participate equally in both meetings (balanced conversation, turn taking, asking questions)?
3. Did a leader emerge in the meeting?  If so, how did the leader take over?  If not, how was the team guided?
4. How was your decision making different in the information sharing meeting than in the problem solving meeting (consensus, majority, minority decision, expert opinion, or authority rules)?

Part 2:  FOR THE MARSHMELLOW CHALLENGE, ANSWER THE FOLLOWING REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS?

1. Was there a leader on your team? Who was it and who decided who the leader would be? What was your reaction?
2. If you had no leader, do you think having designated someone a leader would have helped?
3. Did any team members tune out of the activity — out of frustration with other members or for some other reason? What could you have done to keep all members of the group fully engaged?
4. Did you feel everyone’s ideas were well received during the activity?
5. How did you feel as the time limit was approaching? Did pressure increase? If yes, was that helpful or not?
6. In retrospect, what could you have done better to shape the recommendation for next steps or to enhance your Challenge outcome?
7. Where might new ideas have come from given your time constraint?
8. Did you celebrate small wins? If yes, how did you do this?

 

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Communication in Group

Part 1:

Brainstorming is a challenging process. While working in group, different members were brainstorming and all of them were coming up with different ideas. In the problem solving meeting and in the information meeting all of the members had to discuss their ideas with each other and come to a conclusion about it.

I don’t think that all the members participated equally. Different people have different personalities and act differently.

All team members equally participated but we did chose one person to be a leader who followed participative form of leadership.

In the information sharing stage, all of us had something to say, but when it came to the problem solving stage, some of us were quiet. I think that in the problem solving stage, there was a need to take responsibility, therefore some of the group members did not came forward.

Part 2:

I lead the team for some part of the meeting. All of us decided it and I felt responsible at that time.

I think that there should always be a leader to channelize the communication process and take control in times of crisis.

There was frustration but team members kept their nerves and were there till the end.

I must confess that not every idea was given equal weight. It may be related to the lack of depth of the person or it well may have been cause by any bias that could have unconsciously existed.

Pressure did increase and it speeded up the decision making process.

I would recommend an equal allocation of time to all participants in the first session of the meeting so no one feels left out.

We actually did celebrate small wins by congratulating each other.