Rate my participation in the group on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest. Even before our first meeting I resolved to know as much about the subject matter as possible.
What role did I take in the group? I took several: sometimes leader and organizer, sometimes listener and follower. I think I subtly facilitated during discussions, when I heard something say something that wasn’t heard by others, and asked the speaker to speak again, as though I hadn’t heard. At that point, the others heard. Or I’d do actively listening, and restate things for clarity, and also so our objectives were mutually agreed upon. I think I was high on the idea generator scale, since I love to do that. I never did it in a “[this successful component] was my idea” way, though part of me wanted to. Instead, I acknowledge others’ contributions, and when I had an idea I credited the person who sparked it.
What did I do to help my group? As above: I think I encouraged, listened, validated. I carried my own weight and then some. I provided a sense of humor and was a source of good ideas (as was true of the others). In our first meeting we divided up the assigned readings, one article per person. I read mine and wrote up two pages of notes, and made copies for my team members. In the coming two weeks I also read “their” articles, to further my comprehension and ability to contribute. Along with the others, I researched multimedia elements. Sarah created the PowerPoint and handed it over to me so I could add the pieces Regina & I were working on, and spent many hours adding creative touches to that: humorous photo montages, video, etc. I did a ton of research: I think probably more than the others (though that was my own choice). As did the others, I (and with the others’ help) thought up interactivity ideas for during our presentation. We sent a lot of e-mails back and forth and pulled everything together in time and without any conflict.
What would I have done differently? I really don’t think I would have done anything differently, except maybe not do so much research, and maybe not be so quick to volunteer to take on a task.
The next time I work on a group project, I hope that… I have a group as good as this one. Everyone was responsible and dedicated and worked hard. I knew I could count on everyone. There were no personality conflicts (that I noticed — except for one between Christine and me, which we worked out “live” on the spot; I was apologizing too much and it pissed her off). And for some reason, we had a thoroughly easy time parceling out the tasks, so roles were easy to assume and were clear. It really was a pleasure to work with these guys.
