TEAMWORK�Tips from a Lab Skills Seminar Mentor

Mario Vargas

Winter 2012

SCIB03H3 S

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Based on the “Working in Groups”

Workshop by Janice Patterson

“Working in Groups”

• Near the start of the course SCIB03, Janice Patterson presented a workshop on group work
• We tried following some of her pointers, guidelines, and strategies to become an effective team for the Lab Skills Seminars (LSS)

Group Development

• Important skills in order for a group to function:
• Communication
• Observation
• Self-Expression
• Supporting Others

• Development Cycle

1. Communication

• Do you know everyone in the group?
• Sometimes you’re lucky when you work with people you already know
• Sometimes you meet new people: good idea to exchange phone numbers and emails
• Meet regularly! Try your best to get a chance to get meet and get things done together!
• Correspond continuously! Have some ideas? Unsure about something? Made some changes? Are you available? Are there any issues? Emailing can become an important daily task! Always know what is going on with the group (especially if you miss a meeting).
• Get to know each other! Have time for a break? Go eat lunch together or watch a movie!

2. Observation

• What are your tasks? Try to come up with a schedule. When should things be completed?
• What are the roles of each person in the group? Is it better for everyone to do similar tasks? What about each person having a unique responsibility?
• Make goals! What do you want to be able to accomplish? Are there any skills your team is lacking?
• Conduct surveys with your placement community. Determine if there are any aspects that are underdeveloped. What can your team improve on? How can you work towards change? Is there a way you can measure it (eg. another survey afterwards)?
• Continue to monitor your progress! Are you staying on track? Are deadlines being met? Are you achieving your goals?

3. Self-Expression

• Every person is different! Try to come up with your strengths and weaknesses and share them with your group.
• Assign tasks to each member according to their abilities. Take advantage of what you’re good at!
• Artistic? You could work on visuals. A good writer? Maybe you can edit the text information on the slides. Excellent public speaker? Perhaps you can help by engaging students to participate in the presentations.
• Always do your best! Aim to create high quality work! Challenge others who have done this before—are you able to raise the bar for future mentors?
• Don’t be afraid to try new things! Share ideas with your team. Will it work and allow you to improve in your performance? Are there any alternatives you can come up with together?

4. Supporting Others

• Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. Expect changes in your schedule! Be ready to make adjustments in your plans. Look ahead and try to get things done early.
• There are times when certain team members become more preoccupied than usual—are you willing to work extra for the good of the team? Is there a way you can come up with a compromise?
• Other times, some people may find themselves struggling to get things done. Be able to help each other out! Teach each other what you know. Try to come up with solutions together. Perhaps you could even decide on trading specific tasks, if it’ll make things easier.

• Nobody can get left behind! Work as a team to get things back on track. Be kind and friendly. A good attitude can go a long way. Congratulate the accomplishments of individuals!

Group Development Cycle

Forming & Storming

• The first part of the cycle dealt with “belonging”. At the start, I introduced Donald and Natalia to Taleen, so that we would begin to know who was part of the LSS team. This step also involved meeting with our supervisors to go over our responsibilities as mentors in the CHMB42 placement (directing).
• The second part dealt with “influence”. This was when we began to brainstorm ideas on how we would prepare the LSS presentations. What would we include? Would students get a copy? Who would present when? What would we have to bring? Who will be in charge of what? Our supervisors gave us a few pointers and ideas as we got started (coaching).

Norming & Performing

• The third step of the process involved “patterning”. At this stage, we have developed a “systematic process” that we would follow as close as possible throughout the term. This included preparing lecture slides and meeting regularly with our supervisors.
• The final step involved “doing it”. At last, we began to actually distribute tasks to get material together and complete the slides. Then we would practice, and finally we would present at the seminars. The process would then begin many times again as we progressed through all six of the different presentation slides.

Adjourning

• At the end of our placement, after finally completing all of the seminars, our time together as the LSS team came to an end. Our work was all done and we had the opportunity to learn so much.
• Through this experience, we learned how to work more effectively as a team. We each had to play our part, and by combining all our hard work together, we have been able to achieve many of our goals and develop many other skills.

Remember: Four Heads are Better than One!