How to Work in a Group Part II: Getting Along with Teammates

An important part of being a good team member is to be respectful of your team mates. Here are some tips for working with others.

Listen to all the team members. Everyone can have a good idea. Maybe yours is best, but the team won't know that until all the ideas have been considered. Listen carefully to everyone's ideas and be ready to pick the best one, even if it isn't yours. 

Example: Johnny thinks the group should choose his idea of cutting pictures out of magazines. Seth's idea is to use the digital cameras to take pictures. After talking it out, the group decides that it would be quicker to use the digital cameras. Johnny accepts that idea and helps take the pictures.

Respect all the team members' ideas. Don't make judgments about other people's ideas like: "That's silly." or "No, I hate that idea." If you think someone's idea won't work, just say so and explain why.

Example: Johnny suggests cutting pictures out of magazines for the poster. Seth thinks it would be better to take pictures. Seth says, "I don't think we have time to find the right pictures and cut them out. If we took our own pictures, we could make them exactly the way we want."


Put your personal feelings to the side. Even best friends disagree sometimes. And you won't always be best friends with everyone on your team. Good team members put their personal problems aside. If everyone is focused on the problem or project, you won't notice the things that bother you. Solving the problem or completing a good project is more important than your fight with a team member.

Example: Susan and Jodi are angry with each other over something that happened on the bus this morning and they are not speaking to each other. During the team meeting, they listen to each other and Jodi chooses Susan's idea because it is the best idea. At lunch they don't sit together so they don't have to talk to each other.

Agree to Disagree. Sometimes you will never be able to change someone's opinion. Saying, "I agree to disagree." lets the other person know that you realize the two of you will never see eye-to-eye on this topic and you are not going to spend any more of the team's time on the discussion.

Example: Johnny thinks a picture of animals would be better for the poster than a picture of people. He realizes this is an opinion and chooses not to keep arguing about it. He agrees to go with what the group thinks is best.

Solve small problems yourself. People have little habits that sometimes distract others. Ignore it if you can. If the person is trying to get attention, then don't give it to them and if they can't help it, there's nothing you can do about it anyway. If everyone focuses on the problem or project, you won't notice as much. If you just can't ignore it, talk to the person yourself. Don't let a small problem keep your team from getting work done.

Example: Seth has a really hard time sitting still and he taps his foot. The foot-tapping makes the table move a little bit. Susan and Johnny don't notice the movement. Jodi is distracted by the table moving. She puts her hands in her lap instead of leaning on the table. Now she isn't being bothered by the movement and she can go back to concentrating on solving the problem.

How to Work in a Group Part I: Taking Care of Yourself

Leaders are important in learning together, but they are not the most important team member. The most important team member is the one who helps the group solve the problem or complete the project. Working together can be hard. Here are some things to keep in mind as you work in a group.

Stay focused on the problem or project. A good team member will put his energy into thinking about the team's work. Don't start talking about something else or distract others by fidgeting and bumping into them. Don't wander off. You are part of the team for a reason and the team needs your help.

Example: Susan had a great time at the zoo last weekend and she really wants to tell people about her trip. She remembers that the group has a job to do and saves her story for a better time.

Share your ideas with the team. You may have the best idea for solving the problem and if you don't share it with the team, the solution or project won't be as good as it could be.

Example: Seth is new in class and really doesn't like talking in front of other students. He has an idea for the presentation, but he doesn't want to share it because he doesn't want to call attention to himself. He realizes that he owes it to the team to share his idea, so he speaks up.

Know your special talents and abilities. Each member of the team has different strengths and weaknesses. A good team member knows what his strengths are and volunteers to do the job he's good at. A good team member realizes when someone else is better for the job and doesn't get upset when they don't get the job they want.

Example: Seth really wants to go around the school taking pictures with the digital camera. Susan knows how to use the digital camera, but she's not very good at writing. Seth is good at creative writing, so he volunteers to stay behind and work on the text for the poster while Susan takes pictures. Susan knows Seth is better at creative writing, so she doesn't have hurt feelings about this.

 Keep a positive attitude. Your group CAN do the project or solve the problem. Don't give up and don't let your teammates give up.

Example: Jodi really doesn't feel good about Math problems. Every time she thinks, "We can't do this." she changes her thought to "We will do this!"

Share. Materials and supplies belong to the whole group. Each member should take what they need as they need it. If someone has a marker you need, work on something else until they are finished.
Example: There are 15 puzzle pieces. The group leaves the pieces where everyone can reach them and people take them as they see where they fit. They do not each take 3 pieces or fight or argue over who gets each peice because the pieces belong to the group.

How to Be a Leader

Any group needs a leader. Someone has to make sure the group is working toward finishing the project.

Sometimes the leader is chosen by the teacher. She might choose the leader based on what the group is doing or she might randomly assign the leader.

Sometimes leaders naturally appear. Maybe the leader for this project is someone who knows a lot about the topic and next time a different leader will appear. Many times people take turns "taking the lead" on a project.

At some point, you will find yourself in a leadership role. Here are some tips for being a good leader.

• Keep the group focused on the problem or project. Sometimes group members will want to wander off and do their own thing or will try to talk about what they are doing this weekend instead of working on the problem. A good leader notices this and tries to pull the person back to the project.

Example: The group is cutting out magazine pictures to make a collage about their topic. You notice that Johnny is just playing with the scissors, making cuts without trying to cut out a picture. A good leader would get Johnny to focus on the task again. Maybe the leader would say, "Johnny, have you found any good pictures in that magazine?" or "Johnny, if you're not finding anything in that magazine, let's see if we can get another one." Sometimes the leader just has to say "Johnny, we don't have time to play around. Please cut out the picture so we will be finished on time."

• Make sure each group member has a chance to contribute his ideas. Some people are very outgoing. They don't mind sharing their ideas and opinions and can take over the group if the leader isn't careful. Other people are not outgoing and don't like to have the attention of others, but that doesn't mean they don't have a good idea. The best idea might be in the quiet person's head, but no one will ever hear it if the leader doesn't make an effort to include everyone.

Example: The group is brainstorming ideas for how to present the information. The leader notices that Susan is talking a lot, but Seth hasn't said anything. The leader might say, "Seth, do you have any ideas?" Sometimes the leader has to say, "Susan, you've given us some good ideas. Let's hear what Seth has to say."

• Let the group members choose what tasks each of them will do. Being the leader doesn't mean you are the boss.  Keep the strengths of your group in mind. Each person has special gifts to contribute to the group. The project will be most successful if the best person for the job is doing the job. List the jobs that need to be done and then ask for volunteers for each job. If no one steps forward, ask a group member who is good at that task.

Example: The group needs someone to draw a picture and someone to write the caption. No one wants to do the writing. A good leader will say something like "Johnny, you have the neatest handwriting of our group. Will you write the caption?"

• Try to get the group to agree. The group members will work better if they are all in agreement on the project. But everyone's ideas can't be used. Try to come up with a compromise that everyone can agree on. Encourage the group members to stay focused on the best solution to the problem. Solving the problem or completing a good project is more important than what any group member wants.

Example: Seth wants to use green lettering on the poster and Johnny wants to use brown. The leader asks each person why they think their color is the best. Seth says green is better because it is bright and colorful. Johnny says brown is better because the project is about soil and soil is brown. The leader agrees with Johnny and suggests that brown be used for most of the writing, but green for the heading since green is bright and colorful and will get the reader's attention.