BEST GROUP EVER: The Story of a Dynamic Collaboration

Being the very first group to present adds a lot of pressure to the group because we’re exploring uncharted territory—what does Andi expect? How can we present seamlessly in front of the class? Will our peers even like our presentation? This pressure actually prompted our group to work quickly and efficiently and avoid common group pitfalls. We ended up synthesizing all of our best ideas into one seamless presentation.

We all wanted to start the presentation week with a bang, and since we all had the same motivation levels, we quickly fell on the same page as a group. We respected each other and we were familiar with each other enough to speak up and avoid groupthink. Furthermore, we all had in common the desire to put a lot of energy into the project to make it as dynamic as possible. With this, we experienced the risky shift phenomena because we all wanted to be at least a little experimental. We chose to structure our presentation around a Billy Mays pitch and we chose an unconventional presentation style with Prezi.

Our group forming, assignment by Andi, wasn’t organic but it definitely led to group cohesion because it ensured that we all at least one common interest: business. Our group norming process wasn’t spontaneous either. We planned rough agendas and all individually prepared for our next meetings and this method ensured that we were achieving our goals in a timely manner. Due to our closeness and similarities as a group, we didn’t experience any nervous, jittery primary group tension, but we definitely experienced secondary group tension considering we had the shortest amount of time to prepare! Ultimately, however, we overcame internal conflicts and we weren’t left with unresolved storming. After our final meeting at the Cambridge Community Center, we all felt really committed to the group and our responsibilities. We conformed quickly because of the time restraints and because we were so comfortable with each other. Our group performing, however, I believe was our strongest stage because we are all comfortable with public speaking that we were able to maintain a positive, causal air that was also engaging.

Luckily for us, we also avoided the dreaded social loafer. Nobody dragged his or her feet in this presentation, and it was definitely apparent by the quality of the performance. We all assumed different roles in the group: Kerry was our main leader and she planned the meeting times and was also very perceptive to our verbal and non-verbal cues. She always listened attentively. Mark was our glue and he remained very cognizant of time restraints, always reminding us when we had to get something done by. Sophie initiated one of our primary ideas that fueled the presentation in general—to use a breakdown of a Billy May’s pitch as our guiding structure. Major was a quieter member, but thankfully he was also very well-reasoned and grounded when we tossed around somewhat outlandish ideas. And Taylor, last but definitely not least, was always open-minded and also ready to fire back with more ideas. I was very fortunate to be in such an engaged group that was open and free from hidden-agendas and other plagues of group work.

As for myself, I like to consider that I was a motivator. We were often discouraged by how little time we had but I took it upon myself to be positive and encouraging at all times. Maybe I was a little bit goofy, but I think my group members (whether they will admit it or not) were thankful. I like championing ideas and reaching decisions when a decision just needs to be made. I believe I was a strong, integral force, but I would have been nothing without my peers.