What College Taught Me About Teamwork Training

I declared a Communications Major two years into school, after discovering that it was a subject in which I had sincere interest. Now that I have graduated from college, I look back at the myriad of group projects and interactions that I had with the fellow students. I can remember many stressful periods of working together, but also many rewarding times of working together and accomplishing our tasks as a group. In hindsight those tasks would have been much easier to complete had we received some basic teamwork training at the beginning of our program.

From my own personal experiences, I have observed three positive aspects that result from teamwork: Cooperation, Unification and Association.

Cooperation - When groups first form, they should discuss some goals and objectives that they wish to achieve. These can include items such as the coordination of meeting times, the distribution of responsibilities, what strengths each individual member brings, and of course, the deadline. In a perfect world, this team would not have any conflict, but that is rarely the case. Teams must learn to cooperate, which involves negotiation, compromise, and being open to new ideas in order to help them achieve greater results.

Unification - After a level of cooperation is established, the team must work to be unified. A team brings together a group of different minds and viewpoints which affects the direction of the team. Coming together and being unified is not always easy, as individual members give their own judgments and preferences over the other group members. Setting aside petty differences among group members and being open minded leads to a group's unification. Brainstorming ideas and reaching a consensus is another way to build group unification. Unyielding opposition and conflict hinders a team's ability to move in a positive direction. In contrast, unification permits team work towards a successful finish.

Association - In my final course before graduation, I participated in an advertising campaign where our purpose was to form a winning campaign strategy for a potential client. At the beginning of the school year, my professor divided our class into teams of ten students, and announced that by the end of the semester we were going to be well acquainted with each other. I casually knew some of the students from former classes, but as I worked with them outside of class, my one-time acquaintances turned into good friends as we invested time, energy, and ideas into a first rate advertising campaign. Our relationships and associations with each other created a positive environment in which we worked together and achieved positive results.

Commitment to work together as a unified team will produce many rewarding outcomes. Instead of relying upon one individual's contribution, a team contributes many different ideas, experiences and skills. In a successful team, not only are the results greater, but each member benefits from the knowledge and skills that the other team members can offer.

Stephanie Tuia is a Client Account Specialist with 10x Marketing.

To learn more about professional Teamwork Training, visit CMOE.

---

Top Ten Things About Team Building

People who lead the best teams realise early on that... Read More

In 2005 Collaboration is Key

Perhaps you're a small business owner wondering how you and... Read More

Your Administration Team - Look After Them

In most organisations the administration/support team, although they can be... Read More

How the P.R.I.D.E. Team Changed my Call Center

Several years ago I took an assignment as a Manager... Read More

Proactive High Performance Teamwork

Proactive High Performance Teamwork is made up of nine proactive... Read More

4 Tips for Keeping a Team Motivated

Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More

You, Your Team, and Your Coach

The grand purpose of coaching is to help your managers,... Read More

Team Success with ?Innies?: Why You Want Them on Your Team and How to Help Them Excel

Everyone knows, works or lives with "innies." Who are they... Read More

Functioning in a Dysfunctional Workplace

Sometimes the greatest challenges lay not within the actions of... Read More

Getting Team Discussions Moving in The Right Direction

Group discussions are where much of the creative work of... Read More

Building Your Dream Marketing Team

The Fantasy: Your marketing budget is packed to the brim... Read More

Having Trouble Motivating Others? Try WIIFM

Recently my fourteen-year old son Matt dressed up as Santa... Read More

12 Tips and Reminders for Team Members To Enjoy Their Team Experiences More

12 Tips and Reminders for Team Members To Enjoy Their... Read More

Brainstorm

Ever lost for ideas while working in a group? One... Read More

Teamwork, Rowing, & Paddles

Effective and sustainable teambuilding is necessary in today's marketplace where... Read More

High Performing Teams: 10 Things You Want To Know About Building A High Performing Team

"Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes 'Only if it's in my... Read More

5 Reason Why Team Has A 4 Figure Income

You are new to Internet Marketing, you join one Affiliate... Read More

WIIFM - Making the Whats In It for Me? Question Work for You

In the constantly changing world of Call Centers, asking agents... Read More

Team Communication Critical To Success

I'm often asked, "Why is my team always fighting fires... Read More

How To Help A Sick Team Become Healthy

Team Building Question:A team is full of animosity, pretended interpersonal... Read More

Motivate People with Feedback

Someone once said - "Feedback is the breakfast of champions."... Read More

Building Successful Work Relationships--Playing In The Same Sandbox

Remember playing in your childhood sandbox? If you enjoyed being... Read More

Do You Want to Get Others to Improve Their Performance? Then Expect the Best

Recently I decided to stretch my athletic abilities and add... Read More

Whats the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams?

What's the Secret Ingredient That Turns Groups into Teams? Working... Read More

Hand Out Warm Glows

Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More

Motivation - The Benefits of Spending Time with Your Team

Benefit 1 - You get to understand them betterAlmost everyone... Read More

Workplace Fitness: Tongue-In-Cheek

According to the Oxford Dictionary of Current English, to speak... Read More

What?s Wrong With You, Why Don?t You Understand Me?

Recently while waiting for our lunch to be served in... Read More

Why It Pays to Out More Humor in the Workplace

1. Humor reduces stress levels and stress is the number... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People: Ten Ways to Improve Your Communications Success

Have you noticed that some people seem to stop listening... Read More

Communication between franchisees in a franchise system

If you own a franchise you would be wise to... Read More

Whats Your REAL problem??

When was the last time you spent excessive time and... Read More

How to Align Your Team through Change

Eight Principles for Purposeful AlignmentEffective teamwork requires individual members of... Read More