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Description
Working in a group for a class project implied separating the activities among the team members. Together with my team, we produced a Business Communication report about Burjois, the popular French cosmetic company. My part in the project was to provide the company’s background, developing the introduction, as well as elaborating on Burjois’ products. In addition, I also contributed to enlisting advertising theories and to connecting them to the subject of the report. Nevertheless, considering that this was a collaborative project, my implication stretched beyond these aspects, as I cooperated with the other team members in designing the entire presentation, supporting the information presented with critical thinking. After we created the PowerPoint document, we simulated the oral presentation, taking turns in talking about the slides that we prepared. We offered critical reviews to each other regarding our presentation style, seeking to improve or public speaking and the overall presentation performance.
Feelings
When I started working on this group project I felt excited about the opportunity of developing brainstorming sessions with the other team members. My initial feelings of excitement lasted throughout the project, because we had many opportunities to meet and present or dispute ideas about the content of the Business Communication presentation. When I started working on the company’s history and profile, I discovered that there were numerous information available, which challenged me to stick to the ones that were relevant for the project. Even more luxuriant were the information about the advertising theories. Nevertheless, considering the classroom concepts, I was able to select relevant theories and integrate them in the report. This aspect gave me a feeling of certainty, as I had the opportunity of confirming to myself and the team members that we were on the right track with the project’s development.
Evaluation
The collaborative nature of this project created the opportunity for the team members to bound, sharing various and diverse ideas that enriched both the content and the value of the presentation. As we had diverse ideas and opinions, some of them also turned into controversies, which created a separation between the supporters of one idea and supporters of the other idea. Nevertheless, we demonstrated the capacity of active listening, and allowed all the members to speak their minds, in order to present their arguments for defending one idea over another, and the best arguments convinced the entire team. Each of us was free to vote for the responsibilities we wanted to handle, friendly negotiating for being assigned to different parts of the project. However, we acknowledged several blockage situations, wherein particular parts of the project were more difficult to complete than others. This is where we acted as a team and join our efforts to move the project further, although many of us had completed our attributions.
Analysis
When I started working on my responsibilities, I did not have a plan for approaching my topics. I started my desktop research using key words, but then I realized that this strategy was somehow time consuming. So I asked other team members what their approach was and they shared their own strategies. From their accounts, I developed my own research strategy, defining what I needed to know by thinking about what my target audience would want to know about Burjois. This is how I came up with the structure and I highlighted the aspects I considered more important, such as the company’s profile and its products, prioritizing these topics when conducting my research. I fitted into the deadline that we established, working for a full week on my part, and also had the time to work in other parts of the project, in order to complete it in a timely manner. For me, the key of a good presentation is practice and having all the information about the subject of the discussion. Because of this preparation, I was able to speak up and make eye contact, which further strengthened my confidence.
Conclusion
The general team working experience was exciting, fun and educational. I understood that one can learn many things from other people, because they have different perspectives, which can enrich the one that he or she possesses. However, I found out that team working is not solely about having fun while working, but also about transcending misunderstanding and reaching a common point, or being able to overpass the difficulties by supporting each other in challenging times. I enjoyed learning about Burjois and the overall experience of public speaking. The presence of my team mates beside me was significant, because we shared the same emotions, but we were also able to transmit courage and confidence to one another. Although most of the arguments we had were constructive, I feel that we wasted some time disputing ideas, which made me realise that we needed to appoint a leader with a clear vision. Furthermore, the assignment of the tasks should have been done based on skills, and not on interests, because this resulted in blocking the project.
Action Plan
This presentation was atypical, because it allowed all of us to present together, which minimized the level of stress and the stage fright. I need to prepare myself for individual presentations, where I will not have the comfort of sharing my emotions, but also my courage with team members. Furthermore, I need to develop my coordination skills, in order to assure time management and the rightful assignment of the proper responsibilities to team members, which could greatly improve other collaborative projects. I will focus on relaxing my speech during the next presentations, and I will create a plan for writing my part, while also coordinating the other team members’ parts. Preparing for individual presentations will be a different task, wherein I will have to demonstrate self – assurance and I will have to temper my emotions of being alone on the stage, by thoroughly simulating the presentation days before the event.
