If you have ever been assigned a group project you know that there is usually a distinct moan heard rumble through the class after it has been given out. In the Public Relations course at Mohawk it’s no different. We have been assigned quite a few group assignments and it can be hard to figure out how to work within the confines of said group.
It’s always hard because in a group it seems that there’s always at least one person that doesn’t really pull their weight, and that’s a main reason people don’t like group work. Nobody likes to do more than another person and then get the same mark as them. On one group assignment we had to do a presentation and one of our group members didn’t show up to do the presentation. It made us look unprepared and on our peer evaluation we had to mark said group member with a lower score. It makes me feel bad because I don’t want to make anybody not do well but when they don’t show up it makes it very difficult.
Some group experiences have been trying but rewarding in the end. We were assigned a fundraising project where the whole class was going to work on raising money for The United Way, but a few people wanted to break off and work on smaller organizations. I decided to join a group that was going to work on an organization called The Jack Project. It is a branch of The Kids Help Phone and focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention in youth transitioning from high school to college. It’s a great cause and I am glad to be a part of it. Of course there have been run-ins and difficulties within that group, we didn’t all agree on everything and I personally found it very hard to express my opinion quite a few times. I think it’s very hard because most of us in this course and in this specific field all have somewhat strong personalities and that is definitely going to lead to some butting of heads. In the end it was for a good cause so it was worth it.
As PR students we are learning to communicate, to be communicators. I think working in groups is a good way to hone these skills, but it can still be very hard to communicate with your peers, especially if you don’t agree with them and you know it is going to cause conflict. I personally have had issues with that in some group experiences. I try very hard to not be passive aggressive but some people can be so hard headed and will not bend or listen to other group members input that it almost makes me just not want to give any input at all because I know I will be shot down.
When we go out into the real world and are working in Public Relations we aren’t going to always work with people that we like or that we 100% agree with 100% of the time so working in groups in school is a good way to learn how to work in those situations and how to personally perform to your best in a difficult or frustrating atmosphere.
It’s great to be able to learn by doing hands on, by actually holding a fundraiser and working on a real project. The unpleasant parts of it are really overshadowed by how good we all can feel about raising money for a great cause or by getting a good mark on an assignment. I should also say it’s not all bad. We had a great time doing the Santa pictures for part of our Jack Project assignment. I have made some great connections with people in my class because of group work, so maybe next time it’s assigned I will hold in that groan and try to embrace the lessons I can learn by working in a group.
Some of my group members for The Jack Project (Yes...I'm Santa)
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