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and
resume.
As you work toward creating a professional presence, it is important to think about what talents and skills you have to offer.
You will want to communicate your strengths to others verbally and in writing.
One important way to share your talents verbally is through an elevator speech.
An elevator speech is a very brief description of your skills and goals.
Elevator speeches are often only about thirty seconds long.
Students have reported that developing an elevator speech has helped them reflect on their strengths your elevator speech should clearly communicate key information about yourself in a way that sparks interest and questions and elevator speech should also highlight what makes you unique.
The elevator speech can be used as your introduction when you meet new people.
You may want to develop different elevator speeches for different audiences because your purpose and closing ask may be different.
If you're interacting with a potential colleague,
Smith products noted that it is important to summarize strengths, both on social media and in a resume.
A resume is a snapshot of your professional skills and accomplishments and is used by hiring managers to decide if you should be interviewed for an open position.
Having a strong online summary profile has been connected to positive outcomes.
Some tips for writing your online summary include use first person, rely on short sentences, and emphasize keywords related to your industry.
Jacques recommended adding your personality to the summary profile as you describe who you are and what you want to do.
In addition to summarizing your strengths on social media, it is also important to be sure you have an up-to-date resume that captures your skills and experiences.
Hiring managers or committees will likely be reviewing hundreds of applications for each job posting.
It is therefore important that your resume is clear, easy to read, and succinctly highlights your most important work experiences or accomplishments.
Although the content and substance of your experiences matter most, organization and visual appeal are also important considerations.
There are many resume templates available online that you can use to get started
you'll find that most accomplishments or job experiences are presented in reverse chronological order, meaning your most recent experiences are at the top.
This approach makes it easy for a hiring manager to see the timeline of your work experience to determine how long you were at different places of employment and whether you have taken on more challenging roles and responsibilities over time.
However, some resumes are functional or skill-based versus chronological.
A functional resume is organized by skill sets versus work experience.
In this case, all positions related to certain skills would be clustered together.
Meeting with a professional in career services for assistance with your resume is suggested.
Remember that employers will be looking not only at your academic qualifications, but also at your work experiences and extracurricular activities.
Thinking about what experiences you would like to showcase on your resume in the future can help you determine which opportunities to seek out as a college student.
When applying for a job, customizing your cover letter and resume will increase your chances of getting noticed and being offered an interview.
You'll want to highlight different experiences and skills based on what the employer is looking for in a candidate.
For example, if you're applying for a position that requires significant data analysis, you'll want to emphasize jobs and other related experiences that involve working with data.
In the cover letter, which accompanies your resume and is written to the hiring manager, you should directly address job requirements and duties outlined in the job posting and how your related experiences match these tasks and responsibilities.
Your cover letter is another opportunity to emphasize why you're a great fit for the job.
Combination of career-specific skills, sometimes referred to as technical or hard skills, and other essential skills, sometimes referred to as soft or transferable skills, is needed.
Career-specific skills are unique to the field.
Examples of career-specific or technical skills include using a special cooking technique if you are a chef, or using a special software editing tool if you are a video editor.
Other essential skills needed across many fields include professionalism, work ethic, oral and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, time management, problem solving, and leadership skills.
In a survey, eighty-six percent of mid-level to top-level executives agreed that these other essential or soft skills are very important to success in the world of work.
In fact, seventy-seven percent of the human resources professionals who responded to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder indicated that soft skills were as important as technical skills, and sixteen percent indicated that soft skills were more important than technical skills.
Fortunately, research has shown that teaching soft skills is effective.
For example,
, Ritter found that students and employers reported high levels of satisfaction with skill development when soft skills were integrated into the curriculum.
Which skills are most valued by employers?
Based on an employer survey conducted by Barrington, the four most important skills needed by employers were professionalism and work ethic, oral and written communication, teamwork and collaboration,
and critical thinking and problem solving.
Other essential skills that have been identified as important by employers include integrity, confidence, planning and organization skills, and decision-making skills.
College graduates have also reported that soft skills were important in landing their first job and with performing well in their career.
Specifically, college graduates indicated that communication and interpersonal skills, along with self-awareness and confidence, were the most important skills when it came to getting their first job offer after graduation.
They also noted that these skills helped them meet the success once hired.
Interestingly, these graduates said that extracurricular activities really helped them develop these skills.
, as you develop these essential skills, it is important to recognize the significant role of culture in skill development.
Ora noted that human competencies are thoroughly situated in social and cultural dynamics and that these dynamics can help or hinder students as they try to move into organizations and professions after graduation.
They explained how different skills may be needed in different contexts and cultures.
It is not enough to
, just have strong skills.
You will also need to know when and how to use different skills, depending on the situational and cultural factors.
Employers expect their employees to act professionally.
What does this mean?
Professionalism refers to behaviors in the workplace that communicate you're committed to achieving goals.
Kotringer noted that a professional attitude involves a diligent, conscientious approach to doing what is necessary to help the organization demonstrate its values and accomplish its goals.
Commitment to the mission of the organization happens naturally if the organizational mission aligns with your values.
Therefore, it is important to learn about an organization before you accept a position.
Choosing positions where you will be able to perform tasks that match your values makes it easier for you to engage in behaviors that demonstrate professionalism.
Being responsible means that your employer, professors, and colleagues can count on you.
Responsible individuals show up on time, do what is needed to complete a task, and ultimately successfully complete those tasks.
Responsible individuals are also responsive, answering emails and providing information requested in a timely fashion.
hardworking professionals will work hard and typically go above and beyond to achieve a successful outcome.
Individuals with professionalism exhibit pride in their work and are willing to do what it takes to meet with success.
This demonstrates a high level of work ethic.
As a result, the final product is powered, professional, and on target.
Employers want employees who will act ethically.
Ethics refers to whether choices are morally right or wrong.
Engaging in honest ethical actions promotes a positive image of yourself and your organization.
It will also make it more likely that others will trust you.
For example,
If you have access to company information, like a new product being developed, and your friend works for a competitor, it would be unethical to share what you know with them if this product has not been officially announced.
Be respectful.
Individuals who exhibit professionalism are polite, respectful, and courteous of others.
Being friendly is a simple yet powerful way to demonstrate professionalism.
Demonstrating professionalism also involves doing your part to create an effective learning or working environment by minimizing distractions.
For example, turning off electronic devices such as cell phones in a respectful action
because the sounds of a cell phone can negatively impact the work of others such as coworkers or classmates.
Be able to manage conflict.
When a conflict arises, disagreements are discussed calmly by listening to the viewpoints of others and using respectful language to communicate ideas and concerns.
If the conflict escalates, professionals will seek the guidance and support of someone such as a supervisor who can assist with resolving the conflict.
Be mindful of boundaries.
Professionals are mindful of boundaries and can determine which actions or behaviors are appropriate in which situations.
For example, although you may become friends with coworkers, it is important that you keep your relationship professional while at work.
This does not mean you have to completely refrain from discussing anything personal at work.
An important part of getting to know your colleagues and establishing and maintaining good working relationships is sharing some personal information.
For example, you may choose to share some general information about your family and significant other, your interests, hobbies, and activities you engage in.
However, one of the most common unprofessional actions in the workplace is sharing too many details about your personal life, especially if you were involved in actions that would not be viewed positively by your colleagues or employer.
Professionals also recognize that there is a difference between professional and social communication.
Although informal communication strategies may be fine to use in social situations, these strategies are often not appropriate in professional and academic environments.
Be able to learn from mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Professionals handle their mistakes well.
When mistakes happen, professionals acknowledge the mistake, take responsibility for the actions and develop a plan to address the issue at hand.
Most importantly, professionals learn from these experiences.
Time and project management.
Effective time management and relatedly project management are essential skills that contribute to successful personal, academic, and professional outcomes.
Ineffective time management is one of the most cited obstacles to student success.
Numerous research studies have shown the relationship between time management and success.
providing evidence that effective time management is related to higher levels of motivation and achievement.
Everyone is equal in terms of time, getting only twenty-four hours each day.
However, some individuals are more productive than others when it comes to using their time.
Some really struggle in this area.
To make the most of your twenty-four hours per day, you can ask yourself the following questions.
Am I using my time in a way that is consistent with my values and goals?
Do I have good work-school life balance?
Am I able to effectively plan and engage in actions so that I am successfully completing personal, academic, and professional tasks in a timely fashion?
How might I improve my use of time?
Getting an accurate picture of how you currently spend your time can help you determine which activities in your life are taking up the most time, whether these activities are aligned to your goals, and where adjustments might be needed.
A powerful way to get a clear picture of how you currently use your time is to do what many call a time diary.
Using a time diary involves documenting and categorizing how you spend your time over the course of a week.
Determine how much time was spent studying, working, socializing, sleeping, and so forth in total for the week.
Reflecting on how you use your time and adjust as needed.
time traps.
When you evaluate your time, you may discover that you are engaging in many time traps, activities that take up a lot of your time and are often unproductive in nature.
Some examples of time traps are using social media sites, surfing the internet, watching television and playing games.
Not surprisingly, researchers have found that successful students spend less time on time traps, such as watching television and hanging out with friends.
Although it's important to engage in social and relaxing activities, it is easy to lose track of how much time you spend on these activities.
Often it may be much more time than you originally planned on spending.
Perhaps you've had the experience where you went to briefly
Check your social media apps only to discover that an hour passed by and you never returned to your studying.
The following strategies can help you minimize time spent on these non-productive time traps.
Raise your awareness of your time traps.
Complete the time diary and reflect on how you utilize time.
Ask others to assist you.
Tell others about your time traps and your goals.
You can then ask your friends and family to remind you to get back on track if they see you distracted by a time trap.
Set self-imposed time limits for time traps.
Determine how long you would like to spend on the activity and then set a timer or alarm on your cell phone for that amount of time.
This external reminder can help you stick to your plan and avoid letting the time traps take you on a detour from your goals.
In today's world, everyone is being pulled in many different directions.
Family and friends want to spend time with you, professors want you to read and complete significant learning projects, and employers may want you to work more hours or complete tasks by a certain deadline.
Making school a priority will increase the likelihood that you complete your degree in a timely fashion.
But school may not always be your top priority if you have important family and work responsibilities that also demand your time.
Research shows that work-school life balance is one of the biggest stressors facing students.
To achieve work-school life balance, you do not have to necessarily choose between these different responsibilities.
, rather successful individuals have learned to effectively juggle their many different roles, finding balance among these competing needs and responsibilities.
The key will be to keep your goals front and center.
Time management can be especially challenging when different areas of your life demand increased attention at the same time.
For example, if you work in retail, employers often need employees to put in more hours during the holiday season.
Working has been cited by student success professionals as one of the biggest obstacles to student success.
And some research supports this claim.
For example, Lammers found that students who worked at twenty three to sixty hours per week, studied less, had poor concentration, slept less and had increased absences in classes with optional attendance.
Other researchers have found that working negatively impact academic success.
However, not all research has found negative outcomes associated with working, and some research has even found that working can have positive outcomes.
Dundas and Marks, for example, found that students working ten to nineteen hours per week spent more time studying and performed better than students who did not work at all, or worked twenty hours or more per week.
In addition to the financial benefits, working can also help you build your skills, give you an opportunity to network with others, and create situations that demand you
become good at time management.
Thus, according to this research, a balanced approach to work and school is best.
Some students do not have the luxury of attending school full-time without the need to work.
For many students, especially nontraditional age students, work must be prioritized over school.
This is especially the case for students who are supporting themselves and others.
There are many time management strategies that you can use to increase your productivity.
The following time and project management tips have been offered by Schellenberger.
Make a to-do list of all tasks that need to be completed.
Develop a schedule to complete tasks and stay focused on one task at a time to maximize the use of your time.
Make a prioritized to-do list.
Although simple in nature, creating a to-do list of tasks
you must complete is a powerful planning and organizational strategy.
To-do lists help you see the big picture of what you need to accomplish.
Research has found that students who use a to-do list tool are more likely to complete tasks ahead of schedule.
To-do lists can include a personal, academic, and professional task.
According to Schellenberger, your to-do list should include deadlines associated with the task and the level of importance of each task.
There are many electronic tools available that allow you to easily organize your to-do list by deadlines or importance.
Break large assignments down into smaller tasks so that your to-do list is composed of manageable tasks.
Breaking down larger tasks into smaller action steps will reduce the likelihood that you will procrastinate.
you're more likely to avoid tasks that you perceive to be overwhelming, but more likely to tackle tasks that can be done in relatively short periods of time.
After you have identified all the tasks you need to complete, focus on the importance of each task.
This process is called prioritizing tasks and is an essential part of effective time management.
Although there are many factors that will guide your decision-making about which tasks deserve your attention first, your values and goals should be the driving focus here.
Upcoming deadlines will also factor into this process of prioritizing tasks.
For academic tasks, the syllabus can be a great guide to help you start prioritizing.
In the syllabus, you'll find information about the nature of your assignments, their due dates, and how much the assignment counts toward your final grade.
You can also request a meeting with your professor, advisor, or counselor to help you evaluate the tasks and decide on a time management plan.
Develop a schedule.
Success does not happen by chance.
Success comes as a result of planning and hard work.
Students who plan out their studying activities perform better academically.
Professionals also rely heavily on their calendars to keep them on track.
There are a variety of planning tools available to assist you with scheduling.
Many find apps or other online calendars work best for them, while others prefer good, old-fashioned paper calendars.
There are pros and cons associated with different planning tools, but the key is for you to choose a calendar tool that you will use regularly.
It's a good idea to refer to your calendar at least once a day.
Start by getting class, work, and other already scheduled meetings or appointments on your calendar.
Scheduling time to work or study on assignments and tasks is also essential.
We are more likely to do what is on our calendar or schedule.
For instance, you may get sick and be unable to complete academic tasks for other reasons.
Working ahead of the due dates instead of waiting until the last minute will make it easier for you to adjust and still meet deadlines.
A good practice is to pretend all assignments or projects are due several days or even a week earlier than indicated on your syllabus.
, then block out time on your calendar to complete your assignments according to this plan or ensure meeting official due dates.
Work on your most challenging tasks first.
Although students recognize the need to spend more time on tasks that they perceive to be difficult as compared to easy, they often spend their time on easy tasks.
Diving into the most challenging tasks at the start of your day will ensure that these tasks get the time and effort needed for you to meet with success.
, are a key part of our lives.
Being able to effectively communicate and collaborate with others, including those from different cultures, is a skill that is highly valued by employers.
These relational skills will also help you with your personal relationships.
Diversity refers to the differences among and between individuals.
Although most people immediately think of race and ethnicity when they hear the word diversity,
identified a total of six attributes of cultural competence that are identified in the literature most consistently.
They include cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, cultural sensitivity, cultural interaction and cultural understanding.
Developing cultural competence often involves the following.
Learning about various cultures and populations.
becoming more aware of your own beliefs and attitudes and how these beliefs impact you and others, developing positive attitudes toward cultural differences, developing skills to effectively work with others who may be very different from you.
Being culturally competent means you need to explore and address stereotypes and prejudices.
Stereotypes are judgments you make about a person based on beliefs you have about a group.
Prejudice refers to your feelings or attitudes about a group or members of a group.
As you would expect, stereotypes and prejudice can negatively impact performance.
It is also important to avoid microaggressions and know how to address them when they occur.
Microaggressions are verbal or nonverbal insults related to a marginalized group status.
Microaggressions can be intentional, but are often unintentional.
On the surface, a microaggression might appear to be a compliment, but the underlying message is an insult.
For example, saying, wow, you are really smart, or wow, you can speak English well, implies that this is unexpected given their group membership.
An example of a behavioral microaggression could be a male talking over a female coworker.
, microaggressions can lead to mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety and contribute to negative work environments.
It is therefore important to reduce microaggressions and intervene when they happen.
When you notice a microaggression, Wood and Harris recommend the following actions.
Stop further harm by pausing the conversation and acknowledging that a microaggression just happened.
Ask questions to help the person making the statement understand the message behind the statement in hopes that the person will clarify what they meant and adjust what they said.
Focus on shared values of respect and the need for everyone to engage in comments and behaviors consistent with these values.
Share your thoughts and feelings related to what just transpired.
, determine what the individual who engaged in the Microaggression Act can do to correct the situation and avoid this from happening in the future.
Discovering the cultural norms and customs associated with different cultural groups increases your diversity knowledge and prepares you to more effectively collaborate with others.
According to Coliguri and Tariq, it is important to reduce ethnocentricism and be willing to approach tasks in new ways.
Ethnocentricism refers to when individuals place a higher value on their own cultural perspective, viewing other perspectives and cultures as being inferior.
You can be more productive when you value the perspective of others and you regularly engage with others from different cultures.
You can build your cultural competence by seeking out opportunities to interact and work collaboratively with others from diverse backgrounds.
And by taking courses focused on diversity, seeking out experiential learning opportunities so that you can interact with others who are different from you also increase your cultural competence.
, and Murray Garcia noted that learning about and developing skills related to various cultures is a lifelong process and introduced the term cultural humility.
Cultural humility is a process of being open, self-aware, egoless, and incorporating self-reflection when interacting with diverse individuals, groups, or communities.
You can take the cultural humility assessment to better understand your skill development in this area.
The more you interact with others who are different from you, the less likely you will be to stereotype or pass judgments about a person based solely on group membership.
Researchers have found that when you work in diverse groups on a task that requires cooperation, prejudice is reduced and you are more likely to view your peers positively.
Likewise, others will be less likely to pass judgments about you.
Interacting with others with different perspectives also exposes you to varied viewpoints that contribute to the development of more sophisticated thinking.
As Schreiber and Bell noted, collaboration with diverse others can be a vehicle for developing an appreciation of personal and cultural differences.
Communication is an extremely important skill and is a basic building block of relationships.
Communication involves listening and clearly expressing your thoughts, ideas, or needs.
Doyle nicely captured the key communication skills that will be helpful to you in the
world of work.
Practicing these skills will also help you communicate more effectively with your family, significant other, and friends.
Active listening requires that you give your full attention to the person.
This means you eliminate barriers such as your phone, the computer, or other distractions.
As you listen, you focus on the message that is being communicated.
You also encourage the person to continue talking by sending non-verbal messages such as maintaining eye contact and nodding, which show you are listening.
Asking relevant questions and paraphrasing, which basically means summarizing what you hear in your own words, are also powerful communication tools.
When you paraphrase or summarize what was said, this gives the other person the opportunity to let you know if you accurately heard the message.
If not, the person can clarify so that you can better understand.
Engaging in active listening communicates that the person you are listening to is important to you.
Others will likely appreciate the time and energy you spent listening.
When you listen and gain a good understanding of the person's ideas or concerns, you're then positioned well to engage in problem solving if needed.
In a recent, in a research study by Cockfield and Smith, they found that employers value communication skills focused on relating to others and gaining an understanding the perspectives of others.
Being able to clearly articulate your ideas is also an important communication skill.
What you say and how you say it can impact whether your message is heard and understood.
Focusing on who you are speaking with will enable you to determine what is situationally and culturally appropriate.
As you would imagine, employers desire employees who are able to engage in effective conflict management.
There are several steps involved in managing conflict effectively.
First, it is important to clearly define the problem or source of conflict.
, this typically involves all parties sharing their point of view and making a genuine effort to listen and understand the situation from the perspective of the other person or persons involved.
Next, possible solutions need to be discussed with pros and cons being evaluated.
Then a solution or decision will need to be made.
Finally, a timeline for assessing the effectiveness of this resolution needs to be established.
by following up and evaluating whether the solution had the desired effect, it can make it less likely for future conflict in this area to develop.
Emotional intelligence can be defined as perceiving, understanding, and managing your own emotions as well as the emotions of others.
Individuals with high levels of emotional intelligence can skillfully interpret facial expressions and other nonverbal messages sent by others and are aware of the messages they are communicating to others.
Managing your emotions is a key component of emotional intelligence.
To be emotionally intelligent,
It means you're capable, capably using stress management techniques so that negative emotions do not get in the way of you being productive.
Being emotionally intelligent also involves managing the emotions of others.
This involves recognizing the feelings of others and determining how your behaviors can positively impact the situation.
In some cases, this may mean giving a person some space and knowing that now may not be the right time to ask a question or make a request because the person is frustrated or angry.
Recognizing when someone is in a good mood is also an important part of being emotionally intelligent.
In these cases, the timing might be perfect to pitch a new idea.
Having high levels of emotional intelligence has been
connected to positive academic and career outcomes.
Sparkman found that social responsibility, impulse control, and empathy were strong predictors of graduation.
Empathy refers to the ability to identify and understand the feelings of another person.
Impulse control refers to the ability to refrain from acting on feelings immediately and being able to manage one's emotions.
Social responsibility refers to one's ability to work collaboratively with others to engage in meaningful and productive actions that benefit society.
Researchers have also found emotional intelligence impacts success in the workplace.
Shute and Loy, for instance, found that employees with high levels of emotional intelligence were more likely to be engaged and satisfied.
When employees have high levels of emotional intelligence, conflicts are more easily resolved and done so in more productive ways.
Emotional intelligence has been found to be particularly important in some positions.
For example, Lopes found the relationship between emotional intelligence and performance the strongest for managers, customer service positions, and healthcare providers.
, being able to manage emotions in these positions is particularly important.
Research shows that emotional intelligence can be learned.
Lopes conducted a thorough review of the studies on this topic and concluded that there is strong evidence that training related to emotional intelligence competencies works.
and how you communicate when you're experiencing different emotions.
Notice how others react to you when you're happy, sad, or angry.
Practice good stress management daily, increasing the use of strategies when emotions are more intense.
Notice the emotional reactions of others.
How do your friends, family members, or co-workers act when they are happy, sad, or angry?
the five R approach.
Being able to effectively work with others is another important skill that will serve you well personally and professionally.
In college, you will likely work with your classmates on various types of projects.
Research has shown that there are many benefits to group projects such as improved communication and interpersonal skills, increased knowledge and deeper thinking, and higher levels of motivation and achievement.
This is particularly true when students are taught about how to function effectively in groups before being required to do so, as evidenced by a research study conducted by Cranny.
Thus, assignments that require you to work in groups are great experiences because they will give you opportunities to develop essential skills desired by employers.
To develop teamwork and collaboration skills, it is important that you approach group work productively.
Unfortunately, students sometimes approach group work from a divide and conquer mindset, believing that each member of the group should be assigned a part of the project and should work independently on that part of the project to minimize workload for all involved.
This is not the best approach.
Group work is not designed to reduce your workload, but rather is a social learning opportunity where you can develop skills and support one another as you work toward a goal.
Approaching group work from a collaborative framework is best.
Collaboration, which means working together to achieve a desired outcome, is the key to effective group work.
When using a collaborative approach, members will likely have different roles or may have more responsibility for certain parts of the project.
but the work is still primarily done with others in the group.
When you work collaboratively, you will typically produce a higher quality product.
Collaboration often takes place using virtual team spaces.
Virtual platforms allow you to collaborate with other students or colleagues who do not live nearby or who have schedules that make meeting face to face challenging.
In a study conducted by Dean,
, students and faculty identified several factors that contribute to the success of virtual teams.
Factors included having clear goals to start, engaging in regular communication with others, being respectful of others, and having a balanced workflow approach.
Although these factors were specifically identified for virtual teams, they would be relevant for in-person team meetings too.
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This is referred to as social loping.
Other problems cited by researchers are lack of skills, lack of group leadership, conflicting schedules, time management difficulties, and behavioral or attitudinal problems.
When these problems exist, frustration levels can run high, relationships can become strained, and teamwork skills are not developed.
Fortunately, there are effective strategies you can use in groups to help you have a productive, positive experience.
For groups to function effectively, there are several key strategies that need to be used.
The five R approach to group work describes these strategies.
These skills are not only essential in college, but also in the world of work.
According to research by Klonick, you adapt and learn from engaging in group work.
In their study, they found that group members were better at processes such as conflict management after regularly participating in virtual teams due to the COVID-pandemic.
Before you begin working on the task at hand, take some time to get to know your group members.
When engaging in group work as a student, ask one another about career goals, interests, and work experiences.
Knowing something about each member can help you understand their perspective better.
Edmondson Brown suggested that spending time on this activity promotes a positive social climate for the group.
The amount of time you spend on this part of the process will vary depending on the nature and scope of group work.
Develop group rules.
Establishing ground rules is probably the most important yet overlooked action needed to create an effective group.
Rules set clear expectations and provide members with a way to handle conflict that may arise.
It is one of the best ways to prevent problems.
All group members should participate in the creation of the group rules.
Rules may relate to communication and respect as well as to contributions and deadlines.
, it is particularly important to establish a timetable for completing the major tasks associated with a project.
Some suggested group rules are attend all group meetings or call or text if there is an emergency and you must miss a meeting.
Come prepared to meetings having read materials and produced what was expected according to an established timetable.
Respond to email, text, or other communication within twenty-four hours.
Respect one another.
Assign group roles.
In addition to ground rules, establishing group roles for each member can help groups function productively.
The nature of these roles will vary depending on the assignment.
Group roles provide clarification of expectations for each member.
Students report that having assigned roles within the group is valuable.
Assigning roles helps to ensure that all members contribute to the final project and that the work is evenly distributed.
Here are some possible roles for a group that is working on a presentation.
A group leader arranges meeting schedule, facilitates group meetings while allowing all members an opportunity to discuss their thoughts and helps make sure there is an even distribution of work.
A note taker
takes meeting notes and shares the notes with everyone, clarifying tasks assigned to members.
A visual aid leader takes work from group members and puts it together into one cohesive document or presentation.
Finishing touch specialist reviews the document or presentation and any handouts for errors and make sure the product matches the assignment expectations.
the questioner asks group members questions about their contributions often playing the role of devil's advocate to encourage all members to explore the content more deeply this role is particularly important because it encourages critical thinking the rehearsal director or timer organizes the rehearsals and the timing of the presentation perhaps even recording it for review
Get ready to work and support one another.
After the rules and rules are established, it's time to start working on the project.
One of the biggest challenges associated with group work is finding times when all members are available to meet.
You may want to consider using technology tools for scheduling and communication purposes.
You probably also have communication tools within your online course learning management system that you can use.
, to make the most of your meeting time, assign tasks that need to be completed prior to the meeting.
Researchers have found that doing work individually before gathering as a group improves functioning and increases productivity.
For example, you may decide that members should read and summarize material before the meeting.
During the meeting, support one another by explaining concepts to one another and questioning.
Teaching someone else's content is one of the most effective ways to learn.
Challenging one another with questions is also important because it fosters critical thinking skills for all members.
Wise found that having a questioner in the group enhanced the learning experience.
Strange also found the students learned more when they asked each other challenging questions.
Some examples of challenging questions are what would be another example of this concept?
, why do you think that this is the case?
How does this relate to what data support or contradict this idea?
What are other possible explanations?
Remember to evaluate.
Monitoring your progress is a must.
As a group, refer to the timetable you established at the start of your project to determine if you are on track
to achieve the goal by the deadline.
If not, readjust the schedule by establishing new deadlines.
In addition to evaluating progress as it relates to the group, it can also be helpful to evaluate the progress and effectiveness of individual group members.
Hughes noted, for students to develop skills and teamwork, team members must learn to give and receive feedback effectively, thus incorporating
, pure feedback about individual performance into the evaluation process can enhance skill development.
Feedback that is specific and constructive, providing suggestions on how to improve is most useful.
Employers often indicate that leadership is a highly desired skill.
Being a leader means you influence or persuade others to do the work needed to achieve a goal.
McCallum and O'Connell noted that leadership involves the ability to build and maintain relationships, cope with change, motivate and inspire others, and deploy resources.
Leaders also exhibit cultural humility, being aware of the unique challenges and perspectives faced by the different types of people they are leading.
a transformational leader inspires others to engage in creative and collaborative problem solving aimed at achieving a common goal that's highly valued by all members of the team.
Arnold conducted an extensive review of the literature and found a positive relationship between transformational leadership and the psychological well-being of employees.
According to Bass, there are four primary characteristics associated with being a transformational leader.
Transformational leaders are charismatic.
Transformational leaders are role models whom others admire and want to follow.
They clearly and passionately articulate a vision that immediately makes sense to others.
They're inspiring and motivational.
Transformational leaders exude enthusiasm about their vision and get others excited about making this vision a reality.
They're intellectually stimulating.
Transformational leaders not only share their ideas, but also encourage others to consider creative ways to meet with success and actualize the shared vision.
They're respectful of individual differences.
Transformational leaders care about the individuals with whom they work.
They attend to the needs and ideas of all members of the group and create a supportive working environment where varying ideas and approaches are respected and appreciated.
How do you develop leadership skills?
Becoming a leader obviously requires much practice and time on task.
Take advantage of the opportunities you have in
in and outside of the classroom to work with a group of peers.
For example, each student club or organization has several leadership positions you can explore.
You can also look for leadership in your local community or even with a professional organization.
You can start by being a member and observing what leaders do.
Then, as you learn more about the organization, you can volunteer to take on that leadership role.
When working on projects,
Practice articulating the goal, listening to others, identifying strengths of each member, planning tasks and monitoring progress.
As with all other skills, the more you practice, the better you will become at being a leader.