1	Introduction to Working in Teams "... Two heads are better than one." Many projects that you will face in your career will require that you work with a team. Working well in teams is a skill that can be learned.
2	Benefits of Working in Teams Groups are better than individuals at understanding problems. People are accountable and more committed for decisions that they participate in. Groups are better at catching errors. Groups have and can handle more information. Working in a group may stimulate the participants and the process. Risk is balanced.
3	Common Problems “groupthink" Can be a time consuming, slow process. Lack of coordination of work and poor planning of meetings. Tendency of some group members to rely on others to do most of work. Tendency toward compromise solutions of poor quality. Nonproductive use of time.
4	Be clear what the project is about What is the purpose of the project? What are you supposed to produce? What criteria will be used to assess it? What are main components of the project? What are the deadlines? How will you do what needs to be done?
5	Be selective about who you work with team size team membership team roles
6	Take the trouble to build a real team What can you do to form a team? get to know each other. do something social together. identify skills, strengths, weaknesses of the team. build, make, construct something together.
7	What can you do to avoid becoming a team? don’t join in or show interest. allow an individual to dominate. express criticism or hostility . don’t listen to each other.
8	Decide how you’d like it to be Come up with a set of rules that the team members should abide by. Examples: Sexist, racist, immature remarks are not acceptable. Aggressive or dominating behavior is not acceptable. Work should be shared fairly. Meetings should start within 5 minutes of agreed start time and everyone should be there by then.
9	Make sure someone is doing it Leader Secretary/Note Taker Progress Chaser Time-Keeper
10	Divide the project up and share it out List all of the jobs that need doing. Estimate how long each job might take. Decide who will do it.
11	Have proper meetings, not disorganized chats Formal meetings should have an agenda. Chairperson should be appointed to keep the ball rolling. Take minutes of each meeting.
12	Discuss how it is going All teams have problems. If problems aren’t addressed they don’t just go away. Once you accept that problems exist then it is easier to discuss them. Give each other feedback gently.
13	Plan your team presentation carefully Don’t forget the audience. Don’t include too much content. Say where you are going. Let your audience know where you’ve got to. Give the audience something to look at. Give the audience something to do. Don’t make your audience take notes furiously.
14	Plan your team presentation carefully (continued . . .) Invite & ask questions. Summarize. Don’t ignore what your audience already know. Don’t read out your notes in full. Have some fun. Respond and be flexible.
15	Eight Steps in Writing a Research Paper Selecting & limiting the subject Preparing a working bibliography Preparing a preliminary outline Reading & taking notes (research) Assembling notes & writing the final outline Writing the first draft Writing the final draft w/ footnotes & bibliography Proof-reading and editing
16	Primary Components for Research Paper & PowerPoint Presentation Introduction (Introductory Paragraph) States topic and purpose of research, and, itemizes all points to be covered in either the presentation or paper.
17	Primary Components for Research Paper & PowerPoint Presentation Body / Content The results of your research, w/ each paragraph corresponding to points outlined in your introduction. (Graphs, Tables, & Downloaded Graphics make for a more interesting and aesthetically visually pleasing paper or presentation.)
18	Primary Components for Research Paper & PowerPoint Presentation Summary / Conclusion (Concluding Paragraph) a “point-by-point” restatement of your introduction. never include new information in your Summary / Conclusion.
19	Primary Components for Research Paper & PowerPoint Presentation Bibliography: See: “How to Cite Research Sources” @ http://cooklibrary.towson.edu/infotutor/citing/mla_bblio_citations_files/frame.htm
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