To help your group work well together, it's important to know how to deal with common group work issues.

Managing group work can be tough. If you're having problems with your group, it's better to deal with them as they arise – this will stop them from escalating and will help get your group back on track.

There are some common issues that may arise when working in a group:

Poor communication

Sometimes, your group may misunderstand each other or communicate negatively. This can lead to group members:

  • making assumptions
  • misinterpreting what's being discussed
  • not understanding what they need to do
  • working on the wrong task
  • failing to work well together.

To help address issues, encourage your group to think about how they can improve their communication skills.

Improving communication

To help your group communicate effectively, encourage group members to:

  • clarify anything they don't understand
  • ask questions instead of making accusations
  • make requests instead of demands
  • express their views as opinions instead of facts
  • provide constructive criticism
  • speak respectfully and positively.

If your group members are speaking negatively, encourage them to think about how they're expressing themselves. By rephrasing negative statements, your group will be able to communicate more respectfully and productively.

Use the following examples to help rephrase negative statements:

  • Instead of saying "You're wrong" say "I don't think I agree with that because...".
  • Instead of saying "You're being lazy" say "You don't seem to be contributing to the group. Is there a problem?".
  • Instead of saying "You should do it this way" say "It might help if we do it this way.".
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Personal issues

Problems may arise when personalities clash, or if group members start to argue with or speak over the top of each other.

Conflict between members

To resolve conflicts, encourage group members to:

  • respect and acknowledge others' ideas
  • consider how they can improve their communication
  • work through the cause of the conflict as a group
  • understand that working in a team may require negotiation and compromise.

If you're unable to reach an agreement or resolve a conflict in a meeting, take a break to diffuse the situation and regroup at a later meeting.

Domineering personalities

When working in groups, everyone should have an opportunity to contribute ideas. If one group member is dominating group discussions, it may help to:

  • create time limits for individual contributions
  • ensure that each member has a chance to speak without interruption
  • remind all members that it's important to hear all opinions about the topic and respect those opinions.
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Unequal contribution

Some group members may be quieter than others, but if members are not contributing at all this is a problem. Try to find out why they're not participating – but don't be confrontational. Remember to reassure all members that their opinions are valid.

To encourage group members to contribute to discussions, it may help to work around the group and ask everyone to contribute their ideas. This will encourage the group to work together, and remove the focus on individual members.

If you find that group members are struggling to come up with ideas, it can help to:

  • brainstorm the topic as a group
  • research the topic independently and then meet to discuss the group's findings.
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Lacking focus

If your group is struggling to focus on their work, ask everyone to talk through the tasks they are trying to complete. When they've explained their tasks, have the group discuss ideas for how to finish them.

If your group is still unable to focus, try:

  • setting meeting goals
  • working through complex tasks as a group
  • rewarding the group for staying on task (e.g. organise a lunch or another activity).
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Missing deadlines

Make sure you discuss tasks with your group and establish firm (and realistic) deadlines for completing those tasks. All group members should agree on these deadlines before you start work.

If your group is struggling to meet deadlines, ask everyone to discuss their progress each meeting so the group can track overall progress and adjust deadlines if needed.

As a group, make sure you reassess deadlines as they're approaching and provide help to any group members who need it.

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