Multimedia Team Design (Diana's Tips for Working in Groups) The Top 10 Helpful Team Behaviors Participate, be prepared Engage in open, honest communication Listen to understand; speak to be understood Build on each other's ideas Criticize ideas, not team members Display a sense of humor Set realistic goals Establish clearly defined roles Distribute labor equally Show commitment toward finishing project The TOP 10 Detrimental Team Behaviors Dominate group meetings Be negative, critical Agree with everything Don't listen Don't communicate Be close-minded Try to do everything your way Withdraw psychologically Attack other team members personally Avoid decision making Why Use Teams? A team is a means to an end. It is an approach to achieving a goal. Each team has in common the need for rules to govern itself. Rules play a crucial role in the team's success. Teams usually judge their members by how closely they conform to the team rules. Members who most closely conform to the rules earn the most respect. Successful teams are a synergistic blending of human resources and talents. Forming a Team The first step in forming a team is to define a goal for the team on the basis of the subject or problem to be examined. In the case of multimedia production, this usually means a web page or CD-ROM project. An expected deadline, steps for completing the project, and technical problems to be solved along the way are usually specified. Some steps to get started: Define the project or goal to be completed. Identify the resources available to the team including technical assets, subject matter experts, advisors, etc. Identify work rules, what is expected of each team member. Identify the skills and abilities necessary for the team to accomplish its task. Split up these tasks trying to match each task with the appropriate team member to complete it. Team Meetings OK, so now you have a team. How do you get the ball rolling? The following are critical points in team meetings. Select a facilitator or team leader. Set a goal for the meeting. Don't leave this meeting without knowing what is expected of each team member. Define a step-by-step process for completing the project. Set priorities. Who needs to finish what and give to whom before X can be completed. Break down large topics into smaller, do-able items. Don't leave the meeting without 'action items' for each team members. At the start of the next meeting, have each team member report on his or her action items.