Reflective Listening and group projects

I have had many group projects over the course of my college career, and I imagine I will continue to be part of many more to come. Group projects are important because students can learn how to work with others, why groups make better decisions as opposed to an individual, while also seeing how groups function productively. This blog will focus on a group project I had last semester.

Last semester I had a marketing project with a group of four other students. The goal of the project was to come up with a product or service, and then market that product or service to a target audience. The project lasted all semester and our group had to be in constant contact with each other. During the project, one of our members decided to take the “leader role” and divide up all the work so that everyone would have a part that they had to contribute to. It was during this process that reflective listening became apparent.

If we hoped to get a good grade on this project, everyone had to carry their own weight, which involved everyone’s contribution, asking questions to each group member to see how your portion of the project correlates to their parts, and ensuring that everyone was on the same page.

The steps I took

In order to make sure I knew what was going on during the course of the project I,

· Actively listened to when we were given our portions of the project

· Communicated frequently with my members

· Asked questions related to each person’s work to ensure we were on the same track

· Created a Google DOC. so, we could share our work

These steps lead to our group completing a great project. Our communication was excellent, everyone followed through on their parts, and there were no misunderstandings. Another way reflective listening can benefit you in a real world setting.