Get your group started

After groups have been formed, students are usually expected to begin working together. It’s advisable that their first few meetings are given some structure. An effective way to do this is to use a number of team-building exercises. The main aims of these exercises are to:

• open communication channels within the group
• facilitate the sharing of information and expectations between group members
• encourage the social bonding process

By serving these aims, these exercises will help group members:

• get acquainted with each other
• participate in the group’s opening exchanges
• feel comfortable with each other
• begin trusting each other

Team-building exercises

Most of the team-building exercises available to facilitate group work fall under three broad categories: getting acquainted exercises, norming exercises and ice-breaking games. 

Getting acquainted

As the name suggests, these exercises help group members get to know each other. When students first meet, most do not like to ask too many questions. Furthermore, most students tend only to make ‘small talk’ (eg. where do you work?). While this information is useful, students tend not to ask questions related to the group work ahead of them. The point of these exercises is to encourage students to discuss these issues early, so as to avoid the simple misunderstandings which often result in conflict. 

This exercise requires members to interview each other on set questions which allow students to discuss issues such as their strengths and weaknesses as a group participant and their likes and dislikes of group work. By the end of the exercise, students will have developed a much better understanding of their fellow group members. You should run this exercise in the group’s first formal meeting (eg. straight after your groups have been formed).

Norming exercises

Students rarely express their expectations to each other and often need a little encouragement to do so – this is where a norming exercise is useful. In general, norming exercises are those where groups are required to discuss and document what they will be doing and how they will go about doing it. Examples of such exercises are those where groups make a mission or vision statement, an agreement or contract. Their purpose is not to make something ‘legally binding’, but rather to produce a document that has emerged through discussion and agreement. It is the act of producing the document that is crucial in the norming exercise; the content of this document is an added bonus. 

In this exercise, groups are required to collectively answer questions dealing with ground rules (eg. where and when will meetings be conducted) and goals. Groups are then able to use this document as a point of reference to help keep them on track and to manage any minor disputes which may arise. It is advisable to run this exercise in the group’s second formal meeting. However, it can be run in the their first meeting (along with, but after, the ‘Getting to know you’ exercise) if time permits.

Ice-breaking games

The primary purpose of ice-breaking games is to encourage interaction between group members. This is usually achieved by making the group’s task engaging and fun for participants. We recommend that you run this exercise in the first few weeks of the group’s life. It is best run straight after one of the previously mentioned exercises. It can also be run as a stand-alone exercise if needed.

Meeting management

For groups to be effective, they must have regular and productive meetings. Group members need to know what their fellow members are thinking and doing on the assignment. For this to occur, it is important that groups have open communication and stay task focused as much as possible. It is very easy for groups to avoid making decisions and let valuable time slip away.

On average, groups will meet once a week for approximately one hour. This meeting usually takes place straight before or after class. Due to their short time frame (ie. usually one semester), groups may only meet around 15 times throughout the semester.

To help make the meetings productive, suggest that students take minutes in their meetings and adopt a rotating role structure. Keeping minutes helps a group by:

• providing a structure to their meetings
• keeping meetings running to time
• keeping a record of decisions made and documenting important events
• recording each member’s responsibilities
• allowing members to see their progress and achievements over time

A rotating role structure is one where the position of leadership is deconstructed and distributed or shared among the group members. For group meetings to run effectively, it is important that these five roles are played:

• Facilitator – responsible for chairing the meeting
• Time keeper – ensures that the meeting keeps to time
• Recorder/notetaker – responsible for taking the minutes of the meeting
• Devil’s advocate – critically examining the ideas of the group members and trying to avoid “group think” emerging within the group
• Team players – support the other roles

Rather than allowing them to emerge or be picked, it is best if these roles are randomly assigned in the first meeting and then rotated on a regular basis (eg. weekly or fortnightly). By rotating the roles, each student has the opportunity to develop skills in each role and observe it being played by the other members. Students should also be encouraged to provide each other with feedback so as to encourage peer-learning.