Communication_and_Collaboration_Strategy_Paper

Communication and Collaboration Strategy Paper GEN/200 November 23, 2010 Communication and Collaboration Strategy Paper Communicating and collaborating effectively is very important when working in a group. A group will introduce you to many different types of people who all have different personalities and learning styles that they are used to. This is why it is important to develop your own styles of learning and demonstrate a warm and open personality. After completing the assessments, Pathways to Learning and Personality Spectrum I (Bishop, Carter, & Kravits, 2002), given to us by our facilitator, I learned that the three learning strengths that I could bring to a group are my interpersonal skills, my passion for music, and also my logical and mathematical ability. Along with those learning strengths, I am also able to apply the different personalities of being a very organized individual, a very avid thinker, and a generous giver. These learning strengths along with those personalities are sure to enhance a group of individuals and make them achieve every goal imaginable. Learning Styles Having an interpersonal learning style gives you the ability to work well with others. With this I will be able to get the group to work under one accord by constantly sharing ideas, resolving conflict before it starts, and developing other learning techniques that will strengthen the group as a whole. I also have a very keen sense of music. I can use this to express ideas that may seem difficult to the team. Sometimes if you make learning fun, the logic of it will be easier to grasp, and what other way is better than music, everyone listens to music. I am also a very logical thinker. I am very good at problem solving. When communicating and collaborating within a group, you have to be logical and listen to everyone’s viewpoint; also be able to develop strategies and quickly come up with solutions. This alone gets the group to not only communicate and collaborate, but it makes them a team that is putting forth team effort. Personality Types I have also learned in past experiences that being organized can also contribute to having a successful team. For example, the Learning Charter that was just completed by the team I am in lists information that allows our team to communicate, even outside the normal forum. It is a well organized charter that lists our strengths and things we feel we need to work on. If everyone has a copy of this charter, we will not only be able to communicate effectively, but we will be able to work together to complete all group assignments. Lastly, being an avid thinker and generous giver in itself is a reward. It comes in handy when collaborating in a team. Because everyone thinks differently, that allows many ideas and suggestions to come into play. With all of these thoughts on the table the group must communicate effectively to come up with one solid decision. We will all be thinking and giving our ideas at the same time. We will be giving help to each other because I’m sure we will all need it. That is a definition of teamwork; being able to think and work together giving help to all that show a desire for it. Conclusion So, while communicating and collaborating effectively in a group is very important, so is having different learning styles and personalities as well. This alone enables the group to actually become a group and work together. It will strengthen your individual communication skills as well as your communication skills within a group. It will also, which is extremely important when working in a group, limit the level of conflict you have in your group. If everyone knows how to work together, giving different thoughts and suggestions, where can you go wrong' You can’t because at this point everyone is working together, and this is all that counts! References Bishop, J., Carter, C., & Kravits, S. L. (2002). Keys to college studying. : Prentice Hall.