Week 6, Question 2

When providing observer feedback to a group you need to make sure that what you are telling them is useful and will really help them improve on their group work skills. Some areas that you can touch on when providing observer feedback is the goals and objectives of the group. You should identify the goal of the group and what they are trying to accomplish and see if they accomplished that goal. The next areas you can assess are utilization of resources. See if the group utilized all of the resources that are available to them. Trust and conflict is another area to look at. You should evaluate the level of trust that the group members have between each other and if there was any type of conflict. If there was conflict, how well did they handle the conflict. Leadership is another area to look at as an observer. You should keep an eye for any group members that step up and really lead the group to get their tasks done and done on time. You can also watch and see if the leadership is shared in the group. Control and procedures is also important. Is the group under control and is there any lack of procedures to guide the team functioning. Interpesonal communication is important because if group members aren’t communicating with one another problems can arise. Problem solving and decision making can make or break a group. If groups can’t solve problems that arise or make decisions together they will get off task and not accomplish anything. Evaluation is one of the last things to look at as an observer. If a group evaluates the way they worked together and the work they did then they are on the right track.