Shanon’s Blog!

I am writing this blog as part of my Digital Marketing Group Assignment, and the aim of my blog is to evaluate my overall experience working with my group throughout the assignment, and discuss the skills I have identified/learned that may help enhance my future employability opportunities.

Planning process:

When initially asked to form groups, we had to join with our closest surrounding classmates, who I had not previously met or spoken to. Forming the group was easier than expected as we quickly made the decision that we were comfortable and happy to work collectively with each other.

In order to make the general planning process for the whole assignment simple and efficient, we decided to set up a WhatsApp group. This allowed us to effectively communicate outside of our timetabled seminars, to ensure that all group members were being productive – and we could easily respond to queries that other members had.

Organisation process:

The organisation process for the assignment went smoothly as we evenly split up the work, and each allocated ourselves a few sections to complete – thankfully without any disagreement whatsoever. We continued to use the WhatsApp group throughout this stage to give each other general advice on how to lay out particular sections, and to give rough targets as to when we aimed to have certain work completed by. This not only provided clarity during the organisation process but also meant we fully utilized each others opinions and suggestions regarding the work. It also meant that because all members felt comfortable with the work they were assigned, everyone felt more motivated to complete the work efficiently. This idea of motivation relates back to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as we made sure to focus on the psychological needs of all members within the group, and not just the physical needs (tutor2u, 2020).

Assignment process:

The group presentation itself ended up being completed in good time, and to a high standard. Everyone was not only pleased with their individual sections, but also with the sections of the other group members – meaning the PowerPoint not only looked visually appealing, but also flowed smoothly. Each group member adequately completed the sections which they had originally been allocated, but also assisted others if they were struggling with any particular part of the assignment.

Skills learned:

• • Communication skills: I now know that if I am ever unsure of how to adequately complete work I have been assigned, I can speak to my other group members/team mates to ask for advice or assistance to enable me to complete my task. This skill will be useful in the future when working in a busy, fast paced work environment – where I need to be able to effectively communicate with other staff members.
  • Team-work skills: This assignment has made me, overall, more comfortable working collectively with new people to reach a specific end result/target – and do so to a high standard. Its important to be able to work well with a team in future work roles, as in professional jobs you often have to work with new groups of people on a daily basis.
  • Ability to work well under pressure/time-constraints: Having a set deadline for submitting the presentation helped with developing my time management skills, as I had to make sure that all my sections were completed in advance – to avoid severe time-pressure constraints. This is an important skill to have in terms of future employability skills, as in the professional working world you are typically set weekly deadlines which you have to ensure you meet.

References:

tutor2u. (2020). Motivation – Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs) | Business | tutor2u. [online] Available at: https://www.tutor2u.net/business/reference/motivation-maslow-hierarchy-of-needs [Accessed 2 Feb. 2020].