Manuela Buitrago - Reflection #1

From Teamwork to Takeaways: A Chapter 9 Experience

May 22, 2025

By Manuela Buitrago

Given the assignment, my very first thought was that it would be difficult to work as a group since everyone has their own ideas and experiences that drive how they consider the subject matter. However, I understand that we as humanity need each other to learn and build a more sustainable civilization; this made me eager to collaborate and explore the chapter in depth to see how my classmates would interpret the topic. This experience wasn’t just about presenting content but rather getting an intimate understanding on leadership, cooperation, trust, learning from others, and working outside my comfort zone.

Presenting Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups

My group was assigned Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups, from my initial perception, the chapter was rather straightforward. But once we started working as a group, I realized this topic was layered and relatable. This chapter discussed on how communication is a basic and essential pillar within group settings. The chapter covered concepts like group development stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning), specifying  the roles individuals play in groups settings to make the group effective.

Immediately we began working as a group my very first thought was how mirrored our own team dynamic was reflected by the theory in the chapter. In the forming stage, group members  were polite and uncertain, all individuals in the group tried to figure out how their personal strengths would benefit the group and how their group mates strengths would contribute to success. The storming stage was not based on differences of opinion on how to divide the work based on strengths. This stage taught the importance of respectful dialogue and need to compromise. The norming and performing stages jelled into place once done with the storming stage. This jelling allowed improvement in communication within the group setting, meeting deadlines, and collaboration.

I felt more confident during the presentation because I  knew that I had a group of individuals whom I was certain had focused on working over the chapter and were all at par or better than me in their roles. Our group rehearsed, shared feedback, discussed, and encouraged one another. My confidence in the group allowed me to present my section with esteemed focus, allowing me to engage with the audience and ensure I didn’t just read from the slides but share in-depth knowledge based on what we had discussed . This process helped me understand that clarity and presence matter as much as the content. The use of non-verbal communication such as hand gestures, eye contact, voice projection, and peek capability of explaining the chapter using my own words helped drive the point home.

Discovering My Role in the Group

I found myself leaning towards a maintenance role, which meant checking in with individuals in the group, ensuring that everyone was on track, and encouraging open communication. While contributing to the content and speaking during the presentation, I was able to acknowledge the importance of helping the group stay positive and united. The chapter discussed on the importance of task roles and social roles, this helped me realize that ensuring that these two pillars i.e. positivity and unity is what makes a group thrive.

Contributing to my team’s success in the background by sending reminders, by helping with slide formatting, and giving encouragement was satisfying, an unexpected lesson in leadership that helped me acknowledge that not all leadership is loud or front-and-center; leadership is about the little brush strokes that help create the whole picture essentially making sure that the group succeeds.

Learning from the Audience Chair: Listening to Other Groups

This experience focused on presenting and also listening. As an audience member I drew inspiration from watching other groups present. Each group uniquely made the content they were presenting come alive. Strategies used included visuals, personal stories, humor and audience questioning.

Watching others do their presentations helped me see what works well in group communication. I noticed how important it is to speak clearly, make eye contact, and stay organized. Although, they may be seen like small things, they do make a big difference in how the message is received. I also realized that teamwork and preparation really show when a group presents smoothly and with confidence.

What Stood Out to Me

My biggest take away was, communication is not just delivering information but connection, understanding group members, active listening, conflict resolution, and pushing toward a shared goal. Presenting the group ideas highlighted on the need to trust your teammates to play their role and trusting yourself when it comes to speaking up, taking initiative, and growing.

This assignment turned the classroom into a learning lab. Every group that stood up to present did not just give text book definitions of theories but definitions that were based from real life experiences, different backgrounds and real team work which made everything more memorable, relatable, and applicable in real life. 

I was able to appreciate the diversity within the classroom. No two presentations were similar even if the structure to the presentation was the same.  Every group had different perceptions on the subject matter, examples, and difference when it came to expressing ideas, highlighting the power of group learning.

Final Reflections

The experience highlighted some of my weaknesses and the need to think critically, communicate clearly, and importance of speaking clearly and listening attentively. I was also able to discover my own strengths and my classmates. Having learnt from other groups I would also ensure that I am more creative in how I present ideas and make them more appealing and engaging to the audience.

In conclusion, this was more than just a class assignment but rather a real-world lesson in leadership, communication, and empathy. This assignment has taught me to listen to every voice while leading the discussion or from the background. This lesson will be essential not only in group settings during class work but it any group I will be part of in the future.