Hey, its Megan!
It’s almost the end of the semester and I see the finish line coming up soon! But before I get there, we have final exams and a lot of group projects. Being a BCIT student you know that you have A LOT and I mean A LOT of group projects.
I’m so lucky that I have the best group ever–we are always on top of all of our projects so they don’t pile up. Here are my five tips for running good group meetings:
1. Create an agenda for your meeting
By creating an agenda it allows everyone to be prepared and know what items will be discussed during the meeting. The agenda will be given before the meeting so group members will be able to research the project. This way no time will be wasted during the meeting. This will increase productivity!
2. Location
Book a study room or use one of the free tables available in the BCIT Library, SE2, NE1, or BCIT Recreation Services areas (I’m sure there are more that I’m not aware of). This way, no time is wasted looking for a free table and the meeting can start on time, which leads to my next tip.
3. Punctuality
Our breaks in our schedule leave only a limited time available to work on group projects. It’s always best to work on group projects together depending on the type of group you have. Make sure every group member comes to the meeting early or on time. If members come 5 minute late, it’s 5 minutes you will never see again. It might seem a bit silly since it’s only 5 minutes, but 5 minutes add up over time if they are constantly late.
4. Watch the clock
Earlier in the semester, I’m sure my group thought I was crazy for keeping an eye on the clock–but it was for a good reason. We only had an hour break and had 2 big projects due the following week. I allocated only 30 minutes for each project but it kept us on track and we accomplished a lot. So if you are limited on time (which you will be) try to keep an eye out on the clock!
5. Action items
At the end of each meeting, make sure each member of the team has work that they are able to accomplish on their own. This way when you have the next meeting, even more can be accomplished!
I’d say earlier in the semester we had more productive team meetings, but since we’ve gotten more comfortable with each other, we tend to get sidetracked quite a bit. Hopefully my team will be able to have more efficient meetings going forward.
Thanks for following my journey!