My group just finished our second meeting; and we filmed it down with a webcam. After reviewing the video, I saw some bad habits which I could not have seen otherwise.Patience is the Key
Whenever another group member is contributing a point and I have something to add on or rebut, I tend to do so abruptly, sometimes even when the member still has not finished his point. I do so because I am afraid I might forget my point if I do not say it immediately. However, this can irritate my group member at times and also make him lose his train of thoughts. I should wait patiently for a member to finish his point so as to enhance the collaboration in the meeting.
Your Body Does Speak
At certain points during the meeting, I would somehow tend to look bored or occupied with some other things. However, I really am not; in fact, it was my way of processing what was being discussed. This can mislead my group members and form a misunderstanding. I also know that this bad habit will require some work to kick out. From now on, I will be more aware of my body language especially when I am trying to think.
During the meeting, I also felt constrained because of the filming process. I realised I spoke less often than the first meeting that was not filmed. In that unfilmed meeting, I spoke louder and I could think and process my other group member’s ideas faster. One improvement I can think of is to make the camera seem like a fourth member. That is to say, we can engage with the camera as if it was an audience. This is can potentially remove the feeling of being ‘watched’.
Overall, I still feel the meeting went well as we were able to make much progress in a shorter than estimated duration.
Here is the clip:
Hi Junius,
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with you that the camera made us feel uncomfortable in the meeting. I sometimes had to check if it was still working or not. Maybe we were not familiar it. I think making the camera a fourth member and interacting with it are so useful because it is still a camera and all of us do not like to be watched.
Rebutting while people had not finished their points is a really bad habit. People usually do not like to be interupted when they are talking and sometimes they can forget what they are talking. Moreover, your body language when you are thinking is another problem. Your teammates will wonder if they are telling something wrong so that you are acting like that or they will think that you do not pay attention to the meeting.
However, it is good that your meeting was shorter than estimated time. Trying to improve yourself and you will be sucessful in this module.
Regards,
Khoa
Hello Junius,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I only noticed my flaws as a team member through the video. We may think highly of ourselves, but that perceived thought of ours is usually subjective and often untrue. Therefore, no matter how uncomfortable it feels, having a video recording of us is an excellent way for self-evaluation and self-improvement. We should probably film ourselves more frequently!
One point I would like mention is your propensity to look bored during the meetings. Through the video, I realized that I tend to look dazed or uninterested during the meeting. An impression of inattentiveness would be imbued on the viewer. However, in my case, I am simply processing all the information and ideas being discussed. For one, I kept a mental note to change that subconscious habit of mine; that is to smile, to nod more often, and in general, acknowledge my team mates. You can try that too.
Nonetheless, the only fault I could find in your post is the lack of an overview of your team's performance during the meeting. Certainly, it would be more beneficial for us readers to analyse how your meeting went if you did so. Perhaps, you could have commented on the spontaneity, enthusiasm or cohesiveness of your team. Just a food for thought!
Happy Chinese New Year! :)
Regards,
Justin
Hi Junius,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that after reviewing the video, most of us saw our own bad habits. This is a good thing because we can identify our habits and make necessary improvements to ourselves.
However, I feel that you should write about how your group could improve too. While identifying personal bad habits, you could also look out for areas that the meeting could be improved by every members of the group. For example, you could write about the punctuality of members if some of your group mates are late for the meeting. I believe this type of reflections would make future meetings more efficient.
I am glad that you have identified your bad habits. I look forward to seeing improvements from you. =)
Jing Mei
Hey Junius!
ReplyDeleteA third person's view always highlights our strengths and weaknesses as opposed to a first person's. The filming of the meeting has worked much to our advantage as we have been able to pinpoint our faults and then work upon them. Try whatever works for you and acclimatise yourself to having your meetings filmed as there are more advantages than disadvantages to filming the meeting.
From the video, I feel that Angad was a tad too domineering. Angad is someone who is always brimming with ideas and is eager to share them but as his team members you should also take care that his views are not imposed upon you. In a tactful yet deliberate way, make your points clear too. This project is not to be done by a single person but by a team. Make sure you are able to contribute your part to it.
Its great that you could accomplish so much in a short duration. I hope your team is able to hold a much more successful and effective meeting in the time that follows.
-Lakshmi
Hi Junius,
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to how you felt during the filming process. I felt the same way. It was like someone watching you throughout the meeting and it made me feel very uncomfortable and held me back from contributing and speaking my mind.So I guess both have to improve in this aspect. As you mentioned, just pretend it to be someone from the audience.
As for your meeting, I believe at times you wanted to see what your team mate was typing in the laptop but due to your seating arrangement you had difficulties. Because of this, at certain segments of the meeting you looked like you lost interest. Although I am sure that is not the case. In the future, I think all three of you sshould have a proper view of whatever information is being written or typed so that the meeting can be more engaging.
Anyway, hope you have successful meetings in the near the future!
Thank you all for the feedback and helpful advice. I see that the camera was also a big issue for others. The biggest problem was that the camera was merely capturing flaws that were there only because of the camera, and this shielded the real flaws that we needed to know. However, we should not be afraid of it. In fact, we should embrace it. I think the camera is a problem that will disappear over time. Like how a stranger becomes a friend, we too will soon be comfortable with the camera. That will then be unleashing the full potential of the camera i.e. it will be able to capture our true flaws.
ReplyDeleteJustin gave me helpful tips to prevent myself from presenting a bored image. I agree that acknowledging others is an excellent method to counter my bad habit. It also shows that we are not just hearing but also listening, processing and providing opinions. To this aspect, I would like to add that we should not however just nod to whatever was mentioned. Acknowledgement means we have to recognise bad ideas or show disagreement too.
Luckshme, my opinion on Angad is that he is not dominating. He is merely actively contributing ideas which are expected from any member. What really made the contrast was me not doing the same thing. You comments have showed another flaw of mine. I have to admit that some of my thoughts were indeed suppressed that day. This may be attributed to the camera or the notion that it is the first meeting. This problem of mine will only prevent the team from working to its fullest potential and in turn exhaust my other team mates. I will definitely work on this matter. One method I could think of is to treat Angad’s participation as a benchmark I have to attain. In this way, his strength gives me strength and in turn makes the team better.
Our team will also sit in a better arrangement the next time. The current arrangement makes some of us uncomfortable. Sometimes, it caused me to not understand what was being done at the moment and this wasted time for re-explanation thus hurting the team’s pace.
Finally, I realised that my reflections lack detail in some areas, especially the criteria used in making the judgement. This made some of the real issues stay hidden and made my reflections and the improvements point nowhere. The next time I do a reflection, I will make it a point to first identify the criteria, delve deeper into the issue and provide possibly the more relevant solutions.