Discussion on Ensuring Successful Team Experience

1- On the basis of your input last week, I have tentatively organized the class into six teams for the Green Dorm Project, three teams of 2 and three teams of 3, focused on the following audiences: administrators (2), buildings/grounds/facilities directors and staff (2), faculty (3), external funders (3), internal donors (2), and students (3). I am waiting to hear from a few more people before finalizing the teams, but if there is any input you would like to give at this point, please post it here.

2. Once the teams are organized, you can begin working on your persuasive message. Here are some things to keep in mind. Please post here any questions or suggestions you have about any of these items:

Some of the information, and even some of persuasive tactics, will be the same or very similar across messages. For that reason, the teams will be sharing drafts in this discussion while also working on the unique aspects of their own message in a separate channel. See next point.
A Canvas Group will be created for each team, which will provide a handy communication channel and other collaborative tools, including standing Zoom meeting rooms. An advantage of using these tools is that I can easily pop in to see how you are doing or answer questions, but you are also welcome to use other channels–messaging platforms, phone calls, even face-to-face meetings(!), if you prefer. That is totally up to the team.
All teams will be writing a persuasive message, but the goals of the messages will be different. For administrators, you will be persuading them to green light (and spend money on!) the project; for buildings/grounds/facilities, you will be persuading them that this is a worthwhile and exciting project, even if it creates new tasks for them!; for internal donors (e.g. alums, community members) and external funders (e.g. government grants offices, foundations, corporations), you will be persuading them, though in different ways, to donate money for the project; for faculty, you will be persuading them integrate the project in some way into their teaching; and for students you will be persuading them to either choose to live in the dorm or, for commuters, to become involved in other ways–be creative about this! Each of messages will require background research of various kinds, and this research might be relevant to other teams, so you are all encouraged to share your research and insights here. All of this will be spelled out in more detail as we proceed, but please post any questions or ideas here!
Finally, keep in mind that all of these messages will be accompanied by a print or digital brochure, which the group as a whole will start working on in Week 4. The assignment for that will open soon, but in the meantime, begin brainstorming, both here and with your team, about what should be included in the brochure. One way to think about it is that the message is only half of the persuasion; the brochure will do the other half! How can you create a brochure that will complement your persuasive message, and how can you make sure in your message that your readers examine the brochure?

3. As you read Margolin Chapter 17, please begin thinking about values, goals, procedures, and guidelines for your team, whether it is a team of 2 or 3. In my experience, most teamwork proceeds pretty smoothly, with all team members doing their share and communicating effectively. But misunderstandings, disagreements, and conflicts can occur, so it is a great idea to talk about these things right at the beginning: what are the expectations of each team member, how will you communicate, what are the deadlines, and how will disagreements be resolved, so that they do not rise to the level of conflict. I am always happy to help at any point, though I also encourage you, as a learning experience, to work out the problems yourselves, if that is possible. But if you need help, please do not hesitate to ask!

On the basis of your experiences, observations, and reading in Margolin Chapter 17, what tips do you have for your classmates about how to have a successful team experience?

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