Chapter 4: Writing Collaboratively
Follow these four suggestions for conducting efficient meetings
1.Arrive on time 2.Stick to the agenda 3.One group member should act as secretary and record important decisions 4.At the meeting's end, the team leader should summarize accomplishments and assign new tasks. `
There are eight tasks in setting your team's agenda
1.Define the team's task 2.Choose a team leader 3.Define tasks for each team member 4.Establishing working producers 5.Establish a procedure for resolving conflict productively 6.Create a style sheet 7.Establish a work schedule, including milestones 8. Creat evaluation materials
Communicating diplomatically requires seven skills
1.Listen carefully without interrupting 2.give everyone a chance to speak 3.avoid personal remarks and insults 4.Don't get emotionally attached to your own idea 6.Ask pertinent questions 7.Pay attention to nonverbal communication
Conducting meetings involves five skills
1.Listening effectively 2.Setting your team's agenda 3.Conducting efficient meetings 4.Communicating diplomatically 5.Critiquing a team member's work
Besides a word processor, there are four main types of collaboration technologies
1.Messaging technologies 2.Videoconferencing 3.Wikis and shared document workspace 4.Virtual worlds
Follow these five steps to improve your effectiveness as a listener
1.Pay attention to the speaker 2.Listen for main ideas 3.Don't get emotionally involved with the speaker's ideas 4.Provide appropriate feedback 5.ask questions to clarify what the speaker said
When collaborating across cultures consider these five possibilities
1.People from other cultures might find it difficult to assert themselves in collaborative teams 2.They might be unwilling to respond with a definite "no" 3.They might be reluctant to admit when they are confused or to ask for clarification 4.People from other cultures might avoid criticizing others 5.they might avoid initiating new tasks or performing creatively
Critiquing a group member's work involves three steps
1.Start with a positive comment 2.Discuss the larger issues first 3.Talk about the document, not the writer
Follow these seven suggestions for managing your projects
1.break down a large project into several smaller tasks 2.Plan your project 3.Create and maintain an accurate schedule 4.Put your decisions in writing 5.Monitor the project 6.Distribute and act on information quickly 7.Be flexible regarding the schedule and responsibilities
Collaboration has six advantages
1.it draws on a wider knowledge base 2.it draws on a wider skills base 3.It provides a better idea of how the audience will read the document 4.It improves communication among employees 5.it helps acclimate new employees to an organization 6.it motivates employees to help an organization grow
Collaboration has six disadvantages
1.it takes more time than individual writing 2.it can lead to groupthink 3.it can yield a disjointed document 4.it can lead to inequitable workloads 5.it can reduce a person's motivation to work hard on the document 6.it can lead to interpersonal conflict
Follow these six suggestions for conducting effective videoconferences
1.practice using videoconferencing technology 2.Arrange for technical support at each site 3.organize the room to encourage participation 4.Make eye contact with the camera 5.Dress as you would for a face-to-face meeting 6.Minimize distracting noises and movements
Three powerful word- processor features can be useful in collaborative work
1.the comment feature 2.the revision feature 3.the highlighting feature
Writing Collaboratively
-advantages and disadvantages of collaboration -managing projects -conducting meetings -using social media and other electronic tools in collaboration -gender and collaboration -culture and collaboration
If you use your organization's social media, maintain a professional online presence
-don't use social media for nonbusiness purpose -Don't divulge private information about anyone -Don't make racist of sexist comments or post pictures of people drinking alcoholic beverages
