Synopses & Reviews
Built around real group interactions, Team Writing is a flexible, hybrid resource that pairs videos with a brief print book. Based on research revealing major problems at all stages of peer group work, the book shows how written communication can help technical writing students contribute to team projects in a meaningful way — and provides strategies for dealing with the breakdowns that can derail a projects success. Numerous examples highlight the kind of written communication that helps teams thrive. Short, Web-based videos depict student teams in action, going beyond the textbook to show what real collaboration looks and sounds like.
Synopsis
Pairing videoes with a brief book, Team Writing shows how written communication can help technical writing students contribute to team projects in a meaningful way.
About the Author
Joanna Wolfe (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is Associate Professor of English at the University of Louisville where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing and rhetoric and composition. She is author of numerous scholarly articles on teamwork, gender studies, collaborative learning technology, and technical writing appearing in forums such as Journal of Engineering Education, Journal of Business and Technical Communication, and Written Communication. Her research on collaborative writing in technical communication classes won the 2006 NCTE award for best article reporting qualitative or quantitative research in technical and scientific communication.
Table of Contents
Part 1: Before You Start Chapter 1: Planning Your Collaboration Why Teamwork? Understanding Collaboration Methods Alternating Collaboration Methods Exercises Works Cited Chapter 2: Project Management Why Do You Need a Project Manager? Task Schedules: Publicize deadlines and responsibilities Meeting Minutes: Build accountability and consensus Meeting Agenda: Keep discussions on track Email Reminders & Notifications: Step in when problems occur Other Documents the Project Manager May Produce Starting the Process with a "Straw" Document Exercises Works Cited Chapter 3: Getting Started with a Team Charter An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: The Team Charter Team Goals: What constitutes success? Measurable Goals: How can you measure success? Personal Goals: What do individuals want out of the project? Individual Commitment: How much effort will each individual invest? Other Information: What other individual factors might affect performance? Irreconcilable Differences: How will the team resolve impasses? Late Work: How will the team handle missed deadlines? Unacceptable Work: How will the team handle poor quality contributions? Putting It All Together Exercises Chapter 4: Getting Started with the Task Schedule Identify Major Tasks Assign the Roles to Individuals: Motivation vs. experience Schedule the Tasks Balance the Workload Technology and Tools for Task Schedules Exercises Part 2: Writing Together Chapter 5: Constructive Conflict Creating a Constructive Infrastructure for Your Team: Five key strategies Exercises Works Cited Chapter 6: Revising with Others Developing a Culture Where Constructive Feedback is Encouraged Two Types of Revision: Feedback vs. Direct Revision Before You Start: Ground Rules for Revision Providing Effective Feedback and Making Good Revisions Listening to Feedback and Negotiating Revision Technology for Collaborative Revising Exercises Chapter 7: Communication Styles and Team Diversity The Benefits of Diverse Teams How Differences in Communication Norms Can Cause Interpersonal Conflict Understanding Norms Competitive and Considerate Conversational Norms Self-promoting vs. Self-deprecating Speech Action-oriented vs. Holistic Problem-Solving Styles Gender and Communication Norms Exercises Works Cited Chapter 8: Trouble-shooting: What to do when there are problems in the team Problems with Showing Up and Turning in Work A teammate misses a meeting A teammate misses a deadline A teammate turns in incomplete work A teammate turns in poor quality work A teammate disappears completely Problems with Personal Interactions My team doesnt trust me to do good work My team isnt listening to me—or is taking a direction I disagree with Other team members are not committed to a high-quality product My teammates do and say things I find disturbing or demeaning My teammates criticize my work excessively Problems with Revision Team members are not open to revisions to their work—or team members ignore the suggestions I make for revision My team is destroying my work Team members are not giving adequate feedback I am unsure of how to give good feedback to team members Exercises