This week in Sit Comm our task was taken outdoors, we were divided into small groups of six and set the challenge of building a den. The den needed to stand, have at least 3 sides and have room to fit us all underneath. We were taken to a small woodland area within the grounds of UWS and given a few simple materials to help with the structures. Our task was to work together as a team using effective communication to build a den. As a primary teacher communication is essential and therefore a skill that needs to be developed for all environments.

Group and Leadership
Was there a group leader? Within our group there was no leader, we quickly agreed on where we wanted to build the den. I then initially gathered everybody together to read through the brief instructions and to start the process of brain storming ideas, agreeing what we needed to do. There was a large section of material and everybody agreed this could be used as both a wall and roof, from this discussion most people moved away to start building with others looking for supporting material to hold the den up. The group started to merge with a few key people taking control of the build and instructing others to support. This was very natural and achieved with success as everybody was happy to do their part. I felt slightly out of my comfort with this task, everybody in the group was confident and full of ideas. I’m not particularly creative and so was happy to go along with the suggestions but did feel we rushed in and started the build without much forethought or planning. This was a strange position for myself as I am usually the person who takes control and leads in most situations.

Explaining
How clearly did you think the group explained to you? The other group explained quite clearly where the idea for the design of their den came from, they had clearly assessed the space where they would build and through a process of elimination decided on a “tipi” as this would be the most solid construction. There was an element of planning and pre assessment as they were working out how to use the materials available, we did have to probe a little for this information. I think the final stages of the 5ps might have been missed out.

Environment
What was the impact of the environment on your communication? The environment certainly meant I had to work harder on my communication in order to be heard and understood.
What changes did you make when explaining to others that you might not have considered in a typical classroom? I had to use a lot of eye contact and work in closer proximity with others to explain clearly, there was a lot more use of gestures and physically picking up the equipment to demonstrate what I meant and to see if the idea was feasible.

How challenging was it to speak above the sounds in the environment? How can we make this communication easier on both speaker and listener? It was a challenge speaking in this environment, we were in a sheltered area and I still felt our voices carried and the message was lost on occasions. I think at the outset you have to be very clear on your objectives and each individuals role. There were other teams working in a wider area and so members from our team were wondering off and so it was difficult as a lot of the time the full team wasn’t present.

When listening did the environment distract you? How can we overcome this? Yes I did find the environment to be a distraction but would overcome this by making sure I was fully involved, engaging and challenged by the experience. I would make sure others felt an important part of the team and understood how they were contributing to the overall task.

Negotiation
Were your negotiations successful? Why/Why not? Our team negotiation was to get a member from another group to come and help with our build. We were partially successful as somebody did come to help us for a small amount of time. They were however loyal to their own group and so returned to finish the build with them.
What was most challenging about these? I did suggest to our team that we could swap resources and someone from our team could go into the another as a compromise. The others however were quite fixed on gaining additional support without someone from our team going elsewhere. I think this was a little short sighted. The groups were very loyal to each other so it was going to be very difficult to persuade them to leave.