Communication
Name one verbal and one nonverbal way to communicate effectively in a group.
verbal — clear instructions; nonverbal — eye contact or body language
"What is the first step in solving most problems?"
"Identify the problem."
"What does empathy mean?"
"Understanding and sharing another person’s feelings."
"What is one benefit of working in a team rather than working alone?"
"More ideas or shared workload."
"What does it mean to be responsible in a team setting?"
"Being reliable and completing your assigned tasks and meeting deadlines."
"What is active listening? Give one example of it."
"Paying full attention and summarizing; example: 'So you're saying we should...' "
"Define 'brainstorming' and give one rule that helps it work well."
"Generating many ideas; rule: no criticism during idea generation."
"Give one sentence that shows empathy to a teammate who is stressed about a deadline."
"I can see this deadline is stressing you; how can I help?"
"List three rules a team should set at the start of a project to work well together."
"Meet on time, communicate changes, share responsibilities fairly."
"Name two consequences of not fulfilling your responsibilities in a group project."
"Lower quality project, lost trust or lower grades."
"Write a short 'I' statement for giving a teammate constructive feedback about missed deadlines."
"I felt worried when the report was late because we had less time; can we agree on a new deadline?"
"A group project hits a roadblock: the main source isn't available. List three alternative strategies the team could use to move forward."
find other sources, redesign experiment, adjust timeline or scope.
"How does empathy help a team work better? Provide two specific effects."
"Increases trust and cooperation; reduces conflict."
"How can teams use strengths-based roles to improve performance? Give an example with three roles."
Researcher, Organizer, Quality-checker — each uses strengths to improve efficiency.
"How can a team use checkpoints and deadlines to increase individual responsibility? Give a short schedule example."
Week 1 research due, Week 2 draft, Week 3 final, with short meetings after each.
"Explain how tone and word choice can change the meaning of a message; give two versions of the same message."
Provide two versions (harsh vs neutral) and brief explanation.
"Use the steps of problem solving to outline how a team would respond to a last-minute presentation tech failure."
identify (no tech), analyze (options), generate solutions (print slides, borrow device), choose, implement, evaluate.
"Describe a short role-play prompt teachers can use to practice empathetic responses in class."
Provide a 2–3 sentence prompt (e.g., partner missed deadline due to family issue; student practices understanding and offering help).
"A team member isn't participating. Describe a 3–4 step plan the team can take to include them productively."
privately check in, ask if they need support, reassign tasks to fit strengths, set small achievable task and follow up.
"Describe how to constructively address a teammate who repeatedly misses responsibilities, including language to use."
Use private conversation, "I" statements, offer help, set clear expectations. Example language: "I noticed the last two parts were late; is something preventing you from finishing? How can we help and what can we agree on going forward?"
"Describe how to handle a miscommunication between teammates so the conflict is resolved and relationships remain positive."
meet, clarify what was meant, acknowledge feelings, restate agreement and next steps.
"Design a quick decision matrix (criteria and scoring) for choosing between three project topics and explain how it helps."
Provide 3 criteria (interest, feasibility, resources), scoring scale (1–5), and explanation.
"Explain the difference between empathy and sympathy and give an example of each in a team setting."
Empathy = understanding feelings and connecting; Sympathy = feeling pity without connection. Examples: empathy — 'I understand you're overwhelmed; let's divide the work'; sympathy — 'That's too bad' without further support.
"Create a brief rubric (3 criteria) for evaluating team collaboration and explain each criterion."
Communication (clear, timely), Contribution (meets commitments), Collaboration (listens, supports) — explain each.
"Propose a fair system of accountability for a long-term group project that includes peer assessment and teacher check-ins. Explain how it promotes responsibility."
Milestones, peer feedback forms after each milestone, teacher check-ins every two weeks, grade weight for peer evaluations. Explanation: encourages regular work, allows early support, and fairly distributes consequences.