Notes for class 14b

What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team

      There were a few key terms from this article and subsequent reading about project Aristotle that stood out to me. The first term was equality in conversational turn-taking and the second term that came up was ostentatious listening. Both of these terms came together to help develop a psychologically safe workplace and effective team environment.

      From previous experience in a professional workplace, equality in conversational turn-taking was paramount when developing a working relationship with your team. When making a suggestion during the development or decision making process, every team member must feel that they have a vote and that their vote matters. When working with peers, a group project can quickly break down if team members are uneasy or even fearful when speaking up or voicing their opinion to the group. Ensuring that every individual is able to enjoy equality in conversational turn-taking will help to ease any feelings of not being valued by the individual team member.

      The second term, ostentatious listening, can be translated into active listening. The point of active listening is that you are not only listening to someone speak, but you are taking an active role while listening. Effective communication helps to ensure that there is a shared understanding of information when approaching a new idea or topic. Direct responses to questions that may come up as you are engaged in active listening or asking pertinent questions are key components to effective communication.

      Equality in conversational turn-taking and ostentatious listening are two skills that you should implement into a team environment and, more importantly, strive to employ yourself as you make strides towards continuous professional self-development.