ENG 312 MP1

MEMO
To: Dr. Cummings
From: Taylor Pfyffer
Date:
Subject: J3: Forming & Norming

Previous Experience with Groups

Although I have extensive experience in collaborating with groups throughout my

college career, this is the first time I have participated in a group project entirely online.
The thought initially intimidated me, as there is no guarantee that we can all meet and
communicate in person. However, I believe that this is a unique opportunity to expose
myself to a new type of work environment and form of collaboration that is sure to be
useful upon entering the workforce after graduation.

In the majority of my group projects over the last five years, I have been assigned to
my teammates. I loved that this course advised us to showcase our individual talents,
allowing us to match ourselves to members that would assimilate well with our work
ethic and skillsets.

As a whole, my experience with group projects can be described as average. Rarely

am I paired with a perfect group, in which everyone pulls their weight, but it has
happened! The further I advance in my years of school, though, the stronger and more
effective my teams have become. Im sure that I can speak on behalf of my
classmates when I say that most everyone has been a member of a group in which at
least one individual fell short of their expectations and responsibilities. As an
underclassman, I would take it upon myself to (or would my other teammates) to
overcompensate for this type of individual and take over their work. I have since
learned that it is important to civilly confront members such as these, rather than being
passive aggressive or simply picking up their slack. It is crucial that all members of a
team pull their weight and collaborate to create a successful final project.

Comparison: MP3 Group Experience

I do not believe that I will face such difficulties with this projects group. The constant
interaction amongst our class and the editing the work of each others has led me to
firmly believe that the members of this class are hardworking, dedicated students.

Our team chose each other based off of our skills and weaknesses. Primarily, we
recognized the strengths of each other, comparing them to our own. Our team
consists of three others and myself:

1. Austin Crouch

2. April Feldman

3. John Saylor

Team Roles and Dynamic

Austin and John come from different educational backgrounds in regards to their
majors. Austin, a Communication Studies major, is interested in conducting research
and applying it to rhetorical and communication theory. John has experience with
finance and also believes that he can be an asset in the research portion of our
project. April and I excel in the creative aspect of design and writing. April believes that
she will be a strong evaluator of Front Street from an aesthetic angle, evaluating the
design of their website, in particular. She also wishes to contribute to the overall
formatting of our final report. Upon evaluating Front Streets existing social media
presence, I intend to use my experience in consulting to propose effective
recommendations for improving their presence across various platforms. I am also
determined to facilitate communication within our team during our collaboration on this
project.

Team Goals

As a group, we have developed several goals that we will hold ourselves accountable
to over the course of this project.

1. Develop a project plan and assign specific responsibilities to each team member

2. Offer at least one recommendation for a specific, potential social media campaign
using rhetorical appeal

3. Build upon existing skillsets and develop new skills

4. Maintain effective communication between team members via Yammer, Google

Drive, and text messaging

5. Set specific deadlines for all team members to adhere to

a. Meet all deadlines set

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As a personal goal, I would love to strengthen my research skills by working with
individuals that have deeper knowledge and experience with research methods. As a
semester-long goal, I also intend to gain further insight into the world of rhetoric
through visual and written communication techniques. Ultimately, I am looking forward
to working with Austin, April, and John on this project!