Reflection on team work

In this essay I am going to reflect on my experience working as part of a team and the preparation on an oral presentation I had to do in class with people from different courses, as part of the Foundations for Practice in Health and Social Care module.

Reflection is educational and is used as a means of self-knowledge and to develop using a process of feeling and learning by thinking about what happened and what could have been done differently. (Rolfe, 2011, p.8-12) I will be using the Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle to do this. In this model there are 6 different stages to look at to help structure reflection, the description of the event, your feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and an action plan. There is more than one model and ways to look at reflection, learning about practice and learning about our self. One definition is “Reflection is not primarily a technology to produce better patient outcomes.

Reflection is essentially about personal growth” (Johns, 2004, p.44)On the first day of class we were given a number, the number was the group number and the people we had to work with on the presentation. The group all got together and listened to what we had to do and topics that we could look into doing for the presentation. Before the Lecturer had even stopped talking about the presentation, one of the team was writing notes down on what we should do. There were 6 of us in the group each from a different course.

We started to talk though the ideas we had and didn’t think the one that was suggested was a good one. I thought childhood obesity and the link with junk food was a good topic because there is an epidemic at moment. Everyone agreed however the person who wanted the other topic was a little upset that we did not want to do that.We talked though all the points we wanted to put into our presentation and agreed we would do a section each go away and do more research on the topic and bring it to the next class. We helped each other and discussed each part.

We agreed to a meeting to put all our points on a power point the following week. We never managed to meet before for a practice session before the presentation. However we had each practiced our own part and we knew the order we had to go in. The presentation on the day went well, even though two other groups where doing the same topic. One of the video clips we wanted to share with the group did not work at first, however one of the team is really good with computers and managed to get it working.

I was very nervous when we where put into our groups, sitting with people from different professions. When we got told we had to talk in front of the rest of class I was even more scared and anxious because I don’t like speaking in front of people. When we all got to know each other more, my nerves where not as bad as they had been. It was uncomfortable at first because we hadn’t used the other topic that had been put forward. We thought it was to big a topic to talk about. I felt confident about the topic we had chosen and all the research I had done into the health risks of childhood obesity.

I was self-conscious standing in front on the class and was thinking I just wanted to get it done so it would be over, however everyone was the same and I managed to present my part of the presentation to the class. My heart was pounding and I could feel my hands shaking. I felt happy and proud of the group when we had finished. I thought we did a good job on the presentation and answered questions that we where asked.To weigh up my experience of the task I felt I was in control of my part of the presentation but at times I felt stressed, as I had no control over the rest of the group and was unsure over if it would all fit together.

I felt this could have gone better if everyone was more committed. It was good however to work as part of a multidisciplinary team. Important parts of being an effective multi-disciplinary team is communication, for example sharing your thoughts and skills, listening to each other and being able to understanding and respect the points that are being made. (Gorman, 1998).

I feel as a group with different knowledge of the topic we worked well together after we overcame the issue of picking a topic. It felt a little awkward at first in the storming stages, but as every meeting passed it got better and we learned to work as a team. Everyone had a role and we all understood each other’s roles and what we needed to do to produce the final presentation. When the person before me was going though their part I was thinking I can’t do this and was starting to shake.

I thought we did well to present out topic to our peers and we received good feedback from the lecturer. I was very pleased that I did a good job presenting even though I was nervous.To analyse the presentation and teamwork I need to be able to understand everyone has different experiences and different ways of working and had their own view on teamwork. My confidence grew as I got to know the team.

Giving the presentation has helped me with my confidence, which I will need when I am working in the health care. I have also learned to speak up more and encourage others to take part when they where being quiet and not pulling their weight. It was good to do research using the appropriate methods, looking at journals and professional sites. I managed to hold it together during the presentation in front of everyone. I knew the presentation was not going to go as well has it could due to the lack of practice.

The reason I was so nervous was because we never practiced together. I didn’t want to let the group down and tried to forget I was standing in front of a group and say my part of the presentation. In conclusion the presentation and working as part of a multidisciplinary team was a success even though I was nervous about talking in front of others. Working with people who different knowledge of both the health and social care professions was beneficial as they brought different things to the table. The experience I have gained will be useful in future for my career. I have learned how to do my own research and the importance of using questioning skills, ‘which are fundamental in nursing.

In regards the presentation I did my part the best I could and made suggestions and listened to other people’s suggestions, questions and tried to relax more and make sure I practice before the presentation.Even though we had a problem at the start picking a topic we completed the task and stayed positive. Communication is a very important part of teamwork whether it is in an office or a ward. I have learned to work as part of the team, which is essential for continuity of care (Reeves et al, 2010). Being placed in a group was harder than being able to choose your own group. People are often put into teams with no choice this represents the professional world, where don’t get to pick who you work with.

So being put in this group has had a positive outcome for me and was very valuable learning experience. I feel my confidence has increased, being able to make a choice and give reasons for that choice. I feel I could have had better eye contact when presenting.I have learnt I am a good team player and help others where possible and I don’t need to be as nervous. When I work as part of a multidisciplinary team again and present in front of others I will be less shy and tell myself that everyone has to do it and is felling the same. Also make sure a leader is appointed from the start.

Also to make sure we make time for a practice together before hand. I will learn to be able to identify the different stages of teamwork and be more confident in my presentation skills. Use more resources for finding out as much information on the topic as possible. Also I will ask for help if needed in finding out information and who to take leadership to make sure everything is done.

I will be able to speak to different people from health and social care for example speech therapists to make sure the best outcome is achieved.