Communication and Collaboration: A Three-Week Reflection Report

This report presents a student's reflection on their experiences with communication and collaboration within a team over a three-week period. The assignment involved building a tower using marshmallows and spaghetti, prompting the team to analyze their communication strategies and collaborative efforts. The report utilizes the Gibbs reflective cycle to detail the team's actions, feelings, evaluation, and analysis of each week's activities. A SWOT analysis is also included to identify the team's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which provides insights for improvement. The student reflects on challenges such as initial instability, distractions, and unequal participation, as well as successes such as improved communication and task distribution. The report also draws parallels between the team's experiences and real-world applications, such as effective communication strategies for businesses like Tesco, and proposes action plans for future team projects, including changes in environment, stricter communication protocols, and the use of digital marketing. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of continuous analysis, team member appreciation, and seizing opportunities for enhanced team performance.

COMMUNICATION AND
COLLABORATION WORKING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Week 1:............................................................................................................................................2
WEEK 2:..........................................................................................................................................3
Week 3:............................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The blog is used for the reflection of three weeks in which the collaboration as well as
communication is included within group. Gibs reflection cycle will be taken in which the
refection will be changing for the completed three weeks also for doing the analysis of the team
swot analysis will be done (Russell. and Kosny, 2019). The team is asked to built a tower which
is of marshmallow and spaghetti tree. The team which is having the highest tree will won, the
tree is needed to present in front of everyone. Swot analysis is also done in the study in order find
out what are the points at which the team is better and what are points at which the team needs
improvement.
Illustration 1: Gibs reflection cycle

Week 1:
Description: We are having a small group of people which includes five members in the group
and we were started building the tower imagining the images and the structure, that how the
tower will be looking. We started building the tower and on the initial stage the tower was not
stable and, we tried many steps and imagined how the tree will be looking like each team
member was having their own perspective about the tree (Jungert. and et.al., 2018). We were told
to built the tree within 15 minutes, Some team members suggested that the tree at the lower
position will be stable.
Feelings: I was fully motivated and excited for the task but later on the task become more
challenging and the task was converted into annoyance. The younger male team member were
not having the appropriate position and were not showing interest in the task which make be
embarrassing (Graesser. and et.al., 2018.). But later on each and every member of the team was
showing equal interest, and I was surprised due to this as I was not expecting this. But still the
younger team members were creating mess by shouting and disturbing the team, this happened
for few minutes. This made me uncomfortable slightly. Especially in the group it is required to
have equal support for the working togetherness. When shouted by me that we are group who
enjoyed working together all agreed to it and shouted with me for supporting me. I was feeling
proud when I saw that the group was having active participation on what are things we are
lagging behind and what are the things we can do better.
Evaluation: Deciding the right strategy for the building of the tree should have been the right
thing for the team. No one was doing well right in the beginning in the pressure situation. The
distracting noise made by the young guys made it difficult to do communication and discuss
upon the strategy (Tang. and et.al., 2018). However, the members of the group eventually calm
down, and they were now more supportive and showing active participation in the group. Their
behaviour changed and the members of the group found their ways where they are required to
perform their roles as well as responsibilities were split out.
Analysis: The making of the tree was break down as per the analysis in which then separated the
team and each team member was given task to prepare steam of the tree. This was also helpful in
doing analysis of each and every team member of the team and how good the member the team
was performing (Graesser. and et.al., 2018.). The role of mine was checking that each one was

having active participation in their role or not and also my role was of doing research. The things
which went wrong were the place we chose as the place was the home of our team member at
whom the member has to work for the family and help the mother sometime in the kitchen,
sometime in the garden and so on. Mother of my team member also took benefits from us by
making us help her in the cleaning work and in the kitchen work. This made us disturb and it was
consuming and wasting our time.
Conclusion: Each and every member contributed equal in which some contributed by pasting the
gum and going finishing of the product. Some team members were assigned the research work
and some team member were given the work of balancing the tree. This helped us maintain the
coordination as well as cooperation within the team (Tang. and et.al., 2018). All these activities
contributed in the outcome of the product.
Action plan: If it would be a leader again and would ask to do the task again I would be make
the team members to do the work more seriously and with many patients.
WEEK 2:
Description
We research a lot over the internet and watched various videos on how to make a tree using
toothpick and marshmallows. We also were told to use the gums and we tried to use the gums,
which helped us a lot in balancing the tree and making more stiff tree (Tang. and et.al., 2018).
This situation we applied over the effective communication of Tesco in which bottom up
approach was suitable.
Feelings
The feeling was confirmed when I saw the picture of laughing group together which made my
happy as well as all the team members were active for the task and were happily working over
the task (Graesser. and et.al., 2018). I realised that being a happy person it is very effective for
communication of the message which should be adopted by employees of Tesco.
Evaluation
The communication can would have been better in which the two members discussing on any
topic should have been completed first and then others should have decided what is the next topic
to discuss on the basis of topic discussed (Havens, Gittell. and Vasey, 2018). For Tesco I realised

that if receiver of the message listen to the message, understand it and then communicate it will
bring better result.
Analysis
The thing which was done well was distribution of the task in which every team member was
performing better and more effective (Palen. and Hughes, 2018). We did well following the
image of the tree and each one was using their own headphones for the development of the
steam, this helped us to maintain the quit environment. From which I learned Tesco should apply
this approach in which if there is chaos then the employees must use headphones.
Conclusion
There are various things which could have been done differently, and they are from the initial
point the members must have been treated bit strictly and due to which the young members were
strictly allowed to keep quiet and maintain the decorum of the work due to which they could
have better participation in the work and due to which better results can be been derived in the
finishing of the task (Graesser. and et.al., 2018). From which I learned in Tesco strict
communication is required for the purpose of achieving better results.
Action plan
I would like to over come the situation, we will change the place, and we will go to the park
which was quite and there was no one to disturb us this helped to do work with full concentration
and full dedication. This could be applied to Tesco in which if the communication is not effective
then it should be immediately changed.
Week 3:
Description
Some team member told the straight tree will be stable and so on. We tried to balance the tree
using toothpick and also tried plastic straws but the thing suited us most was toothpick because it
was hard and easy to balance (Russell. and Kosny, 2019). Marshmallow were also playing the
role of gum and also making the three strong and solid. Inspiring from which I realised that the
pitching and conversion of the customers can be possible if:
• Right promotion plan is applied.
• The promotion plan is applied at right time.

Feelings
The selling of the ticket can be increased by digital marketing in which
• SEO will help in boosting the site.
• Email marketing will be used to target the audience.
Evaluation
AS per the evaluation I found for changing habit of lifetime and making sign-up the audience it is
necessary to:
• Show the benefits of travelling to them (Jungert. and et.al., 2018).
• Show how the life will change after travelling.
Analysis
As per the analysis it is found that it is good for:
• Creating Attractive tour packages.
• Introducing attractive offer in which discount over is there.
Conclusion
It is concluded that:
Digital marketing is best for advertisement
SMM is best for attracting social media audience.
Action plan
Action plan designed is:
Required to make a sales team
Alloting the team targets.

SWOT analysis
Swot analysis is the analysis in which analysis is done for the internal factors in order to
find out what are the strength as well as weakness of the event in order to perform better in the
future after looking the weak points of the event.
Strength
Strength is a internal factor in which the team is better that the opponent team (Stewart,
2020). Strength of the team is the team is active and cooperative which is better than the other
team members as the other team members are not cooperative and not having the proper
management system.
Weakness
Weakness is also another factor which is internal and the factor at which competition is
better threat the team member not serious young member which were creating disturbing
elements in the roles (Sun. and et.al., 2018). The other team members were having decent and
Illustration 2: SWOT analysis

patient employees which were mature enough to make decisions, and they were more serious
towards the work.
Opportunities
Opportunities which were present for the team were free internet to see the video which
will help the team to have a look at video more clearly and this will have better understanding. In
order to grab the opportunity the members should have been completing the task at the park of
the university.
Threat
The biggest threat for the team is its poor management in work in which the team was not
following the instruction of the team leader and were doing work on the basis of their own
(Hagemeier, 2018). At this point other team members were good and were cooperative in the
work.
CONCLUSION
As per the study it is concluded that that it is necessary to do analysis of the team in
which each and every person's performance must be evaluated and analysed. The team member
having the highest contribution must be appreciated in front of all team members. SWOT
analysis is also important as it shows the actual picture of the team about the performance of the
team and letting know the team at what it is lacking in the performance. It also helps in
determining the opportunity for the team and timely grabbing of opportunities will help the team
in achieving better results.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Russell, E. and Kosny, A., 2019. Communication and collaboration among return-to-work
stakeholders. Disability and rehabilitation. 41(22). pp.2630-2639.
Jungert, T. and et.al., 2018. How colleagues can support each other's needs and motivation: An
intervention on employee work motivation. Applied Psychology. 67(1). pp.3-29.
Graesser, A.C. and et.al., 2018. Challenges of assessing collaborative problem solving.
In Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills (pp. 75-91). Springer, Cham.
Havens, D.S., Gittell, J.H. and Vasey, J., 2018. Impact of relational coordination on nurse job
satisfaction, work engagement and burnout: Achieving the quadruple aim. Journal of
Nursing Administration. 48(3). pp.132-140.
Palen, L. and Hughes, A.L., 2018. Social media in disaster communication. In Handbook of
disaster research (pp. 497-518). Springer, Cham.
Tang, C.J. and et.al., 2018. Interprofessional collaboration between junior doctors and nurses in
the general ward setting: A qualitative exploratory study. Journal of nursing
management. 26(1). pp.11-18.
Sun, Z. and et.al., 2018. A tale of two communication tools: Discussion‐forum and mobile
instant‐messaging apps in collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational
Technology. 49(2). pp.248-261.
Stewart, S., 2020. Guidelines for Working Collaboratively in Virtual Teams. In Enriching
Collaboration and Communication in Online Learning Communities (pp. 68-81). IGI
Global.
Hagemeier, N.E., 2018. Community Activation, Collaboration, and Communication.