As we move into the realm of tertiary education, the way of study starts to differs from that of secondary schools. Today, i would like to talk about the importance of Group work, and in lieu
of those upcoming and hateful projects ):, give you guys some insight as to how to cooperate and make decisions. (note: technical jargon up ahead, if you think you're really cmi, don't go on thx :smiles:)

As in all group discussions, there would be conflict, which results in clashes of ideas or mindsets. There are a few views that people hold to regarding conflict. Firstly, the traditional view feels that conflict should be avoided. On the other hand, the human relations view of conflict feels that conflict is a natural and unavoidable part of any group. It need not be detrimental to the entire discussion but could also provide a point for the group to progress. Finally, there’s the integrationist view of conflict that states that conflict is necessary for a group to be effective. This does not mean that all conflicts are good, on the contrary there’s functional conflicts (beneficial) and dysfunctional conflict (detrimental). Both types of conflicts are influenced by task conflict (problems adhering to the objectives of work), relationship conflict (problems centering on the people to people level) and process conflict (problems referring to the way a job is done).

The strange thing about communication is the power that a listener wields. To quote from an article: "A song isn't good unless the listener says it is good; audiences determine music's success. However, it is equally true that we aren't serious listeners until we have educated our ears. If we don't critically train our listening tastes, we could be a mindless consumer of whatever the music industry pushes our way with big ad budgets and slick promotions."

In a similar vein, being a good listener actually counts in businesses. Studies show that upto 73% of business leaders rated listening as a "very important" skill. Recent studies also show that listening is among the top five characteristics that an employer expects of the employee. Naturally, listening in the business environment as a misunderstanding could cost millions of dollars and the lost of one's career. The importance of feedback forms and surveys also underlines the relevance of listening; understanding the customers' concerns and solving the problem(i.e. listening to the customer), would make the product better and up the company's status quo.

So, essentially, what makes a good listener? Firstly, establishing eye contact, let the speaker know you are devoting your entire concentration on him. A good listener should not only be alert to a speaker's verbal communication but also their body language. One should also be patient and allow him to finish before voicing one's opinion, that is basic courtesy. Moreover, a good listener is also responsive, questions should be put forward in a gentle manner, other than that, verbal communication(like a simple "yeah" or "hmm") and simple body language(nodding of the head), could also show that you are in fact paying full attention to the speaker. One should also work to provide constructive criticism and view the topic from the speaker's point of view. Above all, one should keep an open mindset and take the other person's views with a pinch of salt.

Remember, being a good listener is a life-skill, one does not live in a world that orbits around you.