Five People You’ll Meet in Group Assignments (And How to Deal With Them)

How to spot them: Bossy from the start, barking orders at everyone, will not take no for an answer.

Why they’re dangerous: They make no secret of wanting to get full marks for this assignment and will expect everyone to put as much effort as them. Whilst the drive of this individual is great, it can be quite suffocating as they may be raising the team’s stress levels to an unnecessary high.

How to deal with them: Try buying them a drink outside of the group activity, it might loosen them up! If that fails, going head-to-head with this person will probably not work. If your ideas are at polar opposite ends of the spectrum, try your best to reach a compromise. If that still fails, ignore their taunts and just do whatever you want, if anything, that will drive them even more crazy, which could be great material for a viral youtube video.

How to spot them: The one shaking in the corner.
Why they’re dangerous: Not really dangerous, but their shyness could stop them from asking questions, and you could end up with something completely different from what was initially discussed.

How to deal with them: If they look like they’re bursting to say something but can’t quite get the guts to say it, help them out a little. Ask them directly for their opinion, show that you care about what they have to say and they will appreciate the gesture greatly.

How to spot them: The one arguing with the dictator.

Why they’re dangerous: They may appear super knowledgeable, but most of the time, they’re all talk no substance. They can lure you into a false sense of security as you believe your group will do well because he/she knows everything about the subject.

How to deal with them: Ask them to back up any claims, especially if you get a gut feeling that they’re just making it up.  E.g. if they say, “Well, obviously this method is the best for our experiment due to INSERT LARGE WORD YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF”, try saying something along the lines of “How do you define obviously?” and watch them recoil or continue to spin their web of lies.

How to spot them: the one trying to keep their eyes open during the brainstorm, usually stinking of beer.

Why they’re dangerous: With their sole aim of university being to break their personal beer pong record, the party animal may not be the most reliable when it comes to producing their best work, especially if there’s a big party before the final deadline.

How to deal with them: This one’s tough because you’ll probably find this type of team mate to be the most common one in group assignments Try scheduling group meet ups a little later in the afternoon to better ensure full consciousness/physical presence from him/her.

Are there more stereotypes I should be aware of? If so, leave me a message!