1. Team Building Skills: Personal
and Professional
By
Dean Berry, Ed. D.
Teachers’ Choice Library
www.commoncorecurriculum.info
2. Our daily lives are filled with
challenges and problems that
need solving. Finding workable
solutions to problems enables
us to move forward and
maximize our potential.
9. There are many situations in which good
communication skills result in effective
problem solving.
• Solving Social Problems
• Creating Productive Work
Environments
• Enhancing Personal Relationships
• Improving Parenting Skills
10. Class Discussion
Do you think that most problems are best solved
by individuals working alone or by teams of
people working together? Explain
11. Working with others to identify and solve problems
is how the modern world achieves greatness. The
vast majority of work environments in the future will
depend on group cooperation and communication.
Why are listening skills so important
for team communication and problem
solving?
12. If we hear what someone says
does that mean that we are a
good listener? Why?
14. Why is the last step of active
listening so important?
15. There are several effective ways to
respond if you are using active listening.
Can you explain how each of
these works?
•Summarizing
•Clarifying
•Piggybacking
16. As we respond to others, it is necessary
to keep a tone of empathy and
understanding rather than of anger or
disrespect. What does this statement
mean and why is it important?
17. Why is “My way or the highway” a poor
way to work with others when problem
solving?
18. Problem solving requires effective
conflict resolution strategies.
• Demonstrating openness to many different
kinds of alternative solutions
• Offering choices to those with different
opinions
• Asking for rather than demanding cooperation
from others
• Asking for clarification of claims or ideas
19. Why is it important to ask
clarifying questions?
• Why should we ask clarifying questions when
someone suggests ideas or solutions?
• What might happen if group members briefly
present their own ideas one after another and
no one asks clarifying questions?
20. What does a group member do to
clarify ideas presented by others?
• Listens for ideas as they are presented and
asks questions to get a better understanding
of what someone said. “Did you mean …”?
• Looks for fuzzy ideas or vague phrases that
may need more explanation. “Could you
explain that further or give us an example”?
21. The following are questions that can
be used to clarify what others say.
• Can you give an example of what
you are talking about?
• What do you mean when you say…
• Please explain in more detail.
22. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
Bernie declared, “All of us should
support the conversion to clean
energy”.
23. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
With great frustration, Roberto
exclaimed, “We need to get tough on
crime. Too many criminals are getting
away with murder”!!
24. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
Successful people seem
to have a lot of grit.
25. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
Using your phone while in a car is very
dangerous.
26. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
If you eat a healthier diet, you
will increase your longevity.
27. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
Scientists claim that global warming is caused by
humans and is harming the planet.
28. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
President Trump stated that in order to make
our country safe, we need to bomb the
terrorists until they are completely destroyed.
29. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
The conspiracy theorist stated
that our government created the
9-11 attack in order to have a
reason to attack countries in the
middle east.
30. Ask a Clarifying Question
The doctor warned the public by
saying that people should avoid
taking too many prescription drugs
at the same time.
31. Ask a Clarifying Question
The president said that justice in
America is equal for all people
regardless of their income level.
32. Ask a clarifying question for this
comment.
She said, “Getting a good education
will change your future”.
33. Ask a clarifying question for this comment
Cecilia said, “Crash diets do not
work”.
34. Ask a clarifying question for this
comment
The nurse proclaimed, “Sleep
deprivation definitely causes many
serious problems for students”.
35. Ask a clarifying question for this
comment
“Global warming will end life on earth as we know
it”, announced the college professor.
36. Ask a clarifying question for this comment.
Poor drivers cause serious injuries on our
highways every year.
37. Why is it helpful for some group members
to summarize the main points that the group has
already discussed?
What might happen if a
group discusses solutions or
ideas for twenty minutes but
no one summarizes during
the discussion?
38. What can a good summarizer
do to help the group?
• Identify the main points that the
group has already discussed
• Ask the group if anyone can add
to the summary (Did I include all
of the main points?)
39. Summarizing What is Communicated
• So far we have talked about ____ and ____
and______
• In summary, ____________________
• I would like to review the main points that
have already been made. We discussed …..
41. Summarize the following:
Global warming appears to be melting the earth’s
glaciers at a faster rate, warming our oceans, and
changing our weather patterns in different regions of
the world. It may be wise for us to change the way we
burn fuels and cut down valuable rainforests.
42. Write a Summary
While wearing seatbelts is not required in all states, states
like California claim that they save thousands of lives
every year. Without belts on, passengers often are thrown
out of the vehicle upon impact. In addition, drivers
without shoulder belts can have their chests crushed or
be thrown through the front windshield. A large amount
of scientific data supports the increased safety that
wearing seatbelts provides.
43. Write a Summary
Americans are flooded every day with
information that suggests that exercising
will provide many fantastic benefits. And
yet, most people do not exercise on a
regular basis. Some Americans enjoy being
a couch potato even though they generally
gain weight, lose muscle mass, and become
less healthy.
44. One of the most flagrant examples of brain
malfunction occurs with people who insist on
reading and sending texts while driving. They know
that texting and driving can be very dangerous, but
they think they can do it safely because they are
superman or wonder woman. They often think to
themselves, “I’ve never had an accident while
texting so I guess I’m much better at it than those
freaks who text and kill people”.
Write a Summary
45. Write a Summary
Many people who understand how students and
parents feel about wanting better schools are
also supportive of efforts to solve the problem of
improving our public schools. They are supportive
because they have the ability to “walk a mile in
their shoes”. But other people do not always have
this ability to care about other people’s issues.
46. Write a Summary and
Share it with the Class
Problem solving requires some people to step up and provide
leadership by taking a proactive approach to getting apathetic
members of the community to see how they will benefit from
finding solutions to the problem. Since some people lack the
empathy to identify with other people’s issues, those problem
solvers who are motivated must offer the leadership to
demonstrate to the entire community how everyone will
benefit to some degree by solving a community problem.
47. Write a Summary
The bottom line about problem solving is that most community or
global problems require a cooperative effort in order to agree upon
solutions that serve the greater good. Building empathy and
demonstrating how the majority of people will benefit in the long run
when schools are better or poverty is reduced will bring more stake
holders to the problem solving table.
48. Write a Summary
Getting things done in a timely manner
keeps us from getting over whelmed and
stressed out. However, getting things
done requires a certain amount of self
discipline and commitment to our goals.
49. Write a Summary
Gullibility can be best described as a "tendency to
be duped / deceived / defrauded, repeatedly". Being
gullible means that you are ready to believe the
best about all people. You listen carefully to those
that you do not know. In the case of a scam, the
scammer asks you to hand over your money and/or
other bits of information like your credit card
number or bank account number so they can
directly deposit large sums of money into your
account.
If you think of it in a different way, gullibility is a
trust issue. You are placing trust in the other party
without sufficient evidence that he or she can be
trusted.
50. Write a Summary
Examining how some scammers work their
persuasive techniques can offer protections.
First, they use something intriguing to capture
your attention. Once you bite on the hook, they
start to reel you in by promising you more and
more stuff. They try to please you in a variety
of ways. This is all in preparation for the scam.
There will often be fake training, fake
negotiation, fake testimony, fake earnings
reports, and other sorts of evidence that are
either faked or written in vague or misleading
language. This can come in several forms, but
most often is presented to overwhelm you with
information so that you can't separate the lies
from the partial facts.
51. Write a Summary
When we hear someone making a claim such as, “I am giving you a great
opportunity to make a large sum of money.” “I am holding your
granddaughter hostage and you must make an online payment
immediately or you will never see her again.” “I am calling from the Internal
Revenue Service and you will need pay $2,000 immediately or your bank
account will be frozen while we initiate court action”. The claims that are
being made should include very specific, credible evidence. For example, if
the issue requires immediate action, you should be presented with very
clear evidence that the claim is accurate and believable. If your
granddaughter is being held hostage, viewing her speaking to you on a cell
phone would be acceptable evidence. If the IRS demands money, get a case
number and call the official IRS phone number to discuss the issue.
However, it is important to remember that government agencies never
request money over the phone.
52. Summarize the following:
Having a conversation on a “hands free” cell phone
while driving can be very dangerous. Even though
texting and driving is quite deadly, talking on a
phone while driving an automobile can also result
in deadly accidents. Researchers have identified a
type of distraction they call inattentive blindness
that occurs while people are driving. They seem to
be staring off in space and failing to focus on
important details that are in their driving path.
53. There are several other important
group member roles.
• Piggy Backing or adding to someone else’s
idea
• Facilitating the group’s focus on the task at
hand
• Identifying claims and supporting evidence
54. How do you piggyback
during a group discussion?
• Re-state someone else’s good idea and
addsomething to it. “I really like what you said
about … and I would add … to your point.”
• Listen carefully to what others say and adds
something to it. “Great idea. How about … to
go along with it”?
55. Piggy back on Marla’s Idea
Marla stated, “If we turn out the lights when a
room is not being used, we can save electricity.
56. Piggyback on Juan’s Idea
• Juan exclaimed, “We can fight poverty by
improving education”.
58. Can You Piggyback?
• Sheila insisted, “A good way to improve
equality for women is to send an email to your
representative in congress expressing your
concerns.”
59. Can You Piggyback?
• “Fewer people will be killed in traffic accidents
if they would use their seat belts.”
60. Can You Piggyback?
• Crystal responded, “We might be able to reduce
the number of homeless people by providing
more mental health treatment centers in local
communities.”
61. Can You Piggyback?
Sophia commented, “Encouraging the
development of shared community gardens is
one way to reduce hunger in America.”
62. Can You Piggyback?
• Roberto stated, “Accelerating slowly after a
stop is another way to improve gas mileage
and save energy costs.”
63. Can You Piggyback?
“Gang violence could be reduced by funding
more athletic programs in lower income
neighborhoods.”
64. Can You Piggyback?
“One way to reduce procrastination”, explained
Gloria, “Is to review daily goals and reset priorities.”
65. Can You Piggyback?
Andre explained, “If we are going to end police
brutality towards ethnic minorities, we need to
mandate body cams on every officer.”
66. Can You Piggyback?
Jose stated, “School attendance could be
significantly improved by hiring teachers who
demonstrate a really good sense of humor.”
68. One or more group members need to help the
group carefully evaluate claims that are made.
Members need to ask for supporting evidence to
ensure that opinions do not become more
important than facts.
• Piggy Backing or adding to someone else’s
idea
• Facilitating the group’s focus on the task at
hand
• Identifying claims and supporting evidence
69. What does a claims adjuster do to
help the group support claims?
A claims adjuster helps the group identify the
claim that is being discussed. “Antonio is
claiming that global warming is caused by
human activity. What evidence can we find to
support that claim”?
70. What’s My Claim?
Many people use corporal punishment as part of
their approach to child rearing. Some people like
to use punishment such as time out or
grounding the child. However, the best way to
create acceptable behavior in children is to
provide a reward system that reinforces good
behavior.
• What is the claim that is being
made?
72. What’s My Claim?
In order to be a good team member in a work
environment, it is useful to be able to present
your ideas and arguments. However, if you are a
poor listener, you can never be a good team
member. Work environments can be very
difficult places for those who cannot get along
well with team members.
What claim is being made?
74. What’s My Claim
Some states do not require automobile
occupants to wear seatbelts. However, most
states do require seat belts. In fact, in California
the penalty for not wearing a seat belt is a
pretty heavy fine. Wearing seat belts saves lives.
What is the claim being made in
this paragraph?
75. What kind of evidence would
you like to see before believing
this claim?
76. What’s My Claim?
Terrorism is a problem that is confronting most
countries in the world. For the last 30 years a
variety of terrorist groups have been killing
innocent victims. Locating and destroying terrorist
groups without harming innocent bystanders can
be very difficult task. Using drones to seek out and
bomb terrorist groups is a good way to eradicate
terrorists. We need to continue our valiant fight
against terrorism.
• What claim is being made in this
paragraph?
78. What’s My Claim?
The world is a more dangerous place than it was
hundreds of years ago. It seems like just walking
down the street in your home town can get you
killed. There are plenty of police around but
crime persists. If you don’t protect yourself,
don’t plan on getting much help from others.
• What is the claim that is being
made?
79. Having a leader or group facilitator is
important in order to help keep a group
focused on the agreed upon task.
• Piggy Backing or adding to someone else’s
idea
• Facilitating the group’s focus on the task at
hand
• Identifying claims and supporting evidence
80. What does a group facilitator do?
• Keeps everyone in the group involved. “Marla,
what do you think about…”?
• Asks a group member to summarize what has
been discussed. Jose, “Can you summarize the
main points that we discussed”?
• Keeps the group focused on the topic when
members wander off the topic. “Lets get back
to the topic of…”.
