Convergence challenges

Reporting on a multimedia story is a difficult task, and doing it with a team of three students this semester has taught me a lot. What I call "convergence stress" is a type of stress I've never felt before--an anxious feeling where you never know what's next or what you have until you arrive back. Here are some lessons I've learned from the experience:

The idea must be everyone's
For everyone to be fully committed to the story idea, it has to be something everyone is invested in. The way my group achieved this was by discovering the idea together. When we brought in individual ideas or curiosities, there was a disconnect in the communication of the idea to the other group members. Therefore, brainstorming together has been a strength of working in a team.

Step over barriers

I have taken a much stronger project management role than I would have anticipated this semester, as two of my partners come from other countries and English is not their first language. They are incredibly talented and intelligent girls, but we have gone through some hurdles together that I never would have experienced otherwise. Many times, we will all be on the same page but can't communicate it in language that resonates with all three of us--with one being from Russia, another from Hong Kong and me from the United States. Overcoming these barriers has been a challenge but one I can say we happily step over and make progress on every day. 

Team members help you where you fall weak
My team members might not communicate as quickly, but believe in the definition of team more than any American students I've worked at in college. Rather than silo-ing off into work, they take on the work right then and there so the team does not fail. This not only comes in the form of compiling pieces, but also when we want to ask sources all of the questions. Having a partner assures that someone will see what you are missing, which was one thing missing in the indiviual convergence assignments at the beginning of the semester!

Benefits of teamwork
Overall, we benefit by each getting to play up one of our strengths in an area where it was most needed. One of my partners, Margaret, has excellent web design skills and started the design for our website as early as she could. Another, Barbara, has rigor and curiosity keeps us motivated to always keep moving forward even when it's difficult. I look forward to cranking out our project in the next 10 days and having a nice, final product!