Monday, February 1, 2016
MSO Planning Brainstorm
So as we're thinking and taking the time to optimize this experience for younger students, we're beginning to see some of the nitty gritty details that are necessary when planning for large events. One big idea is the development of teamwork. So to carry forward this idea of planning and thinking of our future as ministers; what are the implications of working with a team and planning events? What kind of picture person are you (big or small) and how will your strengths and weaknesses affect those that you work with in ministry (volunteers or staff)?
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So far, I've learned the important role that communication plays when planning events. Working with a team is fantastic, because event planning would be quite stressful if you had to take on all the aspects of it yourself. Because delegation and dividing up the responsibilities is often involved in event planning, it is extremely important to communicate. I've already seen this in our Game Night and MSO planning; we not only need to communicate with those within our group, to plan and choose games and organize a schedule, we also need to communicate with other groups to make sure we're all on the same page and don't have overlapping games, etc.
ReplyDeleteI would consider myself a big picture person, I like viewing things from above rather than being too close to have perspective. In terms of planning, I like planning with the whole thing in mind, with a picture in my head of how the whole thing should look ideally in the end. I think this is helpful in organizing events and such, but when combined with those who have a knack for the up-close details and those with other gifts, I think events can be most effectively planned and pulled off.
As Maryssa stated, communication is very important. With something like MSO, there will be many meetings held by each group leading up to the event. It's important to plan those meetings ahead of time, and to keep everyone updated and informed if something needs to change. If someone doesn't respond to a text/email about planning meeting times, it will be impossible to know availability and to then plan the meeting times/places. Maryssa also made a good point that the communication isn't always just between the members of one group. In this case, we have to communicate with other teams so we do not have repeat events in each room the night of MSO.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to consider when working on a team is that ideas and personalities have potential to clash. We have to be patient and understanding with each other so meetings are productive and do not solely consist of disagreements and taking sides on any given idea/plan. It's important to remember that we each bring unique strengths to the table, as well as weaknesses. Working toward a common goal that you are all passionate about should grow teams closer together and produce creative, effective results. This will happen if we are all committed to doing our best and respecting one another.
I am a detail oriented person, but I can also step back and see the big picture. I believe this is a strength; I'm organized and detail oriented, but I always see the end goal when working on/deciding all the small things. I don't get caught up in perfecting the details at the expense of the overall affect of the event/project. I guess if I had to pick one, I'd be a small picture person.
I also think I have the strength of seeing all sides of a situation. In the context of something like MSO, it means I can see the consequences, both positive and negative, of an idea if it were to be executed. Someone suggests something, and I do the practical thinking...could that really work? How would you ___?, maybe we should add___ so that goes smoother, etc.
One of my weaknesses is that I sometimes I don't know when to stop. I have a task and I want to get it done the right way. If I'm on a roll, I don't want to stop, which can affect the time I spend with loved ones. I like to have a plan so I can know where the other things in my life can fit around whatever project I am working on, and I sometimes fail to remember that some people don't work ahead like me so I can't be frustrated when they don't want to work on details as early as I do. Also, I tend to overthink everything in my life...so, I can see that being a major problem when I'm in ministry because I will constantly be interacting with people (so I'll have plenty of conversations/situations to analyze and overthink...).
A big thing that a lot of us are agreeing on is that communication is very important when it comes to planning an event such as MSO. It is amazing that we get to work with teams so and it makes it a lot less stressful for us. As a team you can take every assignment that you have and break it down to wear each individual will spend some time working on it as you and your other teammates work on the other assignments.
ReplyDeleteWorking together is another important thing with team. I feel every team should have a "leader" or a "captain". This person would be one that is responsible and would make sure that everything gets done, and gets done on time. He/she would help relieve some stress off of the group.
I am a big picture person. I want to see things get done in an orderly fashion so I wouldn't have to stress out over the work being done. I want to know and trust everyone that is one my team so that way I would know that they are hard workers, and I don't have to stress out about everything. As you can tell I am a huge fan of the team work thing. I think working in a team is the best thing to have over doing something individually.
I think, as the others have said, that communication is key. Without it the event will never get finished. Another thing that goes along with this is working out schedules so you can find a time to meet that works for everyone. You do not want to wait until the last minute to try and figure out what you are doing for the event. These elements are key.
ReplyDeleteI am a very detail oriented person. I see all of the pieces and then piece them together to form the big picture. I think having someone or multiple people on your team whose strengths are where your weaknesses are is important. If you have this you will be able to have a good balance of strengths to be able to accomplish what is needed.
Working in teams is, honestly, something I have a lot of trouble with. I would much rather work alone than in a group with other people. I am definitely not a social butterfly, as I am very much an introvert who thinks best when alone. I understand the good qualities of working in a group, but it is not my forte. Now, things like discussions are warmly welcomed, but group activities where we are responsible for a project, is not my favorite thing to do.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, I do think communication is key to productivity. If you do not communicate accurately with your group, then all you will be left with is misunderstandings.
I consider myself a detail oriented person. I tend to focus on aspects that others may deem not important. I would like to think I add a component to the group by thinking of things others may have missed. I try to think of the small, individual needs of each person involved. This helps the group think of ways to help the activity be lots of fun, but also be an event the people can reflect on.
This whole opportunity is so cool to me. Working with a team is so much better/easier for me. I've always been a team player, and i like to see and hear all the different ideas, strengths, and all our gifts brought to the table for us to use. I like to do certain things on my own, and since I'm very independent, sometimes i do have a hard time giving tasks to other people, which would be a downfall in my ministry in the future.
ReplyDeleteI am very much a "big picture" type of person. As long as that image is reached, how I get there really doesn't matter to me. If it's my idea, someone else's, it didn't go the way I thought it would, or whatever else life throws at me, as long as it's all worked out in the end, no one was on fire, and everyone had a good time, I'm in for anything. One thing that I do have to work on and noticed while planning, is I'm very much a "winger" I wing everything, all the time, especially games or events. I usually only focus on the big picture, not really worried about how we get there. I've gotten a lot better though, and as I've grown and matured, I've realized, not everything works when I wing it, most things need a plan. Plan A, plan B and sometimes even C. I know i stress people out, because I wing it most of the time, but rest assured, I do like to plan and there are times I struggle when my plan doesn't go accordingly.
I firmly believe in communication. I believe that communication is the key to any good relationship, work included. I think that it allows for new ideas and opportunities to arise and for people's strengths to come out and to be used. Like i said before, I like to see those things in people and to work together to see and reach the big picture.
I am really learning a lot from the experience of helping to plan such a large-scale event. I am really enjoying working on a team full of such hard-working individuals. Frankly, when I work on something like this, it's hard for me to walk the walk. I will throw out ideas and dream big, but it's difficult for me to put the rubber to the road.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I am definitely a big picture person. I like to think more about the destination that we are attempting to reach instead of focusing on the road that will eventually lead us there. For example, in our room, we are working out the details of how each game is going to work and connect with the other games. While we're doing that, my mind is thinking about possible themes for our room and how it will interact with everything we're doing throughout the night.
I would agree that communication is a very important trait in the group dynamic. Without communicating, a group is just a bunch of people working independently towards a similar goal. In a case like that, everyone has their own ideas of what the end result should be, and it all becomes a big mess.
I am really learning a lot from the experience of helping to plan such a large-scale event. I am really enjoying working on a team full of such hard-working individuals. Frankly, when I work on something like this, it's hard for me to walk the walk. I will throw out ideas and dream big, but it's difficult for me to put the rubber to the road.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, I am definitely a big picture person. I like to think more about the destination that we are attempting to reach instead of focusing on the road that will eventually lead us there. For example, in our room, we are working out the details of how each game is going to work and connect with the other games. While we're doing that, my mind is thinking about possible themes for our room and how it will interact with everything we're doing throughout the night.
I would agree that communication is a very important trait in the group dynamic. Without communicating, a group is just a bunch of people working independently towards a similar goal. In a case like that, everyone has their own ideas of what the end result should be, and it all becomes a big mess.
I find my own strengths and weaknesses interesting. I see myself as a big picture person in helping set goals and objectives, but I am far better at critiquing details of a proposed plan.
ReplyDeleteIn working with a team, planning might go more quickly or more slowly, depending on the size of the event that needs to be planned. With a small event, a team is valuable in getting a variety of input, but the process for putting everything together might be a little bit slower. In planning a larger event, however, such as MSO, having a team will be very helpful because there is no way one person could do it all on their own.
I think to fully pull off an event, you have to work and plan with a team. Having the pride to try to do it all alone is so dangerous. Not only does it give more brains to give better ideas, but it there is accountability as well. I definitely see myself as both a big picture and small picture person depending on the situation. I am very detail oriented in each situation. My top strength is futuristic though. So I am always thinking about the future, I just don't have it all figured out yet. One of my flaws is definitely taking care of the administrative part of things. I would much rather just be creative and have things happen! In a volunteer/staff I hope that everyone is a little different with different gifts so that we can even each other out. Just like how we were paired together in class.
ReplyDeleteI think to fully pull off an event, you have to work and plan with a team. Having the pride to try to do it all alone is so dangerous. Not only does it give more brains to give better ideas, but it there is accountability as well. I definitely see myself as both a big picture and small picture person depending on the situation. I am very detail oriented in each situation. My top strength is futuristic though. So I am always thinking about the future, I just don't have it all figured out yet. One of my flaws is definitely taking care of the administrative part of things. I would much rather just be creative and have things happen! In a volunteer/staff I hope that everyone is a little different with different gifts so that we can even each other out. Just like how we were paired together in class.
ReplyDeleteWorking with a team can be very beneficial for planning an event for several reasons, if the group has a variety of strengths then the planning can be seen from very different viewpoints. This can lead to an having little margin for error for an event if your team has the right strengths, even if there is margin for error team members can use their strengths to shine and lead where their strengths allow them. I’m better at viewing the big picture and looking at where there could be weaknesses in the plans of the group. I can become difficult to work with especially in the planning and set up stages of an event because I look to prevent any potential hazards to the event before it becomes an issue.
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