Informative Speech Outline Student’s Name: Angela Altomare, Jonathan Min, Neha Thakur, Cian Dowd, Andrew Somers Group Leader: Neha Thakur Group Name: Wookiees of the Year Course #/Section: Introduction to Communication and Information Section 91 Informative Speech “Working Outline” Introduction Write in complete sentences. I. Attention Getter: One survey said that 47% (Steven, 2022) of people would love to work in a team at work. Another said that only 14.2% (Merlevede, 2005) of employees like working alone. What is the rationale behind these opinions? II. III. Connection with Audience/Speaker’s Credibility: Thesis Statement/Preview of Main Points: As college students that have been taking part within group work for many years now, we are able to sit here and tell you what works and what doesn’t work for different people. We use communication principles and the idea of an informative speech to distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of working in a group and working alone, so that your team achieves maximum success. So let’s take a deeper look! Informative Speech “Working Outline” (contd.) Body Write in complete sentences. Important: Include evidence in sub-points, as applicable (i.e., refer to source in each sub-point by paraphrasing, quoting, or summarizing with a citation following APA format – 6th edition), and insert transitions between main points. I. Main Point One: Sub-point A: (w/source citation, if applicable) Sub-point B: (w/source citation, if applicable) Sub-point C: (w/source citation, if applicable) II. There are various advantages to working in a group, such as diversity of thought, less workload for each member, and increased motivation. Working in groups has allowed for diversified skills and ideas, as each group member is able to bring their own level of expertise to the project. By combining the knowledge of many individuals, the group has access to much more information and skill than just one individual. Not only that, but group work has been found to “achieve at higher levels of thought” (Gokhale, 2021). So not only does group work increase the amount of knowledge available to each individual, but also directly increases the brainstorming and critical thinking abilities of individuals as well. Shared responsibility distributes the work among group members, reducing the overall amount of individual work required. Performing a task with multiple people is almost always easier than performing it with only one person. By dividing and conquering, we are able to get more work done in a shorter period of time. In addition, the diversified skills within a group means that we are able to distribute work to people who are better at doing a certain task. Individuals feel more connected to the accomplishments of the group leading to increased motivation. As Carr and Walton discuss in their paper “Cues of working together fuel intrinsic motivation”, which found that people who believed that they were solving the puzzles in groups, spent a significantly longer time on the puzzle as well as overall finding the puzzle more interesting and enjoyable to work on (Carr & Walton, 2014). “The present research found that cues that evoke this form of social interaction itself inspire intrinsic motivation, causing people to work harder on challenging tasks for their inherent satisfaction (Carr & Walton, 2014). Transition: Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have experienced these advantages of working as a group. Main Point Two: At the same time, critics believe that there are significant disadvantages to working in a group, which include groupthink, C-Type versus A-Type conflicts, and groups within groups. Sub-point A: (w/source citation, if applicable) A major problem of working in a group is groupthink. According to Alvernia University, groupthink happens when “decision makers insist on cohesiveness at the loss of outside viewpoints or opinions” (Alvernia University). The biggest problem is that in the workplace, there are many competitive measures in place such as getting the biggest bonus which can cause dominant personalities to assume a subtle “my way or Sub-point B: (w/source citation, if applicable) Sub-point C: (w/source citation, if applicable) Transition: highway” approach. Additionally, in a work environment, everyone is getting paid, so there is no need for some less competitive or submissive individuals to do what is told of them, thereby enabling groupthink. When working in a team at work, there are high probabilities of there being two types of conflicts: the C-Type Conflicts or the A-Type Conflicts. In the book Organizational Conflict, C-Type conflict is a cognitive conflict that focuses on substantive, issue-related differences of opinion (Vilas Boas, 2018). In other words, this is a task conflict. This type of conflict is actually encouraged because it promotes diversity of thought. However, in the workplace, there are larger chances of an A-type conflict happening. This is an affective conflict that contains disagreements over personalized matters, so this is a relationship conflict. This is a destructive conflict because in the workplace, people who wouldn’t usually hang out are thrown together to coexist, “with different values and perceptions” (Shonk, 2022), which may create animosity and negative competition within groups. ● Groups within groups As cliquey as we thought high school was, workplaces are no different. In the workplace, you may encounter two-three people in a team who are closer than the others. While there is no problem with that, many of these instances result in workplace cliques. This results in a lot of “conformity” (Oxford CBT, 2022), which decreases diversity of thought. There may also be a reduction in the other employees’ morale and could also be a source of distraction, which pulls all the attention away from the main task. Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have experienced these disadvantages of working as a group. While we’re on this topic, we will discuss some good things about working alone. III. Main Point Three: Sub-point A: (w/source citation, if applicable) Sub-point B: (w/source For our lone wolves, some of the advantages of working alone are the ability to do more efficient work, control, and the chance to get all the credit. Working independently can be beneficial to a project as it can increase the efficiency of work. Since you are working alone you know the exact vision that you have for the project and can implement it that specific way. There will also be no lost time or work from team conflicts or miscommunication. You will not need to waste any time meeting with your team or discussing the project together. Whether it's from chit-chat, office noise or the limitations of working at specific work hours and locations, working in teams can sometimes be distracting. By working independently you cut out many of the “inefficient processes” of working in a team. This allows you to concentrate and complete your work in an efficient manner (The Benefits of Working Alone, 2022). When working alone you are completely in charge of the direction, approach, and execution of the project. Working independently can be citation, if applicable) Sub-point C: (w/source citation, if applicable) Transition: very liberating as you are in complete creative control. Additionally since you are working by yourself you are not constricted to specific working times and can instead schedule your own working hours and location. It can be extremely beneficial to have a flexible working environment. Not only can this increase efficiency but it can also lead to self improvement. Working by yourself can be great for improving self-motivation and independence. When you work independently on a project you are the sole contributor to it. This means that the success, achievement, and execution of the project are all attributed to your hard work. Since you will receive all the credit for the work completed it can greatly enhance your reputation. Thus working independently on projects can be beneficial for “increasing an individual's personal professional credibility” (Dalley, 2019). Here’s a clip of some individuals in a workplace who have thrived working alone. While working by yourself has many benefits it doesn’t come without some downsides to it as well. IV. Main Point Four: As is with everything, there are cons to working alone, too. These include having a limited perspective, too much responsibility, and lack of networking. Sub-point A: (w/source citation, if applicable) When working alone there is a limited perspective as you can only think of so many ideas or think of things in certain ways due to how you grew up and the people around you. One person alone often overlooks flaws or obvious shortcomings with their own ideas. Similarly ideas can’t be built upon by others as there is no other person to build off of. Sub-point B: (w/source citation, if applicable) When working alone you bear the sole responsibility for your work, while as mentioned above this puts you in charge of your work, it can also lead to negative side effects like burnout or lacking resources. Burnout can result from “working too much” according to Gielan from the Harvard Business Review, but also from being lonely (Gielan et al., 2021) and when working alone your network of people that you can reach out to if you need help is smaller than that of a group. Sub-point C: (w/source citation, if applicable) As your network is smaller than a group, working in a group provides the opportunity to network not only with those in your groups but also the people that your group knows. According to Bianca Cole, “networking is vital for success in the modern workplace as it allows for an avenue to exchange ideas, an avenue for newer opportunities, an extra resource library and a growth in status and self confidence” (Cole, 2022). Transition: (SKIT OF SOMEONE ALONE AND DEPRESSED) There are many benefits and downsides of working both alone and in groups. Informative Speech “Working Outline” Conclusion I. II. Write in complete sentences. Refer to chapter on Outlining Your Speech. Summary of Main Points: We have discussed some key advantages and disadvantages of both group work and working individually. Through the use of communication principles, we are able to give you a guideline of what may or may not work for you. Hopefully, this puts the statistics we showed earlier into perspective! Clincher: There are many different ways to look at the meaning behind working together to end with a common goal for everyone all around you. Reference List Include a complete Reference List (i.e., Bibliography) for five (5) research sources including at least 1 source from a Rutgers University Libraries periodical database that was referenced in the Main Points (sub-points). All sources are to meet the 6 criteria: expertise, objectivity, accuracy, currency, origin, and relevancy. The Reference List is to follow APA format style guidelines (6th edition). Refer to the chapter on Researching Your Speech, and also the APA Resources at the end of this document. Full Citation I: Full Citation II: Full Citation III: Gielan, S. A. and M., Kopans, D., & Molinsky, A. (2021, August 27). Burnout at work isn't just about exhaustion. It's also about loneliness. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://hb r.org/2017/06/burnout-at-work-isnt-just-about-exhaustion-its-also-abo ut-loneliness Cole, B. M. (2022, October 12). 10 reasons why networking is essential for your career. Forbes. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancamillercole/2019/03/20/why-net working-should-be-at-the-core-of-your-career/?sh=359a47731300 The Benefits of Working Alone. (2022, June 24). Indeed Career Guide. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from Full Citation IV: Full Citation V: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/benefits-o f-working-alone Dalley, M. (2019, September 2). The Pros and Cons of Working Independently. CareerAddict. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.careeraddict.com/working-independently Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking. Journal of Technology Education, 7(1), 22-30.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21061/jte.v7i1.a.2