Did you ever have to pull an all-nighter to finish a group project alone? Did you suffer because of someone else's negligence to do their work? If you go to a small classroom college, chances are you come across more group projects or group reports than usual. Sometimes these can be beneficial to your grades and other times not so much. It all depends on the types of people you end within your group. Here are some that you’ve most likely come across.
1. The Excuse Maker
The excuse maker will try to make any type of excuse to get out of doing work. While everyone has the same amount of work distributed, this person will complain that it is too much work for them and that they have other responsibilities that prevented them from doing their part. This person will also not be able to meet up on the weekends to complete the project due to “other commitments.”
2. The No Reply Guy
The no reply guy is the most stressful part of a group project. Nowadays it is easier to discuss group assignments via group chats. When it comes time to discuss matters about the project, this person will show that they do not care by not replying. The leader of the group will try to reach out to this person time after time, but this person won’t even send an "ok." You won't know if they are actually doing their work, you won't know if they will sending you their part by 8 p.m. and you won't know if they will show up on presentation day.
3. The Control Freak
The control freak has got to be the most annoying member in a group project. This person just wants everything done in their way and only their way. They will give no room for your thoughts to be heard and if they do give you a chance then they will find any way to prove that their idea is better than yours. In the end, you have no choice but to surrender to their authority.
4. The Silent Speaker
When it comes time to present, you can count on the silent speaker to bring your grade down. Or when discussing the project with members, the silent speaker won’t ever voice their ideas and will wait for others to take charge and do the project. They will be no help at all.
5. The Not So Bright Fella
This person or these people just have no idea what they are doing. This person is usually also very lazy. You can find this person saying things like “I don’t care” or “whatever sounds good.” This person won’t do their research and won’t be prepared for the presentation. When this person does do their work, their incompetence will be highly noticeable from their grammatical errors, lack of good research and no understanding of the subject matter.
6. The 'A' Grade
Last but not least is the leader of the group. This is the straight 'A' student who wants to learn and do well. Except, they can't do both of these things if they get stuck with some of the others named above. This person knows how to get the job done efficiently. They will distribute parts to each member equally and will put the whole PowerPoint presentation together in the end. This person undergoes most of the stress because they have to deal with the excuse maker, the no reply guy, the not so bright fella, and the silent speaker. This person ends up taking all the responsibility for the group’s actions. They will be the one to stay awake the whole night to complete the project, and will put together an outline for their group members so they don’t look stupid when the time comes to present.
These are some of the people I've come across in my life. There are definitely more types but these are some that come straight to my mind based on my experiences. Hopefully, your experience with people in group projects is relatable to mine.
