How to Work Well with Others

For some people, working with other people and collaborating comes perfectly naturally. However, other people find it much more difficult. This could be because they much prefer to work alone, they are naturally shy or they don’t like other people interfering in what they are doing. If you find yourself struggling to work with other people, here are some things to help you along.

  1. Be nice to others

This will seem like a cliché at first, but you’ll come to realise that being nice to the other people in the group really does help. When you treat other people with respect, they will do the same for you, and you’ll find that everything gets much easier. If you have people who don’t treat others the way they would like to be treated, it creates tension and nobody is as productive as they could potentially be.

Work Well with Others

  1. Listen to others

It’s not all about you, and when you’re working with other people, you have to be prepared to listen to what they have to say. However, this doesn’t simply mean being quiet when they decide to speak. You should look out for other people in the group, and in particular, offer the quieter people the chance to have their say. Some people might feel overwhelmed in a large group, and it’s important to make sure that everybody feels that they can say something and voice their opinion if necessary.

  1. Make friends outside

Rather than keeping it strictly to the classroom, studio or wherever it is that you’re working together, plan a day to meet up away from the work environment. This will give you all a chance to relax and get to know each other better without the stress of having to be productive and get on with work. You could even make it a rule that nobody is allowed to mention working!

  1. Go the extra mile

Doing the bare minimum will be enough, but it won’t help you to achieve any more than that. If you want to make friends with the people in the group and be likeable, go the extra mile when helping others. You might even want to bring in some cakes or food if you know it’s going to be a long day. Make jokes and allow people to feel comfortable around you, and you’ll be making friends and working well together in no time.