You’ve prepared for weeks to put your group performance before an audience, and to you it is nothing short of flawless. As you receive your grade back for what you perceived was something fantastic, you’re slightly disappointed with the outcome. What happened? Why isn’t your project number one? Well, from an audience perspective, there are many things that could affect your group’s project, and there are also ways to improve upon group projects, based on simple, focused tips.

Versatility

Versatility is a great way to catch an audience’s attention. You and your group shouldn’t let one idea or act become the sole purpose of your project. Come up with other ideas and don’t settle on one person’s point of view. Brainstorming helps your group explore other ways to show people that you really put effort into your project.

Communication

A significant reason to why groups may not be successful is lack of communication. Use GroupTable’s discussion boards to keep track of conversations. Create a sense of open communication, not only with the exchange of ideas, but also with constructive comments and ways to improve upon your performance. These constructive comments can contribute to a memorable act.

Stay on Task

Stay on task and try to get things done early as a group. Don’t leave the bulk of the work for one person. When a group doesn’t perform as one, your grade may suffer. There aren’t going to be three strikes; it could only be one, and your grade may be out of the race. A great way to keep on task is to set deadlines to when your group members should complete their assignment and learn their part. Incorporating a task list using GroupTable can help reduce clutter, and keep everyone on track.

Time Management

Showing the audience that your group has talent can be easily done by committing to a plan of action. Create responsibilities for each member of your group to increase efficiency. Try creating a task list and spread out the work so that nothing is left for the last minute. Leaving everything for the last minute is an easy way for your group to end up with an underperforming routine. Lack of patience and planning may end up showing in your presentation. Don’t let this create a missed opportunity to move onto the next round and get the grade you’re looking for.

There are many opportunities to make sure your group project comes out on top. With careful planning, good communication, and time management, your group won’t have to worry about whether or not you will get the grade you want.

It seems as though the semester ended last week, yet college students everywhere are beginning their college fall semester. Whether you are an incoming freshman or just starting your senior year of college, there are several tips that every student should consider when striving for a successful semester.

1. Become an expert of time management

Maintaining a sane composure throughout the semester begins with time management. One of the biggest problems holding students back from success is procrastination. Bad planning comes from procrastination. Students often have the mindset that at the start of the semester they will have all the time in the world to finish assignments and begin to put them off. Their aspirations wind up feeling like a 20 car pileup. Staying on top of obligations can easily be done by arranging your schedule accordingly.

2. Get started early on studying

You can be on top of getting assignments done, but a failed exam can be the death of a grade. There have been too many instances where students think that doing all of the assignments will be enough to receive a respectable grade, when in reality exams count for the greater part of the grade. A great tip for studying is to study in spurts. Studying for hours on end and cramming before a test is not the best method of studying. Instead, study for about an hour before your next class, as well as after, and if that doesn’t work, create a study schedule you can stick to. If you intend to memorize something, you probably will.

3. Invest in appropriate academic tools

It never fails: On exam day, there is always that one classmate who shouts across the room asking for a pencil or paper. Don’t be that one person. You may be seen as unprepared and negligent. Make sure you are prepared with the appropriate tools to be successful in the classroom. Are group projects a large portion of one of your classes? GroupTable is collaborative software that can help you manage group and study projects by saving time, organizing to-do lists, and creating discussions between you and your group members. You can manage all of your groups, including social organizations and clubs, within the program. Tools like GroupTable can greatly assist in time management, which is one of the most important academic tools a student can utilize.

4. Discover a study spot you can effectively utilize

Find a spot where you can focus on what’s in front of you. Don’t study in your room, because those video games will look much more appealing than the notes in front of you. If you have a designated spot chosen for your study session, make sure you bring proper materials, maybe a drink or a snack to assure you don’t leave your spot for anything! If you would rather study with another person or in a group, study with friends who are just as motivated to study as you are. Leave your cell phone in your dorm, and limit your Internet usage solely for homework or research, and avoid Facebook or Twitter.

5. Be familiar with your way around campus

No, that doesn’t mean finding the quickest route to your dorm room after a night hitting up the local bars. There are so many resources on a college campus that students don’t take benefit of. Take your own personal tour around campus to learn what your school has to offer. From academic advising and career counseling, to the gym and health center, there are countless perks that students don’t take advantage of in college. A college campus isn’t limited to the library and dorms; college is expensive; experience everything your campus has to offer.

6. Seek help

There are many factors that could contribute to a struggling student. Not doing well academically does not necessarily mean you are a procrastinator, or lazy. More students are seeking mental health counseling than you think, and things like stress or emotional trauma can negatively contribute to a student’s performance in class. Academic and career counselors are also a good resource if you believe you need guidance. These resources are almost always free for college students; there is always someone who can assist you if you aren’t achieving what you believe you are capable of.

7. Be responsible for yourself

You’re in college now, and your parents aren’t going to be there to advocate what you should or should not do. The perfect occasion to assert your newly gained independence is in college. Carefully managing your finances helps your gain perspective on responsibilities. Take care of you and your body. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go to the gym on a daily basis; going to the doctor is something a lot of students tend to forget about as a college student. As convenient and tempting as it may seem, try not to let fast food be your go-to choice of food. Stay healthy, stay active, and maintain a reasonable sleep schedule.

8. Take classes that you are interested in and enjoy

I’m sure you know someone, or may even be that someone, who has changed their major more than they change their clothes. Find something you will enjoy. If you are stuck taking classes or majoring in something that you won’t take pleasure in, studying is going to be the last thing you will want to do. If you are passionate about something, you can succeed.

9. Become involved in something

Becoming involved in an intramural sport or a club can help you take your mind off studying, lectures, and things that may be overwhelming. There are many benefits of getting involved with something on campus; you can meet new people, rid those isolated feelings you may encounter in a new environment, and become exposed to new cultures, experiences, and opportunities that may be advantageous to you in the future.

10. Achieve some real world understanding

College is the perfect opportunity to gain some real world experience. Partake in community experiences, internships, seminars, or anything else that could help you try your knowledge in the real world. These are great learning experiences and something that can help your career during and after college.

We hope that you get the most out of your upcoming semester and that you found these tips to be helpful. Remember that GroupTable is always here to help you stay productive and on top of your group projects, study groups and clubs.

Every day it seems as if more elements of our lives transfer from physical to digital…Schools are integrating iPads into their curriculum, fully loaded with the course materials; a meeting between an entrepreneur in the United States and a venture capitalist in China can be held via Skype on their personal laptop; phones are no longer just for talking, but as a fully-functional personal assistant. With so many ways of communicating, conducting business, and planning personal events, it can become overwhelming to try and keep track of it all.

In an age where we are provided with so many outlets for communicating, shouldn’t there be just one to aggregate it all? Well, now there is. GroupTable was designed to fully manage your business, academic and social lives, all from the same location. With the ability to upload, manage, task, and schedule events, GroupTable has now added a little more control to society spinning “technically” out of control.

Most times, programs similar to GroupTable are built strictly for the sole purpose of managing one’s academics, or exclusively for business—not GroupTable. As a program set up by you, and not by your business or university, YOU are the one in control of what you want to manage.

To give you a better idea of the endless possibilities that GroupTable is capable of, we have provided some of the ways our current users have already taken advantage of this unique program:

The life of a student is fast paced—especially when it comes to finding a time to meet for a class assignment. Now, a group can create an account and invite each of its members to joinWith the easy to use drop feature, GroupTable provides a Binder that each member can upload their portion of a paper or project. . From here, they can upload articles, revise papers, as well as set milestones and due dates in the calendar.

Greek Life: Homecoming, Philanthropies, and Socials-OH MY! Being in a sorority while in school, I can empathize with how hectic it can make life. Greek Life is like a full-time job in itself. Attempting to keep track of the endless events going on can become nearly impossible. Now an organization can set up an account to keep its members up to date. Not only can they take advantage of the calendar, but now there’s a single location to upload T-shirt drafts, applications for councils, as well as various announcements. Finally, there can be some organization to these organizations.

Travel Group: Hashing out details of a trip among a group can get tiresome…How many emails do you really need to send to remind someone about the deposit? GroupTable will allow for a group to upload travel documents, create a packing list, and even set a reminder for that deposit deadline.Now the only thing you need to worry about, what drink you’re going to order to cheers to a successful trip!

Business Proposal: Businesses are generally made up of various departments. As many of us know, communication between these departments, and even the department itself, can get lost in translation. GroupTable allows for say the PR team or the Business Development team aggregate their information to decrease confusion. Now when a RFP hits your desk, you can upload it and delegate each task to its respective employee, along with deadlines and important details listed in the calendar. Each member can edit each section, providing advice if necessary. Never again will you be scrambling to get your proposal in on time because two people accidentally provided the bio section.

Team Sports: Who’s in charge of team snack today? Wonder no more, parents, because your GroupTable account will allow you to create a team calendar—fully loaded with the practice schedule, game time, and yes, which parent is in charge of the team snack that day!

Study Group: Endless amount of work to be done before the big test or project, and no one to work with. Using GroupTable’s invite feature, you are able to send out invitations to join your study group strait to their email. This makes reaching out and coordinating everyone’s schedules easy and effortlessly, as you can mark on the calendar when someone may not be in town to join the study group. The calendar also proves useful for marking milestones your study group wishes to complete prior to the big project or test day.

Volunteer Group: Organizing fundraisers and events all while trying to maintain momentum is tough. By taking advantage of the features that GroupTable has to offer, you can send out the email invitation, reminders of upcoming gala’s, charts of money raised so far, and so much more! GroupTable can make any volunteer group run like a fortified business!

From Soccer Mom to student, or businessman to buccaneer–whatever your goals may be, GroupTable can finally make sense of every corner of your life. Begin by introducing it to your co-workers, classmates, church group, and watch how quickly your social, business and academic life harmoniously co-exist.

Study Groups are proven to improve grades, however as with most group work, study groups can be challenging. Distractions can arise at meetings, schedule conflicts can occur between members and more. The semester is almost over for most students across the country and GroupTable.com a software for group projects and study groups has some tips that can help you get the most out of your study groups.

1. Instead of waiting to cram before a test, form your group early
2. Choose between four and six classmates for your study group
3. Share notes to see other perspectives
4. Minimize distractions
5. State objectives or goals
6. Be prepared-do your required reading
   
7. Take turns teaching one another
   
8. Stay on topic
9. Plan a weekly meeting
10. Manage your study group online

We hope these tips help.  By managing your study group online you have the ability get all the benefits of a study group, but on your own time.  Your group is no longer restricted to a specific time or place.   By using the tips above along with GroupTable you’ll do great on those upcoming final exams.

Good luck!

It’s the middle of the semester and you have that group project due in a few weeks.  Group projects can be very stressful, but have no fear GroupTable, a student group management software has some tips to help you and your group project team.

1. Communication is Key

Communication is a key for a successful group to function. Maintaining frequent contact with group members will help everyone stay in the loop. If someone says something you don’t agree with don’t criticize them. Seek to understand their point of view and then express yours.

2. Assign Tasks & Set Deadlines

Assign tasks based on the strengths of each group member. Tasks should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound. Assigning tasks and setting deadlines will keep everyone in the group
on track, increase accountability and keep your group from procrastinating.

3. Make Everyone a Leader
If you notice something that can be done better in your group, take on a leadership role. It’s a great way to enhance your leadership skills and ensure that work gets done. Each member of the group should act as a leader from time to time. Keep Organized Typically groups have a lot of files and messages being sent back and forth. It can be very challenging to keep everything in order and make sure everyone has the most updated information. Using an online group collaborative tool can help you manage everything.

4. Go Virtual
Sometimes it can be very challenging to get all group members together at the same place and time. Meeting online through chat or using a group discussion board can really make life easier.

Try GroupTable.com to manage your group projects and study groups.  GroupTable will save you and your group from a lot of stress.

Good luck the rest of the semester!