In this report, I use the Gibb’s reflective cycle to reflect on my experiences of attending the Anfield assessment centre on 20th March, 2022. The Gibb’s model helps people learn from a process through six stages - description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan (The University of Edinburg, 2020). The group activities at Anfield Assessment Centre (AC) helped me identify my personal attributes and weaknesses that I need to work on to enhance my chances of making a successful placement application. I learned that I am a great team player though I am less confident when participating in team project. In the future, I will make adequate preparation before making a job application by familiarizing myself with the organization and job requirements, as well as improving both my verbal and non-verbal communication skills to make a successful application.
Description
The employment placement assessment involved a one-hour group exercise followed by a 10 minute individual presentation. For the group task, our role was to create a plan to fundraise for a cancer foundation using a fixed budget of $25,000. In a team of 10, the two assessors gave us one hour to brainstorm ideas about the venue, audience profile, and particulars of the budget so as to get the best financial outcome from the fundraiser. The activity took place at Anfield stadium.
After a lot of deliberations we made several recommendations that we believed would lead to a successful fundraising event. First, we decided to target 400 people for the event at a cost of $10 per ticket. Secondly, we decided to invite a player from Liverpool Football Club to help draw attention to the event and raise awareness about cancer. Lastly, we would host the event at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium and have booths to sell different commodities. The profits would go towards the fundraising kit. I did not have a specific role but I collaborated with the team members to generate ideas for the event.
For the individual presentation, I had to choose a company, formulate a new business idea, and sell it as a potential market opportunity. I selected Unilever and talked about a new range of luxury ice cream brand that the company could incorporate in its business model. I used the 3 action steps – create, capture and convert to make the presentation more persuasive. I made Power Point presentation to 5 students in 10 minutes.
Feelings
When I heard about the assessment centre, I was very excited about the opportunity to work in a group. It was my first time working with classmates on such a timed brainstorming project. In addition, the group-work assignment was important since it affected my overall academic performance while offering me the opportunity to exercise my communication skills in a placement scenario.
At the start of the group-work assignment, I was feeling nervous and anxious. I was not confident about my skills and I did not want to disappoint the team. I was equally confused since I did not know my specific role and how I would fit into the team. During this initial forming stage I was apprehensive and uncertain since I wanted to be accepted into the group as West Chester University (WCU) (2021) describes. I looked up to other members to start the discussion since I was so anxious about the entire project.
I was optimistic during the group activity. Contrary to my fear of being ignored, the team members were very supportive and I was allowed to offer suggestions about the fundraiser without interruptions. I felt relieved shortly after the discussion commenced. Each person was given an opportunity to share their thoughts about the fundraising plan. I was so happy that I could make contributions and be heard by others. The norming stage of the team process made things easier for everyone since members were creating new ways of doing and being together (WCU, 2021). We all wanted to have a fruitful discussion and maximize the time allocated for the task to make an informed fundraising plan.
The other team members made me feel welcome and accepted. There was a general consensus to make the best out of the one-hour limit to get the best ideas. As such, every person was given time and space to make suggestions. There was a sense of belonging and I felt like a part of an in-group since we appreciated each other and shared a common objective.
At the end, I felt relieved and happy for successfully participating in the group project. The experience was new and since we worked under pressure, I was proud of myself and my teammates for completing the challenge. Thinking about the experience now, there was no reason to be anxious or distressed. The experience was new for most of the other members but they came to the assessment centre prepared and confident. In the future, I will be more prepared and have confidence in my own abilities.
For the individual project, I was sure about the purpose of the presentation and I felt confident and happy to do the task. While I was anxious before the presentation, I became relaxed when I noted how attentive the audience was. I had adequately prepared for the presentation and I was happy with my performance and I believe it is for this reason I scored a 3/4 for this particular task.
Evaluation
I think things went well, both for the group assignment and individual presentation. Group members were willing to share ideas and brainstorm as a team. We took turns to give ideas and all the suggestions were considered during the final deliberations. The members were highly involved in the process and this made us have a seamless discussion. All the ideas were so fantastic that it was somehow difficult to identify the best alternative. No one felt like their suggestions were superior to the others. While I did not play a specific role, I felt comfortable throughout the discussion since I had the opportunity of sharing my ideas and get to learn about the thought process of my group members. The creativity and great listening skills displayed by the members during the interaction made the project go well.
Yes, there were some challenges experienced at individual and group level. First, there were organization difficulties at the start of the discussion. Before the members took charge of the discussion, people would interrupt others to give their suggestions which made it hard to understand each other and progress as a group.
Secondly, we were working under pressure due to the limited time. The situation was very intense since we all wanted to formulate an effective fundraising plan and complete the task on time. People were sharing ideas very fast and this made it more challenging to pinpoint the most appropriate ones without disrupting the flow of discussion. I also felt that people were talking so fast and this affected my concentration and ability to participate in the team. We were a group of members and each person was supposed to give recommendations for the fundraising event. The ideas had to be evaluated as a team to choose the best suggestions. As much as I would have wanted to participate more, the strict timeline made it impossible to do so.
I reacted to the difficult situation by calming myself through deep inhalations and allowed others to make their suggestions before I did. I started being more attentive when I realized that it was important for everyone to talk fast to save time. I also realized that each person was under the same pressure and since I was part of the team, it was important for me to not show signs of anxiety since this would have distracted the rest of the team, negatively affecting the flow of the discussion. I took personal responsibility by only participating when there was a chance to ensure a smooth process.
The others reacted by pointing out the problem to the rest of the members. When members started talking over others, it was not possible to continue with the work since there was no agreed procedure. People stopped talking until the issue was resolved.
We all recognized the organization problem and decided to share ideas one person at a time. The issue was resolved amicably after establishing the team ground rules in line with the team mission (WCU, 2021). However, we were supposed to talk fast due to the limited time so that each person had the opportunity to give opinions about the event.
For the individual presentation, I think I performed well. I had adequately prepared for the task and as such, I was confident when presenting the information to the audience. The five members of the audience were very attentive making it easier for me to present the project without experiencing a nervous breakdown. I clearly understood the topic and followed a logic structure. On the contrary, I believe I did not perform well with regards to visuals. I should have used colours and logos to enhance the visuals for a more effective presentation.
Analysis
The positive outcome of the group project is attributed to presence of Belbin’s team worker and coordinator roles within group. According to Mackechnie (n.d), team works are the most supportive members of a group. They are sociable, mild, flexible, perceptive, and mindful about others. On the other hand, coordinators have the ability to cause others to work towards shared goals. The organization issue was mainly influenced by shapers who are very competitive with a lot of nervous energy and a need for achievement (Mackechnie, n.d). Although shapers generate action and thrive under pressure, they tend to assume the feelings of others which would have otherwise made it challenging to implement the group task.
I believe most of the members, myself included, had a combination of coordinator and team worker skills. The skillsets made it easier to solve issues as soon as they emerged leading to a seamless discussion process. The issues could have negatively affected the team if we did not have mature and confident members to point out the problems and guide the group towards the mission. In addition, most of the members were team players as witnessed by the way we resolved the organization issue quickly, allowing each person to make their contribution without judgment. For example, I was not as fast as the other members when sharing my ideas but I was allowed to speak without interruption. Having a group composed of diverse individuals as per Belbin’s team roles strengthened the team making it possible to go over the task within the one-hour timeline to successfully complete the task.
As a group, we effortlessly advanced from storming stage to norming stages of Tuckman’s phases of group development when each member decided to relinquish the comfort zone of non-threatening topics and risk the emergence of conflicts (WCU, 2021). During the initial forming stage of team development, people go through different feelings and observable behaviours. In my case for example, I was nervous and stressed since I was not certain of my role and skills. On the contrary, the shapers had a lot of nervous energy and were highly motivated leading to the disruptions at the start of the meeting (Mackechnie, n.d). These members felt the need to push others into action as the process of organizing tasks surface interpersonal conflicts (WCU, 2021).
However, after recognizing the problems such as a lack of role clarity, argument among members and confusion, the team worker role emerged in most of the members making it possible to put the structure of the team together. As a result, team members, including the shapers, tried to avoid conflict at all cost due to the need to be accepted into the group and achieve positive results (WCU, 2021). We learned to trust each other and the group transitioned to shared leadership. The interdependence resulting from this development helped us complete the task within the allocated time.
I performed well on individual presentation since I was adequately prepared for the task. I took time to research about the topic and answer it correctly. In addition, I asked questions before completing the task and ensured that I adhered to all the assignment requirements. However, I should have learned more about the visuals to enhance the presentation.
Conclusion
On reflection, I am very pleased with my performance. Both the group-assignment and individual presentation were new experiences for me and I believe I carried myself in a professional way manner in both interactions. I had not participated in a similar group project and the experience at Anfield assessment centre is a great foundation for my future job placement prospects. When we were given the individual presentation task, I was very anxious and felt that I did not possess appropriate communication skills to make the presentation. However, as I worked through the task and reviewed the instructions, I started becoming more confident such that I started looking forward to the day I would make the presentation. I learned the importance of making adequate preparation prior an event to boost my confidence and communication skills.
In the future, what I will do differently is to always being aware of what I say and the context of a situation so that I can adapt quickly and form a communication at hand. The challenges I faced as an individual are a result of ineffective verbal and non-verbal communication skills. I was stressed and nervous at the start of the group project and this affected my ability to clearly articulate ideas. I should have been more attentive when my teammates were speaking and also taken time to think before speaking to become more fluent and clear. I will start recording myself with both video camera and audio recorder to see how I am improving on my communication to enhance the skills.
Action Plan
Short-term
In the short-term, I will research more about the companies that I aspire to work with to understand the role and the requirements. I will use this information to enhance my capabilities. I will implement this goal from May to June 2022 with the help of my career coach since I am yet to identify a specific niche in the marketing profession.
Medium-term
In the medium-term, I will take a digital communication program to enhance my skills now that I will be working as part of a team once I get an internship placement. From mid-July to December, 2022, I will enrol in leadership and communication program, with the guidance of my assessor and career coach to identify the most suitable course that will develop my skills.
Long-term
From the start of September 2022, I will join professional programs relating to my career in marketing and leadership. I will use the opportunity to network with practitioners in the profession, learn more about my career, and identify mentors that will guide me through my career journey. I will also take this opportunity to take up roles in leadership to develop my skills and get noticed for better job prospects.