I’m currently doing group work for one of my classes, and honestly, I’m starting to get irritated with one of our team members.
For context, I don’t expect everyone to agree with every idea presented during a meeting. That’s the whole point of collaboration, right? We exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and improve our output together. I’m more than willing to listen to constructive criticism and suggestions.
My problem is how this particular person communicates.
There are moments when our discussion is going smoothly. We’re building on each other’s ideas, establishing a direction, and making progress. Then this person suddenly throws in a side comment or a suggestion that completely derails the conversation. It’s not necessarily that the suggestion is bad, but the way it’s delivered and the timing make the discussion feel unnecessarily disrupted.
Example:
“oh tutal gusto mo yung plano na yan para mas marami kang airtime” like wtf???
“Bakit hindi nalang picture mo gamitin, tutal nagmamaganda ka?”
THIS IS OUR FIRST MEETING HA??? LIKE UNANG BESES NAMIN MAGMEMEET ONLINE!
What bothers me more is the condescending tone and the choice of words. Sometimes, it feels like he needs to insert his opinion into everything or make a comment just to establish that he has something to say. There’s a difference between contributing something meaningful to a discussion and constantly making remarks that undermine the flow of the conversation.
I understand that everyone has different communication styles, and maybe I’m also becoming less patient with this person. I’m trying to be self-aware because I don’t want my personal irritation to affect how I work with the rest of the group.
But at the same time, I feel like professionalism isn’t just about having good ideas. It’s also about knowing how to communicate them, when to speak, and how to respect the discussion that’s already happening.
For those who’ve experienced something similar, how do you deal with this kind of teammate?
Do you address it directly, let it slide to avoid unnecessary conflict, or find a way to manage the discussion so one person’s behavior doesn’t affect everyone else?
I want to handle this maturely without coming across as defensive or overly sensitive, but I also don’t want to keep getting annoyed every time we have a meeting.
Would appreciate hearing your experiences and advice. BTW nasa graduate program pala kami, kaya I was expecting more from the group.