The Last Lecture: Chapter 35 Summary & Analysis

Randy says that being able to work well in a group is a vital and necessary skill “in both the work world and in families.” So, Randy makes his students work in teams on group projects, and, over the years, improving these group dynamics becomes an obsession of Randy’s, leading him to create a sheet entitled “Tips for Working Successfully in a Group.” When he’d go over it with students, they often rolled their eyes and thought it to be beneath them, but the most self-aware students embraced the advice, as it was “a little like Coach Graham coming to practice without a football”—they were learning the fundamentals.

The tips include “Meet people properly” (including learning names and getting contact information), “Find things you have in common” to better relate to your group members, “Try for optimal meeting conditions” (like making sure no one is hungry or distracted during meeting times), “Let everyone talk” (as in, don’t hog the whole discussion), “Praise each other,” and “Check egos at the door.”

The last thing on Randy’s list is “Phrase alternatives as questions,” so that people can offer comments rather than A vs. B choices. At the end of the lesson, Randy calls off the groups again, making them raise their hands to say what group they’re in. On each number, hands shoot up from all over the room, and Randy keeps repeating the exercise over and over until he finally asks, “Why on earth are all of you still sitting with your friends … [instead of with] the people in your group?” Randy leaves the room, comes back, and sees they’ve all switched into their groups. Randy wanted to show “them that they had missed something simple…so they could certainly benefit from reviewing the rest of the basics.” The next class, everyone sits with their groups.