Hey, I’m about to host my first team meeting with my team members. I have a list of things that I’m going to bring up, like how VEX works, different team roles, and fundraising. What are some other key points that I need to make sure to get in? Thank you in advance.
Those are a pretty good start for one meeting. I don’t know how much time you have or what you want to include, but some other topics may be:
- Safety
- Good notebooking/importance of notebooking
- Software being used (ROBOTC, PROS, Autodesk, etc.)
- Code of conduct sort of thing
- Game analysis
- Agenda and work timeline
Pfft, what’s that?!? But in all seriousness, I’m surprised that you put safety as, well, number one. Why is that the first thing to bring up with people who don’t know anything who you are trying to teach everything? We don’t do enough cutting/drilling that this is such a big issue for us. And yes, we always wear our safety glasses. 
Most of the members are familiar with tools, and most people who would join a robotics team would know that you shouldn’t touch motorized metal blades spinning at more than 2000 rpm:)
That would be my hope.
But 1999 RPM is fine.
Probably should’ve used bullets, I didn’t really have an order in mind. I just wanted it on the list 
Here’s what I would address with new members.
- The ethos of the competition. Vex is all about helping people that need it, and everyone should be expected to give and take. I’ve been on the receiving end of help that saved me countless hours from my friends, random teams at competitions, teams we’ve scrimmaged with, and so on. And I try to pass that on with the newer members of my school’s club, my other friends, and my old middle school’s teams.
- A basic introduction to all the parts. My robotics club last year found it really helpful when I listed all the major parts and talked very briefly about their functions. There are a lot, and it’s confusing to just be handed a bucket of stuff and told to build a robot.
- Team dynamic. A good team involves multiple members in each phase of the building with minimal tension between the teammates. It should be expected that everyone contributes to the robot and nobody refuses to work or hoards the robot.
- The spirit of rebuilding. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” doesn’t apply to vex at all. If it’s not cycling faster than every other robot in the world, consider it broke and fix it. Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, and it’s very important to redesign and improve throughout the season.
- Time commitment. It’s not unreasonable to expect a pretty serious time commitment from all the members of the team, and it’s a good idea to put that out there so nobody has unrealistic expectations.
Good luck with your meeting!
2 Likes
Icebreakers are an underrated activity. It’s important to fully introduce each team member and intimately understand their favorite ice cream flavor for a lubricated team dynamic.
Also, (in all seriousness) make sure the #girlpowered dynamic is clear! Often girls are shy to participate even when they are on teams and it’s important to make them feel at home.
1 Like