Every member of your group has a voice, so it is essential to give each group member an opportunity to share his thoughts. If you are in a business meeting, go around the table and let each employee weigh in on the topic. If you are on a volunteer board, let every volunteer chime in with his thoughts on the project. One benefit of group work is the diversity of opinions, but that benefit exists only if your group embraces different opinions.
Your success in a group depends upon your ability to voice your opinions. Just as you want to welcome others' opinions, you also want to make yours known. A silent group member contributes nothing to the group's efforts. If you feel overwhelmed working with others, set time aside before your group meeting to collect your thoughts so you are prepared to speak up when a topic that interests you is discussed.
Group work results in a lot of talk and little productivity if tasks are not assigned to individual members. Every group includes members with different strengths. Take advantage of individual strengths by assigning tasks with group members' abilities in mind. For example, if a work group charged with building a website includes a graphic designer and a technical writer, the graphic designer works on the logo for the project while the technical writer focuses on composing website content.
One of the risks of group work is that individuals do not complete tasks equally. An ambitious group member might take on too much work, while a lazier one tries to get by doing as little work as possible. Suggest to your group that you have regular meetings -- either online or face-to-face -- in which group members update each other on the tasks they are working on. Not only does this ensure that the group stays on schedule, it also holds individual group members accountable for their work.