Developing Effective Team Communication Skills

Importance of Effective Communication Skills
Effective communication skills empower an individual to inspire and influence others in order to reach the desired outcome, no matter how difficult the situation may appear to be. An individual with effective communication skills not just has an edge over his/her fellow colleagues/friends/acquaintances etc. but also carries out his/her job with a lot of confidence, ease and perfection. Effective communication skills combined with appropriate body language can help anyone in leaving a mark behind with each interaction he/she has.

Effective Communication Skills and the Team
Now that we have seen the importance of good communication skills, let us find out its relevance in a team in the context of your work place.

Most organizations, now, work on different projects simultaneously with separate teams allocated to each project. Depending on the project size and scope these teams can be small or large. Irrespective of the number of employees in a team, it is essential that every member of a team understands and shares relevant information related to the project. It is also important that they have a clear picture of their roles and responsibilities with respect to the project and deliver accordingly. Thus, in order to ensure a successful project execution, it is important that the team members share a healthy relationship based on trust, confidence and mutual understanding.

All this is possible only when a team develops and practices effective communication skills.

How to Develop Effective Team Communication Skills
Developing effective communication skills within the team can be done easily by imbibing some basic manners, professional etiquettes and keeping an open mind.

Follow the tips given below and start practicing them within your team:

• Always respect all your fellow team members, irrespective of whether you are just a team member or a team leader.
• Ensure whether all the team members understand the project requirements thoroughly and know what the project targets are. Ask questions or have discussions to clarify the same.
• Organize regular team meetings to understand the doubts and queries of every team member and provide solutions accordingly.
• Keep every team member informed with the latest project updates or project issues.
• Define the role and responsibility of every team member clearly to avoid confusion or un-necessary re-work.
• When in a meeting or discussion, let every one have their turn to speak and suggest. It is of no use if you alone keep talking and ignore what others have to say.
• Listen to others’ opinions and use their suggestions if found to be effective. Listening plays a significant role in effective communication. Repeat others’ words to acknowledge their point of views.
• Ask for feedbacks and suggestions from your team members.
• Always speak in a clear and slow manner. Give sound and logical reasoning to your opinions.
• Always be polite in your way of speaking and behavior. Using rude tone or body language may bring upon negative feelings among the team members.
• Clear out personal differences and misunderstandings by speaking it out with the concerned person. Keeping it inside and harboring grudges against one another may affect the team spirit and have a direct impact on the quality of your work.
• Make appropriate use of emails, telephones, voice messages and instant messengers while communicating with the fellow team members. Follow the professional etiquettes while writing emails, greeting over telephones, leaving voicemails and sending instant messages. These modes of communication also have a lot of importance in today’s work place.
• Avoid using unpleasant words, expressions, giving out sensitive and confidential information while using the above modes of communication.
• Display acknowledgement and appreciation through face to face interaction or electronic modes when a team member performs well. Just a pat on the back, a warm handshake or two lines of an appreciation mail can have a great impact to motivate a team member.
• When appreciated or praised, thank the person in a polite and sophisticated manner. Avoid continuous rejoicing about your personal success. This might create an uncomfortable situation for your other team members.
• Always have a friendly attitude towards each other. Help others in need and you will get back others’ help when you require the same.
• Deal with tense situations with a calm mind. If words of any team member make you angry try to keep a cool head and put your point forward. Avoid using harsh words in return.
• Avoid blaming others continuously when any work is not done. Instead, try to find out the root cause and see to it that it is not repeated in future.
• Find out if any team member is facing any problem and have a discussion with him/her to address the issue. Speaking and constant interaction with each other always help in developing a healthy team spirit.