Communicate Your Way to a Great Team

October 7, 2014In Cognition, Concepts5 Minutes

Communication

It’s no secret that effective communication is key within any workplace – in any relationship, be it personal or professional, the ability to express yourself clearly, efficiently and with warmth is one of the greatest skills an individual can have.

Fantastic communication within your team will assist in understanding and productivity – once objectives, problems, and advice are exchanged, work can be completed in a timely and positive manner, which will imbue your employees with a sense of accomplishment and unity toward a common goal.

How to Increase Productive Communication Within Your Team

Ensure that the goal and mission are clear to everyone on the team. There is no room for ambiguity within the workplace! Set attainable yet challenging goals for yourself and for your team, in order to increase productivity and the subsequent validation. To reach your objectives, each member of the team must know what they are and what each person can do to bring the team toward that goal. Do not be afraid to ask for help or to offer help to one another – the success of the team is dependent on the success of each individual member.

Team meetings are a common tool – done properly, they don’t have to be a time vacuum. Before the meeting begins, all team members should be informed of the meeting’s purpose, knowing what they can contribute to the discussion. Closing the meeting on a high note, one of accomplishment, reflects the positivity that should be key within the entire process. While the meeting’s purpose may have been to correct issues or project-reevaluation, the ultimate foundation is the unity and goal-mindset of the team.

Note: Be hyper aware of your non-verbal communication! Staying conscious of your body language will allow your message to stay pure and undiluted, and can only contribute to the message coherency.

Wondering how you can increase the effectiveness of your team’s communication? Build a culture that promotes regular discussion (e.g. the above mentioned meetings) and rehashing of goals/objectives, remaining transparent throughout (transparency provides all members with the same information, keeping everyone properly informed).

Cooperation

Once employees and coworkers see that there is a unified goal, the process becomes easier. When you know that someone has your best interests in mind, wishes to hear your opinion and feedback, and consistently wants to work with you to improve your own objectives – wouldn’t you feel positively toward that person? Communication creates engaged and productive employees.

Positive Reinforcement

Rewards can be financial, but making your employees and coworkers feel appreciated can go much deeper. Simple verbal acknowledgement of hard work and dedication breeds validation and a sense of accomplishment. Building on personal pride in a justified way will assure that the positive behavior will be repeated — because who doesn’t want to feel proud of what they have achieved? Recognition by peers and leaders has been shown to increase the chances of success, as the receiver benefits from the messages and undertakes actions to continue the chain of positivity.

Follow-Up/Feedback

Gather feedback from your coworkers and employees. As mentioned above, the chance for miscommunication is very high – it is strongly advisable to continually check in with each other, to make sure that each message is received clearly and accurately.

You may think that the message you are sending is the same one that others are receiving – however, every individual processes information and tone in specific ways. Take your audience into consideration, as well as timing and tone used. Effective communication also fosters trust within the team, building a safe and secure space for that productivity. Ultimately, the short and long term benefits for your company will be tremendous.

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