Developing Effective Team Communication Skills

Good 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 these 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.These skills combined with appropriate body language, can help anyone in leaving a mark behind with each interaction he/she has.

This article discusses developing effective team communication skills in people.

Most organizations, now, work on different projects simultaneously with separate teams allocated to each project. Depending on the project size and scope, they can be small or large. Irrespective of the number of employees in a team, it is essential that every member 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 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.

Developing such skills within the team can be done easily by imbibing some basic manners, professional etiquette, and keeping an open mind.

Follow the tips given below and start practicing them:

• Always respect all your fellow members, irrespective of whether you are just a member or a leader.

• Ensure whether all the members understand the project requirements thoroughly and know what the project targets are. Ask questions or have discussions to clarify the same.
• Organize regular meetings to understand the doubts and queries of every member, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Keep every member informed with the latest project updates or project issues.
• Define the role and responsibility of every member clearly to avoid confusion or unnecessary 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. Repeat others' words to acknowledge their point of views.
• Ask for feedback and suggestions.
• 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 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 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 members. Follow the professional etiquette while writing emails, greeting over telephones, leaving voicemail, 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 someone 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.

• 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 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 anyone's words 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.

Always try to find out if any member is facing any problem and have a discussion with him/her to address the issue. Speaking and constant interaction with each other always helps in developing a healthy spirit.