Effective Communication and Team Work

Dear Readers,

Businesses often ask employees to complete projects that require they work as a team. Working together has many benefits, including the possibility to create new friendships, a sense of group accomplishments and distribution of responsibilities. Conversely, teamwork also may cause tension and anxiety among employees because of poor communication. Effective communication can eliminate much of the stress and negative feelings sometimes associated with working closely as a team.

Characteristics: -

 To have effective communication in the work place, team members must keep an open mind, engage in active listening and have a clear understanding of project goals and requirements. Active listening is perhaps the most important of these. Active listening involves note taking, asking relevant questions and repeating what the other person says to verify clarify.

Effects: -

Effective communication determines the success or failure of projects requiring teamwork, and ultimately, the business itself. When team members communicate with open minds, and by asking questions rather than making assumptions, they build trust and harmony in the working environment. These elements work together to create a business culture of friendship and success.

Types: -

Employees at every level of an organisation must communicate with others in a variety of ways. Types of communication include emails, traditional letter writing, phone conversation and face-to-face exchange of ideas. Each platform has its own set of etiquette rules and skill sets. With proper training in communication skills and techniques, employees often improve their effectiveness across all communication platforms.

A lack of communication can lead to:

-   Missed project deadlines and slow progress toward problem solving can indicate communication issues

-   Spending too much time discussing strategies rather than implementing them.

-   No clear team direction or focus

-   Team conflict

-   Arguing among team members

What are some communications techniques and how do they work in a team environment?

Verbal communications: -

With verbal communication, team members can express their ideas and objectives with the clear and understandable use of words.

Using techniques such as open-ended questioning, for example asking questions that require more than a yes or no answer can help everyone involved give your opinions on a subject. This technique can make verbal communication among team members more effective.

Email: -

Email communication is a way to convey an instant message to team members, but an email should give only basic information and call for a verbal ‘follow up’ for more detail data. A poorly worded email can cause confusion. Email works best when team members use good spelling and proper grammar, and make the message clear. It is good way for teams to circulate information, arrange meetings and share data, but using email for group conversation is often less effective than discussing things in person.

Body Language: -

Several aspects of body language can be effective in a group setting. How close a team is seated together can indicate whether or not the members feel unified. A lazy posture can indicate disinterest in the topic being discussed. Physically touching team members can convey a feeling of intimacy and confidence. By watching body language when interacting, team members can find out how well they’re working together and if some people within the group are not comfortable with the environment.

Emotionally yours,
Langma School of Languages Pvt. Ltd. 
E-78, South Extension-1 
New Delhi- 110049
www.langmainternational.com