Effective communication is important in all aspects of life, but in the business environment, it is the very essence that makes things work. It turns the activities inside a company into tangible profit.
There are many situations when people working for the same company have to collaborate and engage in common projects together. For this, teambuilding is needed because without a proper team, the leader will have nothing but a collection of individuals put together but with no common goals or common points. You need effective communication for team building and here are the most important rules to keep in mind.
1. Do not burden teammates with unnecessary details
There is only so much a person can understand and retain from any type of communication. Make sure that your team’s time is well used in meetings, and communicate only the ideas and details that are needed at a certain point in time.
2. Ensure that your words are heard
Your teammates should not be just passive listeners when you present them with a plan. Effective communication is about encouraging them to ask clarifying questions and you can even ask them to present their own summarized version of what was discussed.
3. Each team member has a certain style of understanding
This is a very important aspect. Do not expect everybody to have the same capacity to absorb information. It is your role, as a leader, to know your team well and to offer them the possibility to understand the goals and details of the common project.
4. Communication is both verbal and non-verbal
Too many team leaders make the mistake of neglecting the importance of one of the two forms of effective communication. Paying attention to verbal, as well as non-verbal, cues when you communicate new ideas is a trait of a true leader. There are people who react to only one of the two, but do not count only on verbal communication or non-verbal communication. Your message may not reach all the members of your team as you intend it to.
5. Factual and emotional communication
In the same way that communication is both verbal and non-verbal, it can also be factual and emotional. There are people who need hard facts, such as numbers, charts and such, while there are others who need to become emotionally engaged with a project in order to give their best and go the extra mile. It is up to you to determine which team member is which, and communicate accordingly.
6. Verify feedback
Communication is not a one way process. You will know that your communication is effective when you notice results determined by what you have instructed your team to do. From time to time, check the situation by asking for feedback from your team mates. You will be able to see if they truly understood what was communicated or not.
Effective communication for team building is very important for your organization’s succcess. A team who communicates well among themselves, between members, between the leader and members and vice versa, is a team who succeeds and following these simple ground rules will help get you there.