If you want to create a successful and healthy team, what you need is Effective team communication.
What is effective communication?
Communication is fundamental in every business. Effective communication is communication between two or more people to deliver, obtain, and understanding a message efficiently. It allows a team to identify and resolve conflicts early, improve employee engagement, and build a transparent company culture. To communicate in the most effective way possible, it is important to know what the 7 principles of communication are. This can serve as a checklist to certify that there is good communication in your workplace.
The 7 Principles of Communication (7C’s):
- Concrete –By having a concrete message you want to deliver to your team, this will allow them to have a clear idea of what you want to express.
- Coherent – When your communication is coherent, it is logical. All points are linked to the main topic.
- Clear – Your message should be clear so that team members are not puzzled by what you try to convey. Be precise about your purpose/goal.
- Concise – Being concise in your communication means sticking to the point and keeping it brief.
- Correct – When your communication is correct, it fits your audience and is also error-free.
- Complete – In a complete message, your team should have everything they need to be informed.
- Courteous – Courteous communication is friendly and open. There are no concealed insults or passive-aggressive tones.
Improving communication in the workplace can bring many benefits to your organization, such as increased productivity and loyalty. Communicating with your team members is vital, particularly as we face uncertain times such as dealing with Coronavirus.
Tips for effective communication:
- Have an open-door policy. An open-door policy is important in a team as it builds trust. It allows people to ask questions, raise concerns, and pitch ideas at any time. By doing this, leaders are making a statement to their employees that their opinions are welcome. It breaks down a big barrier to effective team communication, as employees understand that they can communicate openly without fear of scolding or embarrassment.
- Communication tools. There are a lot of options on how you can communicate with your team – this is especially true if your team is remote. You can use video calls, texts, email, etc. To get the most from your team, you need to pick a communication method that works best for the group. For instance, here at Execview, we use 2 main forms of communications tools, (1) Microsoft Teams where the whole team meets 3 times a day, discussing tasks that we have started, tasks in progress, and those finished, which allows everyone to keep up to date on what has been going on. This is extremely effective as it also enhances inclusivity in the team. (2) Slack, a messaging platform that allows team members to connect, allowing us to have group discussions online, or simply just to check in with each other.
- Be clear about tasks so everyone knows their responsibility. It is not possible to effectively complete a task if you are unsure of what to do. Therefore, it is imperative that the whole teams know the ins and outs of a project and that they know what is expected of them. Getting a team together frequently to check progress, ask questions and pinpoint any issues is a good way to keep everyone on track and to make sure all members are aware of their responsibility in a project.
For effective team communication to take place, individuals need to trust that they can speak honestly and openly with each other. The 7 principles of communications in addition to these 3 tips can bring your team together, improve communication, and make the workplace a more enjoyable and stress-free place to be.
By Keisha Parry
