Communication remains one of the most important aspects of successful teamwork. In a team, a leader must be able to clearly and positively communicate with his or her team. By encouraging open communication, providing the right feedback, and resolving problems early, strong relationships and better results can be achieved. This article discusses primary approaches and communication techniques that can assist in improving overall team leadership.
Communicating With Your Team
Switching from a purely leadership position to one with coaching elements greatly helps in team engagement. A coach is a person who makes a team member aware of the problem and then allows them to try and solve it on their own. For example, while seeking feedback use open questions with no restrictions. Instead of asking, “Are you happy with our services?” consider asking “How has your experience been with our services?” The latter probes for more reflection and will help with harvesting deeper insights from your teammates.
Four Types of Communication Methods
As a leader, different types of communication are crucial for building and maintaining positive relationships with your team.
Verbal Communication
This is the most common method, where messages are transmitted through speech. Effective verbal communication includes focusing on elements such as clarity and tone of speech to ensure the message is received as intended.
Non-Verbal Communication
Besides speech, people depend on non-verbal communication like gestures and tone. A popular saying goes, “What is important is not what is said but how it is said.” A change in tone or a simple pause has the ability to change the essence of a message.
Written Communication
Written communication most formally occurs in reports, emails, and manuals. It makes no room for doubt, which means you have to be careful to make sure the information conveyed is clear and correct. Always proofread your spelling and grammar so your professionalism shines through. Structure the message clearly by bulleted lists when needed.
Effective Communication Techniques
To make your messages impactful, approach the following tips provided below:
Problem-Oriented vs. Solution-Oriented Statements
Instead of merely stating the problem, help the person move forward in a positive manner. In this manner, the statement, “You are doing this wrong, here’s how you can fix it,” is much more constructive than just saying what went wrong. This helps with learning in a much better way.
Asking Problem-Oriented Questions
Instead of critical thinking towards the task as “What are the three biggest challenges we face in this project?” will allow all team members to be tasked with identification and analysis, and in turn, put forth feasible solutions.
Solution-Oriented Questions
When concentrating on the problem, it’s equally helpful to ask questions like, “What steps can we take to overcome these challenges?” It is helpful to ask this type of question as it encourages pro-activity along with collaboration.
The BECC Model for Team Communication
ODEF Model is another working model when it comes to communicating with your team:
Bond: Get to know your colleagues and build a consensus with them.
Empathize: Try to understand their pain areas and extend some empathy towards them.
Connect: Establish rapport and mutual respect.
Communicate: Don’t forget to remember that real communication is multi directional using free dialogue after having established trusting relationships.
This model guarantees that your communication within your group is effective and fosters trust and rapport at the same time.
How to Give Constructive Criticism Feedback
The feedback process is important for the development of the team. The IRS (Impact-Behavior- Situation) strategy is a very handy one in giving feedback:
Impact. Specify how a colleague’s conduct bears on the team or the project.
Behavior. Be objective and avoid personalizing the problem.
Situation. State the context of the behavior and offer ways of improving it.
With this strategy, the feedback “no one likes me because I am a bad teacher” can be transformed into “I can communicate effectively with my students and thus ensure that they are not punished for my teaching incompetence.”
The 7Cs of Communication
Whenever there is communication, these elements are bound to be there and need equal focus. Those elements are:
Clear. Avoid jargon in order to enhance accuracy and reliability.
Correct. Ensure that all information that is provided is correct.
Complete. Provide the necessary information in order to avoid confusion.
Concrete. Be specific and precise with what is being said.
Concise. Only give relevant information without straying from the core of the subject.
Courteous. Politeness is key, along with the usage of appropriate language.
Coherent. Whatever is being said has to follow some logic to enhance understandability.
Just like that, by applying the 7Cs your communication skills can be perfected, with misunderstanding being less of an issue.
Conclusion
Communication skills are an important dimension to effective leadership and teamwork. By using a coaching style, incorporating multiple forms of communication, and utilizing tools such as the BECC model and the 7Cs, you can promote a thriving workplace culture. If you practice communication with empathy, clarity, and precision, you will enhance your team’s productivity while improving interpersonal relations, thus achieving sustainable success.
