Communication and Teamwork

1. Communication and Teamwork Jan Magaw Trainer and Coordinator BS El. Education MAED AEDL

2. Introduction/Purpose • We face issues with communication as individuals • The same issues arise when we’re in a team but they’re compounded by the number of people in the team • This presentation will provide some practical tips for communicating with your team-mates

3. Agenda • Identifying Learning Styles • Developing Ground Rules • Feedback – Giving and Receiving • Communicating through Conflict • Virtual Teams – Special Considerations

4. Developing Ground Rules • Team norms focussed on communication will help prevent issues • e.g. allow team-mates to express ideas • e.g. keep comments/remarks in a positive and appropriate manner • e.g. listen openly • e.g. communicate honestly

5. Knowing your learning style is beneficial for communicating Visual learners tend to be better written communicators. Which are you?

6. Where are are you in the chart?

7. Feedback – Giving and Receiving • Be positive or constructive • Allow for a safe environment where mistakes are acceptable • Encourage individuality • Stimulate critical thinking

8. Communicating through Conflict • Team-mates must respect each other enough to confront and disagree without risking the life of the team • Agree to disagree • Communication is most important in times of team conflict • Four steps to communicating through conflict: • Listen • Acknowledge • Respond • Resolve remaining differences

9. 1. Listen • “Hearing” is not “listening” • Effective listening means concentrating on what is said (the words) and how it is said (non-verbal cues)

10. 2. Acknowledge • “Acknowledging” is not “agreeing” • You can acknowledge what a team-mate has said without agreeing • Paraphrase what you’ve heard or describe the feelings your team-mate is expressing • e.g. “I understand that you feel left out.” • e.g. “You feel angry that we made that decision without your input.”

11. 3. Respond • Respond to your team-mate with your opinion or perspective • e.g. “I understand your point of view. In my opinion……” • Or offer constructive feedback • e.g. “I disagree with that statement because…..” • Use feel, felt, found. I know how you feel, I felt the same way. This is what I found.

12. 4. Resolve Remaining Differences • Determine what is causing the disagreement • Analyze the problem into parts • Generate alternative solutions • Select the most reasonable alternative that all team members can agree on

13. Virtual Teams – Special Considerations • Communication issues facing teams are compounded yet again in virtual teams • Virtual teams must make up for the loss of physical contact, regular face-to-face meetings, and schedule conflicts

14. Virtual Teams – Making Communication Work • Start face-to-face • Put communication on the agenda • Establish norms • Keep communication constant • Vary the media used for communication • Remember importance of non-verbal communication

15. 1. Start Face-to-Face • Bring team members together during formation of the team • Promotes bonding • May need to meet occasionally after formation

16. 2. Put Communication on the Agenda • Teams forget to talk about communication before it becomes an issue • Be sure to discuss communication • When is it appropriate? • What is appropriate? • What is not appropriate?

17. 3. Establish Norms • Norms for all teams should include items around communication • Virtual teams will have to include additional norms • e.g. all members will check messages at least every 24 hours • e.g. all members will respond to messages within 24 hours

18. 4. Keep Communication Constant • Remain in contact even when the team isn’t “busy” • This is a good chance to get to know your team-mates better (take advantage of it)

19. 5. Vary the Media used for Communication • Make use of all media available to the team • Synchronous: • Instant messaging, team chat room, net meeting, desktop conferencing, conference call • Asynchronous: • E-mail (including audio/video attachment), discussion board postings, voicemail

20. 6. Remember Importance of Non-Verbal Communication • Non-verbal communication accounts for a large part of the meaning of any message • Necessary for successful communication • Potential for misunderstandings and conflicts if this “piece” of communication is missing • Virtual teams must realize the importance of non-verbal communication and the impact on the interpretation of their messages • In informal communications, use emoticons

21. Summary/Conclusions • Most of the issues facing teams can be addressed through open and honest communication • Communication is the ‘process’ (an activity) by which information and feelings are shared by people through an exchange of verbal and non-verbal messages

22. References Armstrong, D. (2000). Building Teams Across Borders. Executive Excellence, 17, p. 10. Hoyt, B. R. (2000). Techniques to Manage Participation and Contribution of Team Members in Virtual Teams. WebNet Journal, 2, p. 16. The Team Working Together (n.d.). Retrieved July 22, 2005 from http://aapd.phoenix.edu/ToolsForTeams/5-gettingtoresults.asp Weiss, D. H. (1997). Four steps for managing team storms. Getting Results…..For the Hands-On Manager, 42, 7-10.

23. Questions? Comments?