How many of you have had a long to-do list and found yourself going from one item to the next without even using your time efficiently? The project is not completed when you’re finally done with all the tasks you set out to do.
To be efficient, we need to work smarter, not just harder. One way of doing this is through team communication. Communication is essential for any team building success and it’s also an effective way of preventing problems before they start. Here are some tips on how effective team communication can improve your project:
Easy access to information: It’s a known fact that a lot of time is lost in an office due to not having the latest information. In fact, it’s so common that it was even made into a popular movie called Office Space. The easy accessibility of information helps you to improve your efficiency by allowing you to accomplish tasks quickly and correctly.
If you want any task done right, you have to ensure every team member has access to the necessary data and information so they know exactly what they’re doing. A simple way of ensuring this is through the use of internal mailboxes or discussion forums where everyone can leave notes for others.
Communication is the Key to Creating a Team
What makes communication effective is that it’s the key to building the group. Team building is an important part of productivity and all teams have to build their foundations in order to function effectively. In order to effectively work together, you need to establish a sense of belonging.
This means telling everyone about a problem and asking them how they’d solve it. This helps you identify possible solutions before your project even begins. It also allows everyone an opportunity to serve their roles and tasks without having to worry about being put in charge of something they don’t know what they’re doing or having their ideas shot down.
My experience has been that two things have been effective in building communication in team is clear and effective communication. Focusing on these two things will greatly increase your team’s communication.
1. Clear Communication Saves Time
It’s the same with a lot of other things: If you can’t convey what you want to say, then you’ve lost a lot of your time. The same goes for communication. If the message isn’t clear enough, then chances are it will be misunderstood and even cause more problems. This is why it’s important for people to speak up and tell others when they don’t understand something or if they appear confused.
Keep in mind that everyone has their own way of understanding things which is why it’s important you make an effort in explaining issues or information as clearly as possible so that everyone can get the same message and understand without any confusion or additional problems.
Pro Tip: Less is more. Try cutting down the amount of words you use and focus on the objective of your communication. Never blend or add to messages.
2. Effective Communication
Effective communication is key to building a successful team and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be. It allows the ease of information sharing and it makes the job a whole lot easier because you don’t have to keep going back and forth between people trying to get various tasks done. It also cuts down on confusion, which can increase efficiency dramatically.
There’s really no reason why you shouldn’t try using internal mailboxes to keep everyone updated and in the loop. You never know how much time you’re wasting by not using these tools, but it’s very important that everyone understands that there are certain rules in place when using them such as not arguing with someone through the message box or leaving personal issues at home.
Pro Tip: Everyone has a preferred communication method. Leaders need to understand what is the best format to for their people to receive it. Some people prefer slack, others may want a phone call.
