Team

Communication and

Effective Teams

Jenna DrodtTeams and Team Development

1

Why Team Communication is Important

2

Team communication is important to develop for any

successful business or organization. Teammates must

develop trust and be more open in everyday life.

Teams can communicate in a quicker and more

efficient amount of time than other individuals.

The effective communication allows team members to

understand their roles and other team members’ roles. It

gives the benefit of understanding among the team

members for what needs to be done.

Components of Team Communication

and Effective Teamwork

Team Communication

Sensory Data

Emotional Response

Clear Vision

Effective Teamwork

Positivity

Recognition

Feedback

Trust and Respect

Communication

Roles

Support

Leadership

3

Characteristics of Team Communication

Good Communication

Engaging

Trust

Honest

Truthfulness

Good listening skills

Leadership

Safety

Appropriate body language

Clear and concise opinion and lecturing

Bad Communication

Defensiveness

Confusion

Too much information

Pointless

4

Team Guidelines

Prepare a Plan and Meeting

Actively Team Player

Establish the Environment

Build Communication

Use effective appraisals and incentives

Analyze needs for training

Anticipate the effect of change

5

Tools to Improve Team Communication

Organizational Practice

Team Leadership

Team Practices

6

Managing Team Communication

Communication Needs

Sharing Skills and Knowledge

Motivation Cycle

Getting Results

7

Techniques for Team Communication

Conducting and Participating in Meetings

Listening

Using the Phone

Communication

Sender MessageCommunication

ChannelRecipient

8

Characteristics of an Effective Team

Clear Purpose “The vision, mission, goal, or task of the team has been defined and is now accepted by everyone. There is an action

plan.”

Informality “The climate tends to be informal, comfortable, and relaxed. There are no obvious tensions or signs of boredom.”

Participation “There is much discussion and everyone is encouraged to participate.”

Listening “The members use effective listing techniques such as questioning, paraphrasing, and summarizing to get out ideas.”

Civilized Disagreement “There is disagreement, but the team is comfortable with this and shows no signs of avoiding, smoothing over, or

suppressing conflicts.”

Consensus Decision “For important decisions the goal is substantial but not necessarily unanimous agreement through open discussion of

everyone’s ideas and avoidance of formal voting or easy compromises.

Open Communication and

Trust

“Team members feel free to express their opinions on the tasks as well as on the group’s operation, coupled with a

high level of trust. Communication also takes place outside of meetings.”

Clear Roles and Work

Assignments

“There are clear expectations about the roles played by each team member. When action is taken, clear assignments

are made, accepted, and carried out. Work is fairly distributed among team members.”

Shared Leadership “Although the team has a formal leader, leadership functions shifts from time to time depending on circumstances,

the needs of the group, and the skills of the members. The formal leader models the appropriate behavior and helps

establish positive norms.”

External Relations “The team spends time developing key outside relationships, mobilizing resources, and building credibility with

important players in other parts of the organization.”

Style Diversity “The team has a broad spectrum of team player types, including members who emphasize attention to task, goal

setting, focus on process, and questions about how the team is functioning.”

Self-Assessment “Periodically, the team stops to examine how well it is functioning and what may be interfering with its

effectiveness.”

9

The EndTeams and Team Development

10