When you are in control of a team of employees, you need to make sure that you are always working together to the best of your abilities. A key part of this can often be ensuring that those you are working with are communicating properly. Communication is one of the most important parts of team co-operation. Here are some of the ways you can work to improve it.
Identify the Current Issues
Think that your team is not communicating adequately at the moment? This is likely to be for a good reason. You should therefore try to work out what those issues might be. There are many different reasons here, but identifying and addressing some of the key ones could help you to move in the right direction.
For example, there might be an error in communication simply because there are some people who are working remotely, while others are able to be together in an office environment. If there are some who are together and others apart, there could be a small communication breakdown simply as those who are located in separate areas are not able to get their points across so fluidly. By trying to work out how people can come together smoothly, you might be able to overcome an obstacle such as this.
Set Up Communication Channels
How can you expect communication to improve if you are not going to give your employees the tools needed for proper communication? You need to make sure that you are opening up communication channels so they are able to reach out to each other as and when this is required.
For example, a WhatsApp group is an easy way to bring people together. Most people will have access to WhatsApp in some way, whether this is through their smartphone or even their desktop. So long as the person who creates the group has everyone’s numbers, they will be able to make it. Members of the group will then be able to exchange messages privately if they need to.
This method can often be a lot speedier than exchanging emails, and it can be a great way to address everyone rather than having to make sure that no one is accidentally left out of the email chain. This is just one example of a communication channel that you could set up for your team, but it is a very good one that you should seriously consider pursuing.
Compatibility
If you are providing equipment for your staff, you might not have to worry about the issue of compatibility that much. However, if you have staff that are working on their own devices, you need to make sure that you ensure that your preferred software is compatible with their computers.
For example, you might have certain programs that you want your staff to use. This helps to ensure that there is uniformity across their tasks, and means that they will be able to exchange aspects of a project more successfully. Finding solutions like working out how to use Google Meet on Mac can make managing compatibility issues among your team that little bit easier. People might have their preferred operating systems to work on, but you need to ensure that they are familiar with the same software and programs to help keep communication and discussion moving.
Delegation
Team communication can actually be improved if you are willing to take the steps needed to also improve delegation and project management. Everyone needs to be aware of what the others are working on, and the stage of the project that they are on. With correct delegation and communication, there should hopefully be no crossover with two people working on the same parts of a project.
Software developers are aware of this dual need of delegation and communication, and so this is why you will often find that task management software often comes with some sort of chat function. Whether you are leaving messages that you can tag people in, or you are using a more standard live chat function, there are plenty of ways that you can discuss the ongoing project and ensure that everyone is working in the correct parameters. On top of this, colleagues might be able to help out quickly and easily if someone needs help with a certain part of the project. With good project management comes easy and open communication.
Lead By Example
It is often no good to simply say that you want everyone to communicate more openly if you are not going to follow it up by not leading by example. You need to prove that you are a good communicator, and hopefully your team will follow suit.
In addition to being able to speak well and clearly, you need to ensure that you are a good listener. If one of your team comes to you with an issue, make sure that you pay close attention to it, and try to solve it as quickly and as efficiently as possible. A good leader will always try to lead their teams by example, and your communication efforts might be one of the first things that your team notices when working with you.
Get to Know Each Other Beyond Work
Sometimes, poor communication can arise in the workplace simply because there is a barrier there as the team does not know each other too well. For effective communication, you should consider overcoming this. It might be as simple as everyone going for a few drinks after work at the end of the week.
You could also potentially try a few team building activities. Whatever it takes, you need to make sure that the team is beginning to get a little more comfortable with each other. Remove some of that awkwardness, and things should be much easier to handle!
Improving a team’s communication is a must if projects are to be completed on time and to a good standard. Take the time to identify what might be holding your team back, and take the steps you need to make a significant improvement today.
