Communication as Your Key to Successful Teamwork
What place does communication take among other important business processes? What tools do you use to communicate with teammates and partners? What is the best way to use them? How to find the best time for negotiations? Why should you improve communication skills and processes every day?
Answers to these questions and helpful hacks you will find in this article! ;)
Why Is It So Important?
Efficient communication can bring enormous results in any business. Clear instructions, quick feedback, effective message delivery and correct explanation make communication for people convenient and more productive. When you clearly understand what, how and why you have to do, the results of such great teamwork are surprising! Here are some stats that prove that:
- According to McKinsey’s study, an organisation with well connected employees observe a 20–25% increase in productivity.
- Project.co’s research shows that 96% of people believe that business can improve with the help of the right communication and project management.
- Also, the study states that 74% of customers give up and move to a competitor due to poor communication.
Keep in mind, if colleagues can’t pass the information properly, the work most likely will not be done the way everyone expects. This starts a chain of events causing delays in releases, poor quality of services, and troubles in other aspects of business. Especially critical when this chain affects end customers. Then you’ll be getting tons of bug reports and other issues, while you have lost control over the whole process as it was crushing from the very beginning.
That’s why you should improve communication within your business, company or project.
What Are the Goals of Effective Communication?
Better Understanding
Before one gets things done, they have to understand what is behind processes and tasks. Misconceptions lead to postponing deadlines and mistakes, which don’t contribute to productivity.
People Empowerment
Colleagues who possess more information, feel more empowered and engaged in great teamwork. They realise that they drive progress, which motivates them. Even sharing the company news with everyone can increase productivity and lead to better results.
Healthy Environment
This point arises from the two mentioned above. A great working atmosphere originates from engagement, motivation and respect, which is literally impossible without communicating these values to all the company employees.
Effective Teamwork
At Collabio, we are keen on great teamwork and productivity. We believe that no success is possible without the contribution of each team member. That’s why we provide cloudless collaboration technology so that you can collaborate and communicate simultaneously.
Good Accountability
People are trying to keep one another accountable in a friendly environment and well-tuned communication. Employees know what leaders expect from them. So accountability increases as well as productivity.
How to Set Up Effective Communication?
Even if you have a well-built communication system in your business, take a look at these ideas of great teamwork. Maybe you will grab one and achieve maximum efficiency! What’s more, all these ways don’t cost much!
1. Use Face-to-face Communication Tools
The research by Project.co we quoted shows that 39% of businesses primarily use email for communication between co-workers, compared to online tools (28%) face-to-face (23%) and phone calls (2%). We believe, that seeing each other motivates employees more.
- First, you get ready for online meetings (when working remotely) and this creates a special working mood.
- Next, you see the interlocutor, their reactions and emotions. While talking to each other, you charge with energy of great teamwork.
- What’s more, speaking takes less time than writing. What one would type for 5 minutes, can be said in less than a minute.
- If you visit your office, you can simply meet with people offline and talk to them in meeting rooms, during coffee breaks, etc.
- By the way, find out “6 Ways Technology Contributes to Your Productivity Every Day” in our recent article.
2. Organise Informational Newsletters
Employees will feel more engaged in the company processes if they receive a newsletter with company’s updates at least once a week. Emails can contain general company news, project news, information on important changes, educational materials, links to useful resources and just anything that will come in handy for everyone.
- By receiving such newsletters, every member of any team will be sure of what’s going on and what to be ready for.
- Don’t forget from time to time to include pleasant surprises for your employees (for example, team-building events), and let them know and remind them about those in newsletters.
3. Support Feedback Sharing
People are a great source of fresh ideas but not all of them share thoughts by own initiative without being questioned. If you value feedback, make sure to ask them!
Sometimes employees have comments or claims that they cannot or do not want to express for a reason. Often they might believe that speaking up may somehow affect their position in the company or team, or even turn everyone against them. That is why some introduce a practice of anonymous feedback to let everyone express their opinion without fear. Another great practice is to lead by example and offer your feedback, before you ask everyone else to share.
4. Use Convenient Tools to Transmit Information
Having all the information at hand is extremely useful, no matter whether you work remotely or in the office.
- Group chats. They let people quickly get in touch with each other, discuss anything and find needed information in retrospective. Besides such chats are commonly a multiplatform so they can be used from any device. Also, we’ve mentioned top tools for business chatting in our listicle from point 1. ;)
- Knowledge bases. These are bases to keep all the information on the company and projects. If one needs to get, for example, project documentation or design materials, they don’t need to ask anyone, instead just access such a base.
- Employee handbooks. This is a short Q&A with information on what to do and when, whom to address in case some issues arise (colleagues’ contacts) and other important information.
5. Lead by Example
This tip works well for all — specialists, managers and leaders. If you want to make changes, start with yourself. Having an “open-door” policy does not mean just declaring that on paper, follow your principles every day, every hour and every minute.
Start conversations, discuss problems, hit the common ground in a dialogue. This will be the best motivation for others to follow your company policy and communication will improve naturally thanks to everyone’s participation.
Have something to add from your previous experience? Don’t hesitate to share your cases, stories and recommendations in the comments! ;)
