Team meetings often provide employees the opportunity to discuss their work, share ideas, and improve workflow. But, if an employee’s behavioral patterns are disrupting team meetings, that employee may be regularly missing valuable opportunities to learn and grow. If an employee’s behavioral patterns interfere with team meetings and he is not open to addressing those behaviors, it may be time to consider other options.
Some team members may have a hard time communicating with one another because of personal behavioral patterns. For example, one employee may prefer to communicate exclusively through email, while another may prefer to talk on the phone. Although this communication preference can hinder productivity, it doesn’t have to be this way. As the company head, you would have to start eliminating this issue with the proper recruitment of candidates. If the time is limited, you can choose staff augmentation for immediate projects, recruiting them with the help of companies like TekStream (that does recruitment and It Advisory Services). In case you wish to train your existing employees, use these tips to help them overcome the barriers to effective communication.
8 Ways on How to Best Interact with your Team Members
- Schedule regular meetings – Your team is integral to your company’s success. But they need to feel valued and feel like they’re part of the bigger picture-so getting your team to meet regularly for open meetings is a must. Schedule regular meetings, start them with just the team members you want there, and invite a silent observer.
- Use appropriate body language – A successful team or organization is one in which every member feels heard. It can be difficult to achieve this goal, but it’s well worth pursuing. If you are heading the meet, then be sure to use body language that displays interest, such as leaning towards the person who is speaking, or using gestures that acknowledge comments made by someone.
- Speak simply – Speaking with other people requires more than just knowing their personality type. Some of our words have hidden meanings that can either help or hurt our relationships with coworkers, friends, and family members. From “can you pass me the salt” to “good morning,” I have learned several ways to communicate more efficiently and effectively, which can be beneficial in improving overall team communication.
- Utilize visuals – We have all been there, staring at a wall of text, trying to understand the meaning behind that sentence. That is why visuals and charts are important when presenting thoughts and ideas to clients and stakeholders. Use visuals to convey your message-visuals that make sense for the audience being addressed.
- Value every team member’s idea – As business owners and managers, it is important to recognize and value the contributions of every team member. After all, it is they who are responsible for making your business a success. Without them, work can be slow, productivity can be low, and profits can suffer.
- Establish ground rules for the team – The relationship between team members can be one of the most important factors in day-to-day operations. As with any relationship, however, it is important to establish ground rules for both interpersonal communication as well as working relationships.
- Encourage debate – Sometimes, the best way to motivate a team is to motivate them simply. One way you can do that is through debate sessions. Debate sessions allow team members to challenge each other’s viewpoints, and if they’re standoffish and unwilling to challenge each other, debate sessions can be a way to encourage debate.
- Show appreciation – Employees who feel appreciated are happier, more productive, and more likely to stay in their jobs. It is essential that a team leader recognize employees to improve their engagement. This can be done through various methods such as rewarding them financially, granting earned leaves or providing them the opportunity to learn the skill they want to. If you want to keep your team motivated, it’s important to show your appreciation for what they do on a regular basis. It’s important to interact effectively with your employees if you want your team to work productively, pull their socks when times are tough, and go the extra mile on projects.
A workplace communication breakdown is a big problem. There is a possibility that it could hide the issues employees are facing and hinder their productivity. For example, if employees don’t have comfortable chairs and desks, their speed and quality of work will be affected. If there will be no communication gap, employers can provide them with suitable furniture (probably with the help of office monster). As a result, proper communication practices could help solve employees’ problems and improve the efficiency of the company.
Various types of personalities could also be a factor in the communication gap. It could be that your team is too busy or no longer cares to share important information or ideas. Perhaps there are personalities clashing because some people prefer to be quiet while others can’t resist gossiping. Or workers may be actively avoiding communication because they feel it is unnecessary. This may be due to the barrier of culture, religion, or language. In cases like these, companies tend to hire a DEI Consultant who can conduct an assessment of the entire organization and provide a range of strategic plans, that can help improve the communication between employees. It can also help the company to implement a diverse, all-inclusive workforce for increased employee engagement and growth.
The improved team communication standards that business communications experts call for often seem like an impossible dream. It’s hard to stay on the same page between technology’s rise in the workplace and the increasing number of distractions. However, there are some easy, basic tips you can implement to help your team always stay on the same page. This article should have helped cover some of them, while there is still a lot more that can be done in the workplace to foster effective communication.
Effective communication within a company is key to successful daily operations.
