Do You Want More Effective Team Communication?

==========================================================
Five Important Tips for Effective Team Communication
==========================================================

Hi Friend,

I have found in my consulting career that one of the biggest obstacles to
teamwork is effective team communication. Solid team communication
skills are usually lacking for a variety of reasons.

I am outlining what I call my five B’s to effective team communication.
If every team could master these five B’s a lot of problems would be
avoided, especially in regards to work team communication.

Note: The Five B’s of effective team communication below can be used
as rules of engagement that the team agrees to abide by.

1. Be Clear: When members of a team are unclear on the goals of the
team and their individual responsibilities - team motivation and morale
can suffer. The expectation must be set that if any team member is not
clear, they have an obligation to ask.

One simple trick to help team leaders overcome this barrier is to check
for understanding at the end of each meeting.

2. Be Present: When team members communicate with one another,
each team member must make a commitment to really listen, seek to
understand one another, use appropriate body language and ask
clarifying questions.

3. Be Courteous: Probably one of the most overlooked B’s to effective
team communication is the lack of good old fashion politeness.

Not being courteous in communication can result in hard feelings towards
team members and the potential for individuals on the team to put up
walls.

Cutting people off when they are talking, not saying “thank you”
“excuse me” and “please,” personally attacking team members and
being condescending are all examples of poor team manners that can
result in poor work communication on teams.

==========================================================
Are you Looking for a QUICK TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY to Inspire
Your Team and Create More Unity? Go here
http://www.openthemeeting.com/united-we-stand-video-download-and-discussion-guide-team-training/
==========================================================

4. Be Flexible: There are going to be times when not everyone on the
team is going to agree with an opinion or on a decision that has been
made. Team members need to be flexible enough to support decisions
contrary to their own desires - given of course that their opinions have
been shared and adequately heard.

Supporting the decision doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree, but
they must be willing to help make whatever has been decided a success.

5. Be Kind: Team members must be careful to never talk bad about each
other. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. Or,
if you aren’t willing to address a problem with the person there, then
don’t.

Refrain from gossip, it erodes the trust of those you are gossiping to and
takes big chunks out of team morale.

So, what other B’s would you include in this list? Comment by going here
http://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2012/02/five-important-tips-for-effective-team-communication-1.html#comments

==========================================================
Are you Looking for a QUICK TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY to Inspire
Your Team and Create More Unity? Go here
http://www.openthemeeting.com/united-we-stand-video-download-and-discussion-guide-team-training/
==========================================================

*****************************************************************************
Subscribe to Teamwork and Leadership and get great content like this
in your inbox regularly. Plus a special "Thank You" download. Go here
http://www.teamworkandleadership.com/get-updates-via-email

*****************************************************************************

See the full Post at
http://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2012/02/five-important-tips-for-effective-team-communication-1.html