If you want your team to work well together and with you, you need to improve team communication. Each person within your team needs to work independently and as part of the team, to reach common goals and objectives. Good communication is necessary to help strengthen relationships, build trust, raise efficiency and ultimately, achieve better results.
But it starts with you. As the team leader, you need to do all you can to set a precedent for good communication. So if you’re wondering how to improve team communication in your business, here are ten tips to follow.
#1: Get to know your team members
This will help you to know their preferences and strengths, as well as their character. When you realise everyone is different, you can show that you understand them and their needs. This includes their learning styles and communication preferences etc.
#2: Use a team communication tool
A dedicated team communication tool enables you to keep key conversations in one place. It also helps your team to communicate efficiently and quickly without overloading their email inboxes.
#3: Manage projects effectively – use a project management tool
A project management tool helps boost efficiency too. When your projects are in one place, they’re easier to manage, and it’s simpler to assign tasks to team members and track their progress. It’s one of my top 3 tips to help make project planning a little easier for you.
#4: Encourage two-way communication
Open communication is key to improving team communication. It encourages two-way communication, feedback and interaction, rather than just talking at your staff. Check out this recent blog for more info on why open communication is so important to your business.
#5: Don’t over-communicate
Similar to micro-managing, over-communicating is something no one wants! Be clear and concise in all of your communications. You then don’t need to send loads of additional emails with forgotten pieces of information or chase up non-replies when the recipient didn’t know they had to respond.
#6: Talk face-to-face wherever possible
If you want to improve team communication, opt for face-to-face interaction wherever possible. When working with a remote team, this can be achieved by video conferencing and Zoom calls. This enables you to make eye contact, read body language and establish credibility and trust.
#7: Communicate your expectations
Clear communication will help improve your relationship with your team and the results they achieve. Make sure you’re communicating your expectations, deadlines and any other information they may need to achieve a better result and minimise any over-communication situations!
#8: Get the team together regularly
Hold regular team meetings and ensure you have a clear agenda for each one. This will ensure you’re inviting those people involved in the topics you want to discuss and minimising the need for everyone to be there.
#9: Be honest with your team
If you want your team to trust you, you need to be honest with them. It’s an essential part of an open communication strategy, and when you’re honest with them, it sets the tone for all business communications. Honesty builds trust and confidence in your leadership skills, too – and if you’re a good leader, you’ll have a happier team.
#10: Give your team members the opportunity to talk privately with you
Team meetings are great for inclusivity and accountability. But if you want to improve team communication, you need to give team members a way to talk privately with you. They may have something sensitive to discuss, a concern about someone or something on the team, or be too shy to speak in a group setting.
Take the time to listen to them and ask clarifying questions to establish understanding. And let them know they have your confidence and trust, no matter what they want to discuss.
If you want your team to work well together and with you, you need to improve team communication. The above ten tips will help you improve your communication skills, build a stronger team and ultimately, manage your team more effectively.
Looking for more tips on how to manage a remote team? Check out this blog. And if you’re looking to step back from the day to day running of your business, why not check out how an OBM can help? When you hire an OBM, you’re bringing on a right-hand person to take over the day to day aspects of your business, so you’re free to become the CEO your business needs. You’ll find more information on working with an OBM here.