Communication

**Team Communication**

It is refers to as the interplay among team members or group. Effective team communication is essential for the success of any team in terms of performing its role as a team or the morale and work enjoyment of its members. [1]

**Team communication enhances the following;**

Teamwork, team cohesiveness, problem solving, sharing of ideas and employee satisfaction; Employees like to feel that their input is valued and that they have a role in steering the company forward. Good communication and an open workplace environment play a major role  to the strengths of each individual team member and also promote a sense of loyalty within the team. [2]

**Causes of Team Communications Problems**

* Attitude and Ego - Putting Position Ahead of Interest.  As a team, team members should avoid putting their position or ego in the way but should rather focus on the good of the group and on solving group issues.
* Experience- A diverse group, that is, having many people with different experience or skills within a team can work to the team advantage because it offers many or different points of view on the same topic, but without mutual respect within the team, those differing points of view can cause huge obstacles or challenges  to effective communication.
* Message Method- this is vital for effective team communication. Important issues within a team should be discussed face-to-face or over the phone rather than email and written letter as they have no emotion, no voice inflection and no body language to help the reader understand the meaning. However, quick messages may be sent in written form, still there should be some sort of verbal follow-up to insure the proper meaning is well understood.[3]
* Failure to Listen - when team members are not focused during discussion.
* Culture Differences – people of the same culture turn to work more together , creating division in the team. [4]

How to Avoid team Communication issues

* schedule regular meetings
* Identify and share effective and ineffective behaviors - these behaviors could be that of the team members or manager, for example a team member who always delay the whole project in doing his own task .  when identified you need to address it to the person in a polite manner.
* Obtain data by conducting a survey – the survey should have three questions. 1) What behaviors help us get our work done? 2) What behaviors hinder our work? 3) List specific suggestions for improving our work or our team.
* Encouraging team members - to be More focus during a discussion, irrespective of who is speaking.
* Overcome cultural differences - by mixing team members, creating activities within the team, and engaging everyone during discussions [5].

5 Ways to Identified Team Communication Problem

1) When Work is being duplicated

2) Work is not being done at all

3) The finished product is not what is expected

4) There is silence at one end (not everybody participate in the discussion)

5) You don’t have the same priorities -  it is important that within a team all team members are on the same page in terms of which projects are at the top of the priority list, and which can wait until later and this can only be achieved if they is effective team communication within the team.[6]

Refrences

1: What is Team Communication - eHow

http://www.ehow.com/about\_5340885\_team-communication.html

2: About the Importance of Team Communication - Small Business

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-team-communication-3074.html

3: What are the Challenges to Team Communication - Small Business

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/challenges-team-communication-1697.html

4: The Top Ten Team Communication Issues and How to Avoid Them - Bright Hub Project Management

http://www.brighthubpm.com/resource-management/101627-top-ten-team-communication-issues-and-how-to-avoid-them/

5: Solving Communication Problems at Work

https://www.crucialskills.com/2009/01/solving-communication-problems-at-work/

6: 5 Signs Your Team has a Communication Problem - The Muse

https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-signs-your-team-has-a-communication-problem