Download Teamwork Powerpoint Presentation

Communication and
Teamwork
Jan Magaw
Trainer and Coordinator
BS El. Education
MAED AEDL
Introduction/Purpose
• We face issues with communication as
individuals
• The same issues arise when we’re in a team but
they’re compounded by the number of people in
the team
• This presentation will provide some practical
tips for communicating with your team-mates
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
Identifying Learning Styles
Developing Ground Rules
Feedback – Giving and Receiving
Communicating through Conflict
Virtual Teams – Special Considerations
Developing Ground Rules
• Team norms focussed on communication will
help prevent issues
– e.g. allow team-mates to express ideas
– e.g. keep comments/remarks in a positive and
appropriate manner
– e.g. listen openly
– e.g. communicate honestly
Knowing your learning style is beneficial for
communicating
Visual learners tend to be better
written communicators.
Which are you?
Where are are you in the chart?
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
visual learners
auditory learners
kinaesthetic learners
Feedback – Giving and Receiving
• Be positive or constructive
• Allow for a safe environment where mistakes are
acceptable
• Encourage individuality
• Stimulate critical thinking
Communicating through Conflict
•
Team-mates must respect each other enough to
confront and disagree without risking the life of the
team
1.
•
•
Agree to disagree
Communication is most important in times of team
conflict
Four steps to communicating through conflict:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Listen
Acknowledge
Respond
Resolve remaining differences
1. Listen
• “Hearing” is not “listening”
• Effective listening means concentrating on what
is said (the words) and how it is said (non-verbal
cues)
2. Acknowledge
• “Acknowledging” is not “agreeing”
• You can acknowledge what a team-mate has said
without agreeing
• Paraphrase what you’ve heard or describe the
feelings your team-mate is expressing
– e.g. “I understand that you feel left out.”
– e.g. “You feel angry that we made that decision
without your input.”
3. Respond
• Respond to your team-mate with your opinion
or perspective
– e.g. “I understand your point of view. In my
opinion……”
• Or offer constructive feedback
– e.g. “I disagree with that statement because…..”
• Use feel, felt, found. I know how you feel, I felt
the same way. This is what I found.
4. Resolve Remaining Differences
•
•
•
•
Determine what is causing the disagreement
Analyze the problem into parts
Generate alternative solutions
Select the most reasonable alternative that all
team members can agree on
Virtual Teams – Special
Considerations
• Communication issues facing teams are
compounded yet again in virtual teams
• Virtual teams must make up for the loss of
physical contact, regular face-to-face meetings,
and schedule conflicts
Virtual Teams – Making
Communication Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Start face-to-face
Put communication on the agenda
Establish norms
Keep communication constant
Vary the media used for communication
Remember importance of non-verbal
communication
1. Start Face-to-Face
• Bring team members together during formation
of the team
• Promotes bonding
• May need to meet occasionally after formation
2. Put Communication on the
Agenda
• Teams forget to talk about communication
before it becomes an issue
• Be sure to discuss communication
– When is it appropriate?
– What is appropriate?
– What is not appropriate?
3. Establish Norms
• Norms for all teams should include items
around communication
• Virtual teams will have to include additional
norms
• e.g. all members will check messages at least
every 24 hours
• e.g. all members will respond to messages within
24 hours
4. Keep Communication
Constant
• Remain in contact even when the team isn’t
“busy”
• This is a good chance to get to know your teammates better (take advantage of it)
5. Vary the Media used for
Communication
• Make use of all media available to the team
• Synchronous:
– Instant messaging, team chat room, net meeting,
desktop conferencing, conference call
• Asynchronous:
– E-mail (including audio/video attachment),
discussion board postings, voicemail
6. Remember Importance of
Non-Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal communication accounts for a large
part of the meaning of any message
• Necessary for successful communication
• Potential for misunderstandings and conflicts if
this “piece” of communication is missing
• Virtual teams must realize the importance of
non-verbal communication and the impact on
the interpretation of their messages
• In informal communications, use emoticons
Summary/Conclusions
• Most of the issues facing teams can be
addressed through open and honest
communication
• Communication is the ‘process’ (an activity) by
which information and feelings are shared by
people through an exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages
References
Armstrong, D. (2000). Building Teams Across Borders.
Executive Excellence, 17, p. 10.
Hoyt, B. R. (2000). Techniques to Manage Participation
and Contribution of Team Members in Virtual Teams.
WebNet Journal, 2, p. 16.
The Team Working Together (n.d.). Retrieved July 22,
2005 from
http://aapd.phoenix.edu/ToolsForTeams/5gettingtoresults.asp
Weiss, D. H. (1997). Four steps for managing team storms.
Getting Results…..For the Hands-On Manager, 42, 7-10.
Questions? Comments?