From establishing shared ownership to keeping all communication in one place, here are 15 answers to the question, “What are your best tips for helping work teams overcome communication challenges?”
- Create a Sense of Shared Ownership
- Cultivate Equal Communication
- Invest in Training and Learning
- Encourage Active Listening
- Focus on Quality Feedback
- Use the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Strategy
- Structure Formal Communication
- Set Up a Sandbox Activity
- Facilitate Cultural Mapping
- Support Top-down Communication
- Refer to Colleagues by Name First Before the Job Title
- Establish a Team Language
- Learn from Voiceprint
- Try Guidance and Visualization
- Pick a Single Source of Truth
Create a Sense of Shared Ownership
One way to overcome communication challenges within a team is to create a sense of shared ownership of the project. When team members feel invested in the project’s success, they are more likely to communicate openly and honestly with each other. This will help to break down barriers and create a climate of trust and collaboration.
As leaders, we can foster this sense of shared ownership by demonstrating our commitment to the team and communicating our expectations clearly. We can also encourage team members to collaborate and share their ideas and create opportunities for them to build relationships with one another.
Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely
Cultivate Equal Communication
I make sure that members take turns and hear from everyone else in the group so that there are not just one or two people dominating the conversation. As a leader, I will silence the over-talkers and amplify some of the unheard voices.
In many workplaces, this is often a cultural thing; as a team grows in its trust and respect for each other, the team members recognize that there is some genius that everyone on the team contributes to, and so they make sure that every person gets heard. To make sure that the employees are hearing from everyone on the team, I motivate them to put the needs of the team before their individual needs, including the selfish need to continue to talk all the time, so that they listen more to others.
This ensures that the teams communicate equally and, as a result, more of the privileged information that one or two members of the team may have gets shared far and wide.
Lorien Strydom, Executive Country Manager, Financer.com
Invest in Training and Learning
I believe that effective communication is a skill that can be learned, and the best way to help your teams overcome communication challenges is to invest in training sessions or learning resources.
These training sessions allow them to become more aware of their communication style and the challenges that can arise when communicating with others, while learning resources, give teams the opportunity to practice and develop their communication skills in a safe environment. It will help your team members learn how to communicate effectively, recognize potential communication issues, develop strategies for resolving conflicts, and also equip them with the skills needed to communicate effectively and create a culture of openness and trust.
Shaun Connell, Founder, Writing Tips Institute
Encourage Active Listening
Active listening is a skill that many people struggle with, but it’s essential for effective communication. Active listeners are present in the conversation; they pay attention to what is being said and ask questions when necessary. They don’t pass judgment or make assumptions; instead, they strive to understand other points of view. As a leader, you can encourage active listening by creating a safe space for team members to share ideas and perspectives.
Todd Saunders, General Manager, BIG Safety
Focus on Quality Feedback
Issues with communication are often based on presumptions from staff within teams about how senior management will react to a question, or how they assume a reaction will occur. By focusing on feedback and being open with your employees, you’re showing them that questions do not have consequences, and you set the stage as a leader (or leadership team) who is communication-first in your approach to openness with communication with your team.
Wendy Makinson, HR Manager, Joloda Hydraroll
Use the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Strategy
I’m a big fan of using the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) strategy when communicating with my team. BLUF is a military communications principle that ensures reports and emails are clear and speedy.
However, it also works well in business as it prioritizes results and outcomes instead of the steps that got you there. So, in your next team meeting, summarize everything within 20 to 30 seconds. Or, if you’re writing a team email, summarize the entire email in the first two or three lines. You can always go more in-depth after this, but an upfront summary will encourage efficient workplace communication.
Scott Lieberman, Owner, Touchdown Money
Structure Formal Communication
Effective information dissemination is a component of professional communication, besides active dialogue. Everyone has quick and easy access to all pertinent information thanks to a clear communication and informational channel structure.
This covers all aspects of communication, from news and updates to policy, tools for the job, and knowledge resources. Lack of organization causes confusion and inefficiency. The aim is to effectively and practically make all data, assets, and people accessible. Any combination of team chat applications, intranets, newsletters, bulletin boards, cross-departmental workgroups, an open-door policy, and other tools and resources can accomplish this.
Daniel Foley, Founder, Daniel Foley Consultancy
Set Up a Sandbox Activity
Coaches should keep in mind that communication challenges are often rooted in cognitive biases, like the cultural assumptions we hold about other people. An uncommon strategy for helping work teams overcome these challenges is to set up a “sandbox” activity before any project kicks off.
This sandbox should be a safe space where the group can discuss their existing knowledge and assumptions; by doing this, they will become more aware of each other’s thoughts and realize how those things might translate into miscommunication. This not only helps address any potential misunderstandings right away but also creates a more collaborative environment, as everyone feels both heard and understood.
Kate Duske, Editor-in-Chief, Escape Room Data
Facilitate Cultural Mapping
One tip for coaches to help teams overcome communication challenges is to facilitate a “cultural mapping” process where team members can identify and discuss these shared cultural elements. This process can help team members understand how communication is currently working within the team, as well as identify areas for improvement.
Additionally, coaches can encourage open and active listening, fostering a culture of mutual understanding and respect. Further, coaches should help team members develop a shared language that allows them to express their thoughts and needs clearly and decreases the chance of misunderstandings.
Finally, it is crucial to create a safe space for team members to express their thoughts and feelings and facilitate healthy conflicts to resolve any issues that arise.
Matt Artz, Business Anthropologist, Matt Artz
Support Top-down Communication
I think that people at the bottom of the team structure might not feel at ease speaking up and sharing ideas. If you want to get the most out of your team, encourage everyone on it to share their ideas and thoughts, from the lowest to the highest-ranking member.
Building trust and morale with your team and giving them a sense of ownership in projects will foster this type of communication. Some of your team members may need encouragement to speak up if you want to tackle this issue. Get them into the habit of contributing by soliciting their thoughts, comments, and suggestions. Team meetings, online surveys, one-on-one chats, and physical suggestion boxes are just a few of the settings in which you can encourage team members to contribute.
Kyle Bassett, Chief Operating Officer, Altitude Control
Refer to Colleagues by Name First Before the Job Title
We can significantly ease communication hassles by having employees connect with the human in their colleagues first before the position such a colleague occupies. This dilutes excessive professionalism in communication, sweetening employee interaction with a social flavor in that they know each other outside of work.
For example, instead of saying, “I will speak to the developer,” it is better to say, “I will speak to Collins” (where Collins is the developer in question). Personally, I feel more attached to colleagues who refer to me by my name at work. HR should enforce policies that stimulate personalized communications. This sense of familiarity, to a reasonable extent, breeds interpersonal relationships, which are core to building camaraderie and a sense of belonging.
Lotus Felix, CEO, Lotus Brains Studio
Establish a Team Language
As a small business owner, it’s up to me to squash conflicts and clashes before they start, and this means keeping tabs on my team to ensure communication is smooth among all members. My top tip to minimize communication challenges? Develop a company language.
Don’t worry: it need not be a business version of Klingon. But a set of standardized phrases everyone agrees to implement can eliminate a good deal of confusion. For example, in my office, we’ve replaced euphemisms like, “Let’s circle back to that,” with concise commands, like “I’m not satisfied with this decision.” When everyone knows what to say in any scenario, you can avoid the hedging that hinders a clearer message.
Rob Reeves, CEO & President, Redfish Technology
Learn from Voiceprint
One of the best ways to overcome communication challenges in teams is by helping individuals to understand the way they think they are communicating and how the rest of the team hears them.
We highly recommend using a tool called Voiceprint. It breaks down communication styles into nine “voices” that explain how (and when) to use each type of communication style. It highlights what’s natural to you, and how that interacts with other personality/communication types.
Understanding the differences between what we think we are saying and what people actually hear creates huge light bulb moments, and it can revolutionize how teams communicate with each other. Many of our clients who have used Voiceprint decide to expand it to teams that don’t have the same communication challenges, because of the better understanding and increased performance it brings.
Charlie Southwell, Marketing Director, Let’s Talk Talent
Try Guidance and Visualization
Coaching can help teams overcome communication challenges by providing guidance and creative solutions. As an uncommon example, coaches can use visualization techniques to help the team develop a better understanding of their shared goal.
Visualization helps teams literally see the “big picture” and collaborate on a common agenda. By visualizing their common goal together, the team develops greater trust and engagement in the task at hand, enabling them to come up with better solutions for solving any issues that arise between teammates.
Grace He, People & Culture Director, teambuilding.com
Pick a Single Source of Truth
Most communication problems stem from information and messages living in too many places. Between messenger platforms, emails, meetings, notes on documents, etc., it’s hard to keep everything straight. Try setting up a single source of truth—all communications live in one spot, such as a project management or work management tool. Asana is a great example. When changes are made, everything is flowing from the same spot, making communication seamless.
Kelli Anderson, Career Coach, Resume Seed