EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION FOR GROUPS AND TEAMS

Groups involve people and sharing of ideas, so obviously, communication plays a major role in whether groups translate into successful teams or not.

When I wrote about Tuckman's stages of group development, I also gave you an indication of the kind of communication that happens in each stage.

In general, however, effective group communication comes out of behaviour or conduct that is conducive to building teams. This includes:
-showing concern and respect for others
-identifying and sharing resources
-building on each other's ideas
-resolving conflict, not burying or disregarding it

Given the above conduct of concern and respect for every group member, effective communication within teams would naturally involve listening to each other with open minds, talking to each other and sharing information regularly. In addition, group members must periodically go through the process of "testing assumptions," that is, of making sure that every group member understands a point or a process or the goal in the same way and that there are no mistaken ideas or mis-assumptions within the group.

From time to time, conflict is bound to happen in any group. In fact, a group with no conflict has yet to develop from the first stage of "forming." When conflicts happen, they must be acknowledged and no viewpoint must be brushed off as useless or wrong. Instead, group members must analyse each viewpoint, reason with each other, persuade and convince each other until they arrive at a consensus.

At times, you have to say something negative or disagree with other group members. The key to making sure your disagreement is registered in the right spirit is to always render "constructive criticism" This means putting your points--even negative ones-- across in a positive manner; negating an idea, not the person who made it; not just saing "no"or raising an objection or posing a problem but also indicating how the problem could be solved, or the correct direction to take in your opinion. When you have to disagree, you must do it so that the person or people you are disagreeing with do not feel slighted or insulted. Always end on a positive note.

Fundamentally, effective communication in teams can happen only when you show that you care for the other members' responsiblities and roles. At the same time, you must also make it known that you are yourself committed to the group task and not looking for or highlighting your personal achievements.

The author, Dr. Ranee Kaur Banerjee, is Managing Partner at Expressions@Work, a training, consulting and mentoring studio for the development of communication and soft skills