The communication of your project team is paramount for any small business. However, many project managers and CEOs hesitate to take action to improve their functionality.
Having good team collaboration directly results in faster, more successful project completion. Better communication benefits all aspects of your staff’s performance. It may also help to boost employee satisfaction and attract top talent.
To help you raise the bar for your team’s performance, we’ve assembled this guide. Keep reading to find out more!
1. Create an open-door policy
Before you start with any project, it’s important to define the channels of communication. Leaving your door open will build the confidence of each team member, helping them to trust you and rely on your assistance or advice.
Let your staff know often that they are able to speak openly with you at any time in order to prevent miscommunications or misunderstandings. After all, it’s better to prevent communication problems than to treat them!
Being there for your team as a person willing to listen to feedback and any suggestions will improve your employees’ performance. An employee that knows their voice is heard will feel more comfortable and valued within your small business.
2. Focus on correcting mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. Your employees are bound to err from time to time. To improve communication, don’t focus on trying to find the culprit. Instead, approach your team with questions such as “How do you think we may improve the situation?”
Remember to motivate them and be supportive. Admonishing your project team members can negatively affect productivity for the remainder of the project.
Reminding team members of their mistakes lowers morale, whereas support can go a long way. Ensure each person can reach their full potential through positive communication strategies. Your entire team will work better when they know they are supported by management.
3. Ask for feedback
According to ArchitectureAU knowledge, the most common obstacle to clear project team communication is the fear of giving the manager feedback. Thus, you may wish to challenge this dynamic by being swift and asking for feedback during the first project meeting.
Whenever you publicly state that something is a good idea, follow it up with questions like “What do you think?”, “What would you do?” or “Does something seem unfit here?”
Project team communication soars when all members believe their ideas are equally important. Be ready for feedback and ask about more details to let others know you are interested in improving. If the project manager is willing to listen and strive for the best results, the others will follow.
4. Have a backup plan
Sometimes, a large number of communication-related factors depend on you, the business owner or manager. You have to show everyone the importance of providing viable and tangible solutions.
It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan in place. For instance, content marketing campaigns can be saved using writing tools such as essay services reviews.
Make the backup plan list or suggestions overview public. Let everyone contribute and feel like they’re working towards a common goal that benefits everyone.
5. Time out is important
During different stages of the project, do things that help your team members stay focused, but relaxed too. Nobody can work all of the time. Doing fun activities can boost the morale of your employees, improve their communication skills and provide an opportunity for team bonding.
Equip your break room with video game consoles, table tennis or anything else your team desires. Invest in their leisure time and breaks so that they can put in better work hours in return. The more pleasant your workplace, the better your business results.
6. Go to communication training
Communication training is becoming more popular in all industries. Why not take your entire team to a course? The mutual experience will result in better bonding and more trust.
Team communication can sometimes break down due to fatigue. If you take your employees to an interactive and useful course, the shared fun experience will result in more fluid communication.
“Before you opt for an ideal communication training program, think of the facets of communication that you mostly need to work on. This can involve directness, briefing or even expressing empathy and appreciation. Even more seasoned professionals could use communication training. Blending in with different and clashing personalities is no easy task”, explains Kate Blanters, HR manager at best cv writing services.
7. Try new forms of communication
Jo Dougan, a project manager at John Holland, believes, “Once you’ve established a system that works, stick by it. This can contribute to building consistency and a positive routine for everyone to do their best”.
Being experimental can lead to success wherein everyone contributes and is involved in some way. Be daring and try out meetings via Discord, team building activities and new briefing routines.
It can be difficult to instill absolute confidence in your team. Talk to your team about their suggestions and publicly compliment everyone for their efforts. Remember to praise individually during 1-on-1 meetings too.
Conclusion
After going through this guide, you should be ready to give your team clear suggestions about enhancing their communication skills. Although it might take a little time for everyone to adjust, this approach gives you the chance to track the effective improvement of your team’s overall performance.
“The opinions expressed by BizWitty Contributors are their own, not those of BizCover and should not be relied upon in place of appropriate professional advice. Please read our full disclaimer."
