Communicating in Teams Teams: Mission and responsibility => Goals Formal teams: Organization structure Ex/ Committees Informal teams: Solve a problem, work on a specific activity, encourage employee participation Effective communication- essential to every aspect of team performance

Advantages Improve productivity, creativity and employee involvement. Core of the participative management. Increased information & knowledge Increased diversity of views Increased acceptance of a solution

Disadvantages Unsuccesful => waste time & money Free riders Cost Hidden agendas

Collaborative Communication Avoid “MY WAY IS BEST!” Right partners Socializing Clarify individual responsibilities Establish clear processes Tools & techniques Avoid writing as a group Check

Group Dynamics Interactions & processes taking place in a team => synergy TEAM ROLES Self-oriented: personal needs Team-maintenance: working together Task-facilitating: solve problems & make decisions

Team Evolution I.Orientation II.Conflict: Constructive (involvement & creative ideas) & Destructive (morale & dividing the team) Resolving conflict: 1) Proaction2) Communication 3) Openness4) Research 5) Flexibility 6) Fair play 7) Alliance

Team Evolution III. Brainstorming IV. Emergence- Consensus V. Reinforcement

Overcoming resistance Calm, reasonable, give & take Express understanding Deal directly with the resistance Don’t repeat yourself Hold your arguments

Etiquette in Team Settings Rude to others or an embarrasment Attention to business etiquette In Social Settings: Personal appearance Plan Phone Calls as carefully as you plan meetings: 1) Listen 2) Increase volume slighlty 3) Not in a monotone way 4) Speak slowly with the foreign people 5) Stay focused

Placing Calls 1) Be ready before you call 2) Minimize distractions. 3) Identify yourself, verify if it’s a good time. 4) Not too much time. 5) Close friendly & in a positive manner. Receiving calls: Be positive & How may I help you?

Using Voic 1) Make it brief & professional 2) Check & return within 24 hours IF necessary 3) Be careful what you say. Business is often conducted over MEALS: Easy to eat! Not politics, religion & emotions Not too personal. Never complain about work.

Making your meetings more productive: Formal, informal or virtual meetings 1) Avoid when a memo or message would do the job. 2) Avoid holding a meeting without a specific goal. Types: I) Informational (sharing information & coordinating action) II) Decision-making (analysis, problem- solving, brainstorming)

Preparation for a meeting: 1) Identify your purpose 2) Select right participants 3) Choose the time & facility 4) Set the agenda What do we need to do? What issues will be of greatest importance? What information must be available?

Leading & Participating in meetings: Keep the meeting on track Follow agreed-upon roles Encourage participation Participate actively Close effectively: Verify that the objectives have been met.

Using Meeting Technologies Virtual teams: Online brainstorming Ex/ Web-based meeting systems Instant messaging (security, not lenghty and complex messages; instead ) Videoconferencing Shared workspaces: giving team members instant access to shared resources and information.

Improving Your Listening Skills “By understanding what that person’s real concern is and doing stg. about it- that’s how you win people over.” Effective listening: Strengthens organization relationships Enhances product delivery Alerts the organization to opportunuties for innovation

Types of Listenings I) Content Listening: Information. Understand & retain the speaker’s message. No agree, disagree etc. II) Critical Listening: Understand & evaluate the message III) Empathic Listening: Speaker’s feelings; Don’t judge

Understanding Listening Process At or below 25% efficiency rate Half of a 10-min. conversation => other half => within 48 hours To listen effectively => 5 steps: 1) Receiving (physically hearing) 2) Interpreting (assign meaning) 3) Remembering (short vs. long-term memory) 4) Evaluating (critical thinking skills) 5) Responding (reacting)

Barriers to Effective Listening 1. Checking your watch 2. Making eye contact with someone over the speaker’s shoulder 3. Interrupting speakers 4. Selective listening 5. Listeners’ minds tend to wander 6. Not sharing enough language or experience with the speaker etc.

Overcoming Barriers to Effective Listening 1. Control physical barriers 2. Avoid selective listening 3. Keep on mind 4. Give the speaker a chance to correct your interpretation 5. Capture information 6. Improve short-term memory by repeating 7. Improve long-term memory by categorization, visualization & mnemonics.

Improving your Nonverbal Communication Skills: Nonverbal Com: Sending & receiving information without using written or spoken language. Plays 3 roles: I) Complementing verbal language II) Reveals truth III) Convey information efficiently

Basic Nonverbal Signals 1. Facial Expressions 2. Gesture & Posture 3. Vocal characteristics (tone of voice) 4. Personal Appearance 5. Touch 6. Time & Space

Using Nonverbal Communication Effectively Make sure nonverbal signals match the tone & content of spoken com. Improving nonverbal com. skills: Understand the roles that nonverval signals play in communication Recognize nonverbal signals Facial expressions reveal the intensity of speaker’s feelings Watch for clues from gesture & postures Physical appearance Be careful with physical contact, touch etc. Pay attention to the use of time & space.