How To Talk To Your Team Effectively

Graham Andrewartha| Director| MCA-group

Effective communication is one of the most important components to running a successful business. Whether you are managing a team of employees or leading a project, being able to effectively communicate with your team is essential for success. Knowing how to talk to your team in order to achieve the desired outcome can be challenging, but with the right tips and advice, it does not have to be.

Talking to your team effectively is like driving a car – you need to check your blind spots before turning, give clear directions and signals to avoid confusion, and use the right speed to get where you want to go in a timely manner.

My client, Marian, an engineer, was a strong leader in her company, but she had been struggling lately with how to motivate and communicate effectively with her team. She knew it was important to be clear when asking for help or relaying instructions, so she discussed with me the best way approach them. Along with working on some particular contextual aspects the eight tips mentioned below formed the basis of our discussions.

Communication and team building strategies

1. Create a Positive Environment

A positive and encouraging environment defines the vision and purpose for your team. It will help promote open communication among your employees, which in turn will make it easier for them to share their ideas and collaborate with one another. In fact, a Harvard Business Review study found that when workers are more engaged at work they are able to contribute more fully to the organisation.

Focus your conversations on relevant positive things that are going on throughout the organization as well as any new developments. If you want to make your employees feel more comfortable about sharing their ideas, you should make sure that they know you are paying attention to what they have done well.

2. Be available to listen.

Make sure that your employees know that you are there to help them. If they have concerns, be ready to listen to their complaints and help them solve these problems. If the complaint is something that you cannot help them solve, then explain why. This will make sure that they feel like they are being heard and that their needs are being met.

3. Show them that you are willing to listen by asking questions.

Make the questions connect with what they are asking and build in

5. Make sure that you follow up.

If the problem has been solved, then it is important that you follow up with them. This can be done by asking them how they feel about the solution that was found and if they are satisfied with it.

6. Take notes of all complaints.

You need to make sure that you keep notes of all complaints. This will help you keep track of the issues that you are handling and also help you figure out where your company is having problems. It is a pulse check and what issues are resolved or recurring.

7. Encourage healthy discussions.

This is called psychological safety. Employees should feel free to discuss anything with their managers and other members of the company.

Let me finish with a quote from Peter F. Drucker in his book, The Effective Executive, in which he says,  “Intelligence, imagination, and knowledge are essential resources, but only effectiveness converts them into results.”

         If you would like to discuss now to talk to your team more effectively, call or email us on 1300 856 480 or people@mca-group.com.au.