How to improve team communication

We’ve all had that one person at work we didn’t agree with. That disagreement is okay—even beneficial. People are unique. When they express their different perspectives, there’s always a risk of conflict. The problem is when this leads to unhealthy conflict. When people on a team stop communicating effectively, projects get derailed.

Even when people get along, important information can slip through the cracks and cause issues. That’s especially true now that remote work is more common. But it’s not just an issue in remote or hybrid environments. According to a pre-pandemic Gallup poll, only 7% of U.S. workers strongly agree that communication is accurate, timely, and open. Clearly, there’s room for improvement.

But even if you aren’t seeing major conflict among your team, you should improve your team’s communication. Communication is used to process information, coordinate actions, and express attitudes, all of which are all vital to a successful team. It’s been shown that high quality communication among a team can result in higher performance. Even if your team already communicates well, chances are they can do better.

That’s why the remainder of this course will focus on how to build effective communication practices among your team by setting proper guidelines and promoting self-awareness.