Adapting to a telework setting requires the right tools, but there are also processes plus the interpersonal factor to consider. You and your team are probably finding your feet, but maybe communication’s become an issue and team is communicating ineffectively. Learn about 10 common signs your team struggles with communication or communicating ineffectively and what you can do to fix the problem.
10 Signs Your Team is Communicating Ineffectively
1. Team Members Feels Disconnected
Fostering a team and company culture is even more critical in remote work settings. Using immersive view Zoom backgrounds branded with your company’s logo can help establish a common virtual work environment. Don’t forget to encourage non-work-related communication. A virtual “water cooler” channel can be very helpful, as well as celebrating milestones and anniversaries together.
2. Lack Of Trust in Your Team
You can start combating a lack of trust among teammates by holding live meetings: Regular individual and team check-ins help everyone stay updated on progress. Reassure your team that you’re there if they need your help — and make good on your word. If your team uses Google Meet instead of Zoom, you can still follow the previous advice for your virtual meeting environment. You can also customize a Google Meet virtual background with your company branding.
While lack of trust and feelings of disconnection are two major issues, remote teams can exhibit other evidence of communication problems. You’ll want to look for a few other potential challenges along the way.
3. Inability to Adapt
People can be naturally uneasy about change, but excessive resistance can point to ineffective communication. When lacking key information, people are even more anxious and can discourse among themselves to fill in the gaps.
4. Lack of Purpose
Without clear goals, people drift and accomplish nothing. Communicating objectives, deadlines and expectations plus establishing your team’s purpose can help them stay on track.
5. Frequent Miscommunication
With written communications, we can miss important subtext. Try presenting information in visual formats: graphs, charts, screen-sharing or video conferencing. And encourage your team members to request clarification if needed.
6. Little or No Understanding
Misunderstanding can derail team progress before it even begins. Make sure your onboarding process is comprehensive. It should help your new members understand their organization, team purpose and jobs better.
7. Inconsistent Communication
Communication methods should be consistent. Choose one method for mission-critical information, another for supplemental information and so forth.
8. Excessive Communication
Too much of a good thing is not good. Avoid contributing to information overload by sticking with consistent communication channels. Also, avoid repeating information on multiple channels.
9. Losing Track of Work Tasks
Not staying on task harms team progress. Choose a visible task-tracking method accessible to the entire team so everyone’s on the same page.
10. Insufficient Collaboration Tools
A robust collaboration platform can make communication more effective and accessible. Team members should have capable technology to use this platform with ease.
Communication: A Cornerstone of Team Success
As many companies shift to remote environments, their work teams face new challenges. Knowing how to spot and correct communication issues is key to your team achieving its best possible performance. With a mindful approach plus useful tools such as a cloud-based collaboration platform and a custom Zoom background with logo, you can help create the best workspace environment for your team.
