Team Dynamics: Effective Team Communication

Essay by kjstubbsUniversity, Bachelor'sC, October 2008

download word file, 4 pages 5.0

What is communication? According to the U.S. Department of Education in its national publication, Classification of Instructional Programs, 2000, "The field of communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The field promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication." Team communication is very important when trying to complete a team assignment. When developing a line of communication one should view the nature of the team's assigned work, what that assignment is about and what needs to be done to complete the work. Having a good communication line is necessary for the team's goal to be accomplished. In this essay you will learn how teams can have effective team communication and how to use feedback to your advantage. This essay will show you how to utilize team guidelines that will help with getting the assignment done with the help of all team members.

CommunicationEffective communication is the cornerstone of a good team. A crucial element for a team to have the assigned work completed is team communication. According to Kenneth Crow, there are three elements to effective team communication: 1) willingness to talk and share information and effectively presenting your points, 2) active listening and 3) understanding. To help the team's communication go smoothly, there should be a clear set of guidelines that each member of the team agrees to and understands. Put the rules in writing and distribute them to team members so there's clear understanding and a point of reference and hold each other accountable to the guidelines (Adkins 2005). Having scheduled team meetings to discuss these guidelines and how to maintain them should take place as often as possible. Having these team meetings will help eliminate any confusion the one may have.

According to Panse,