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December 17, 2019

5 Parts of Effective Project Team Communication



During the completion of a project, working together as a team is essential. Each person needs to fulfill their obligations so that the project can be completed on time and successfully.

Effective teamwork is only made possible through communication throughout the process. Miscommunication or a total lack of communication can lead to disastrous consequences when it comes to project completion.

Not everyone is a natural communicator, and so it’s easy to make an error despite your best intentions. To avoid this, here are some characteristics of effective team communication:

Team communication must be goal-oriented

Your team should never be in doubt about what they need to achieve to make the project a success. As part of the introduction of a project to your team members, explain the aims and objectives. A project is usually aimed at solving a problem or improving a situation. 



Give the team some background information that explains what led up to the project and how it will affect the organization. Understanding the current situation and what impact the project will have gives employees insight into how important their role is in getting the job done. 

Create a sense of purpose among the team members to keep them motivated. As part of your communications, draft a brief vision and mission that state the goals your project aims to achieve. 

Team communication must be clear and timebound 

Avoid too much flowery language when it comes to issuing instructions for the project, as what you’re saying might get lost. Be concise and let each team member know exactly what you expect from them. Set realistic deadlines for team members to adhere to. Most people don’t function well with open-ended tasks that lack timeframes.

Use online collaborative tools to delegate tasks and track their completion. You can give the team access to the information, thereby saving a lot of time and avoiding unnecessary meetings.

Team communication must be regular

It’s not easy to set an exact time interval at which communication should happen during a project. Each one is unique, and how much or how little communication is needed depends on the project’s nature. During a PMP bootcamp training session, you’ll get some insight into how frequently you need to communicate with team members as you complete a project.

Be aware that over-communication can become a problem as well. There’s no need to send out emails when there’s nothing to communicate. Drafting them is a waste of time, and your team members don’t need unnecessary mail clogging up their inboxes. People become dismissive of your emails if they don’t offer them the information they need.

Team communication must encourage feedback

Team members should feel free to communicate with you, to offer feedback and ask questions. Make yourself available as a leader to clear up any misunderstandings or misgivings your team members may have. It’s better to nip them in the bud ahead of time instead of after the fact.

Two-way communication will save you a lot of time and hassle during your project’s completion. Never underestimate the importance of the feedback your employees give you, as their ideas could help you complete the project more efficiently.

Team communication must be transparent

The objective of team communication is keeping everyone abreast of any developments related to the project. To this end, your communications should be transparent and unambiguous.

Tell team members about any successes and challenges that have been encountered since your last communication. Don’t try and cover up any failures as you’ll be jeopardizing the project’s completion. Your team members will respect your honesty and might be able to offer input on turning a failure around.

 

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