How to Effectively Communicate in a Team

Working in a branding agency toward one common goal requires a lot of communication and coordination. And… teamwork is tricky. While it is true that the more people work together, the more effective the work become; it is rather useless if there is no communication within the team members. To make the team work, all team members need to first realize how crucial communication is.

Why is communication important?

Try to picture two people working on the same project without knowing what the other one is doing, what task is handled by one another. Can you imagine how much time wasted because the two try to do the same part of the job? Or even worse, what if they both assume the other person is doing the work they are not doing? Right, basically nothing really gets done.

This escalates in a branding agency work environment. Branding process requires constant discussion, a lot of brainstorming with different team members who have different roles. Communication is both time saver and stimulating.

By having brainstorm sessions and discussions, the team is able to keep suggestions flowing and new ideas will arise.  When communication is done right, all team members will have the same big picture about a project and the execution process will be a smooth sailing and revisions can be minimized.

How can we communicate well in a team?

1. Get to know each other

Well, duh… Of course you need to know each other! No, we’re not talking about remembering each other’s names or what their position is in the organization. You need to really get to know your team members, observe and analyze how they react to and solve branding agency-related problems and daily, trivial problems. That way, it is easier to understand where they’re coming form when they speak of their ideas. This works both ways, so that more misunderstandings can be avoided.

2. Be ready for meetings

Whenever a meeting is scheduled, come prepared. Get your ideas and suggestions ready. You are not sure what the topic will be about? Come with a fresh mind and attitude. Be ready to share a piece of your mind, be ready to be a part of the discussion. Remember that a watch won’t be able to tell time unless all of its parts are moving in synched.

3. Listen carefully

Respect your teammates, listen and try to understand what others are sharing. Ask if you need to; object if you think something is off. Do not bottle up your opinion out of laziness. Branding agency is not a place for lazy people. I mean, we’re all lazy but we need people who are passionate about what they do. So, listen and try to understand what others have to say.

4. Share your thoughts

Everyone has an opinion. To agree on something being said by your peer is also an opinion. You can always add to it and it if you have something else to say, it could be beneficial to the team. Sharing your thoughts in a forum also helps boost your confidence.

5. Be open to feedback and giving feedback

Constructive criticism is meant to be just that – constructive. We, Indonesians, are scared to criticize. But without criticism no one is going forward because we do not know what we’re doing wrong. There will be mistakes, there will be disagreements. But what makes branding agency or any other organization able to survive is how they handle criticism and react to a problem and that is done by the team.

In summary, try to be involved and make an effort to be a part of the discussion. It will be a great experience for any team member as trying to communicate well in a team is creativity-inducing, thus makes the job easier.