Team Communication

Team Communication

Can a team be effective without proper team communication? First of all, what is communication? Communication is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior (Merriam-Webster Online, 2006). Without communication a group is just a bunch of people standing around unable to accomplish anything. Take the story of the tower of Babel for instance. According to the book Genesis, chapter 11 in the Bible; the tower was built by humanity to reach the heavens in order to make a name for themselves instead of worshiping God. God then confused their languages so that no one could understand each other; no longer able to communicate, work was halted (Wikipedia, 2006). As you can plainly see, communication is a very important aspect of the whole team concept. There are three elements to effective team member communication; willingness to talk and share information, active listening, and understanding (Crow, 2002).

Willingness to talk and share information is key to effective team communication. If no body talks or shares ideas, the team will not be able to achieve their goals. A professional football team cannot put any points on the board if the quarterback can't properly communicate the plays to his receivers or running backs. Like wise, the coach won't be able to tell his quarterback which play to run. The importance of sharing information is not only important on the field; some important decisions are made everywhere by all kinds of people.

In order to build a stadium for instance, all parties must know what their roles or contributions will be in order to turn ideas into reality. In November of 2004, more than 62,000 residents voted yes authorizing the City of Arlington to construct and finance the Dallas Cowboys complex development project; for a total project cost of $650 million (City of Arlington, 2005). A project of this magnitude would never have been possible without the voters and the team willingness to talk and share information.

Another element of effective team communication is active listening. In the book Guide to Good Leadership, Kenneth A. Wells says "A good listener tries to understand thoroughly what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but before he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with."(Tracz, 2005). So in other words, you must first listen intently to what a person's point of view is on a particular subject before you decide whether you agree or disagree. No one is saying that by listening to the person's argument you are necessarily agreeing, but it is certainly a good idea to know the facts before you try and make your case and avoid embarrassment. Active listening is not only the act of hearing what a speaker is saying. In order for you to be an active listener, you must also take part in the discussion. This class would be very boring if Mr. Hoeft would stand up in front of the class and just lecture for four hours straight and then everyone would just go home. You must also take into account the bodily expressions of the speaker, the non-verbal language that his or her body is projecting. If a speaker is not excited about the subject they are discussing, it makes it very difficult for the listener to follow along or pay attention. Don't forget to ask questions if you don't understand something, it might also bring up a point or topic the speaker forgot to mention.

The last element of effective team communication is understanding. What is understanding? Understanding is the ability to perceive and explain the meaning or the nature of somebody or something (Encarta, 2006). Just because someone heard something, doesn't mean they understood what the intent or the goal of the speaker was. A room full of people listening to the same speaker will each get a different version of what the lecture was about, similar to the same amount of people witnessing an accident. If you have thirty people witnessing the same accident, chances are, you will get thirty different versions of the same accident. How is this possible if they all witnessed the same exact thing? Well, people are different; each person has his or her own life perceptions and experiences life in a different way. A person's values and upbringing can influence what he or she feels and sees. These same values will influence how they see and feel the same things. So for a speaker, it is not only important for people to hear what you are saying; the speaker must make sure his or her audience understands the meaning or point they are trying to get across. Without understanding, you have just wasted your time and the time