Team Dynamics And Communication

Team Dynamics and Communication

Name of Student

University of Phoenix

Team Dynamics and Communication

Communicating is a constant state of being. People communicate from the moment they are born to the time they die. There is absolutely no way to avoid communication in life. At birth, people are taught the rules of communication by their parents, and those around them. People learn to communicate from others around them, and thus, learn to either communicate effectively or communicate ineffectively. Communication is also improved with access to education and being introduced to teams outside of the home. Forming teams and communicating is important in every area of a person’s life. Understanding how to communicate effectively is something that is learned and not passed down from generation to generation. Communicating within a team is the most difficult discipline to learn, steps can be taken to help leaders and team members become better communicators when being assigned to a team.

Over the past 30 years team dynamics have changed for many different reasons. The biggest change has been in technology and the growth of corporations; in teams it is becoming increasing important to understand the dynamics of communication and how it can affect the success of groups. Understanding how to communicate regardless of distance or location is also extremely important. Teams can now meet without being in the same geographic location. Communication within a group is probably the most important aspect of working in a team. The ability to get a point across without offending, confusing or misrepresenting an idea is critical. Furthermore, understanding how to communicate in different situations is important in groups considering differences in race, gender, religion and background (Miller, L). In order to create an optimal environment for success, good communication is the key. The first key to effective communication within a group is first deciding how the team will communicate.

Communication has drastically changed over the years. Currently, there are two main types of communication, electronic and traditional. Electronic communications include: fax, e-mail, modem exchange, local area networks, CAD-CAM, terminal monitor instructions, terminal video demonstrations (Group Dynamics and Communication). Traditional communication, also known as other is also mentioned in the same article. The other types are: Meetings, telephone, memos, person-to-person talk, blue prints, paper instructions, and personal demonstrations.

Communication within a group deals with the spoken and the unspoken, the verbal and nonverbal. Messages must be conveyed clearly in order for a team to accomplish its goals. According to an article written by Rick Curtis, effective team communication consists of three main types: one-way, one-way with feedback, and two-way communication. These forms of communication can be used in many different settings, and depending on the circumstances, each of these presents a strong advantage over the other. One-way communication is used when giving instructions or making announcements to the group whom are not allowed to communicate (Rick Curtis). The members of the team are listeners and do not provide any feedback to the leader of the group. This form of communication is recommended to be used when assigning tasks. The second form of communication that is used within a group setting when teaching a skill is necessary and that form of communication is one-way with feedback.

Teams using one-way communication with feedback are allowing the group members to give feedback to the leader of the group (Rick Curtis). This form of communication is a bit more frustrating than one-way communication because team members can question ideas that the leader may be presenting. Problems can arise outside of the group when informal communication takes place and teams neglect to resolve problems during meetings because they’re constantly discussing group activities outside the team meetings. Though this type of communication may be good for training sessions, one-way communication with feedback is not the best way to communicate when group feedback is essential in order to complete projects. When group projects are necessary in a group, two-way communication is the best form of communication to follow.

When communication requires feedback where not only the parties talk to each other, but they are listening as well, requires two-way communication (Rick Curtis). Two-way communication helps in clarifying confusion, misconceptions, and helps the parties understand each other while giving and receiving feedback. Two-way communication is very effective in getting ideas from every member of a team, but this type of communication is also the most difficult way for a team to accomplish a goal because everyone is giving feedback. While using this form of communication, team members can become argumentative and frustrated when trying to get their points across. It becomes important for the team leader to have knowledge in how to resolve conflicts in a team and how to communicate to a team in order for the team to complete its task. Several steps can be used help a leader of a group to communicate effective. Rick Curtis recommends the following steps for effective communication:

• Clearly own your messages by using “I” language.

• Make your message complete and specific.

• Make your verbal