10 tips for successful communication with larger teams
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10 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION WITH LARGER TEAMS
Being able to communicate well is essential in all areas of business. But it’s not always easy to achieve top levels of internal communication, especially when working with larger teams.
In the UK, 44-percent of workers are either remote or hybrid. Across Europe, we’re seeing workers opt for a 50/50 office to home split, and in Australia, 37% of employees are working from home ‘at least for some of the week.’
Now, more than ever it is important to establish clear communication channels in your organisation. Building trust among employees, contractors, specialist providers and freelancers across multiple locations is vital for your organisation.
Research by Bluesource shows that productivity can increase by up to a quarter when employees feel a connection with their colleagues. You could be losing out simply by failing to engage effectively your teams.
Read on to learn our top tips on how to improve communication within large teams.
How do you define good communication?
Good communication is the foundation of strong relationships between staff members, clients and customers and other key stakeholders. It’s the clear exchange of ideas, opinions and knowledge, conveyed in a way that supports the listener in understanding both intent and purpose.
Clear communication in a team allows for idea sharing and makes employees feel secure and confident in their abilities. Good communication builds a relationship that supports trust, respect and empathy for all involved.
What are the benefits of effective communication in a work environment?
Within a large organisation, clear communication is key to ensuring your teams are all on the same page, aligned and focused on achieving the same goal.
If your communication style is unclear, your team members can feel like you’re not sharing the correct insights to enable action, or properly listening to and understanding the barriers they face – which can lead to frustration. Teams need accurate information and clear direction to work from.
Effective communication:
- Creates a better understanding of the business.
- Makes decision-making faster and more effective.
- Improves team morale and motivation.
- Reduces mistakes due to misunderstandings.
- Encourages employee feedback.
How do types of communication change as teams grow?
As an organisation grows, it can be difficult to maintain an effective level of communication. This is especially true of teams that don’t have a shared office space to make connections. Getting the balance right between too little communication and overwhelming employees can be tricky.
There are a number of communication tools available to help find this balance and ensure a united team. Some alternatives to face-to-face meetings include:
- Instant messaging online.
- Online shared spaces.
- Communication apps.
- Video conferencing.
Make sure you are using the right forms of communication for the task. Failing to do so will risk others not receiving the message you wish to convey as clearly.
Good communication is crucial for a business's reputation. It's clear why when you see how it can impact the company. So, with that in mind, here are my tips to ensure you successfully communicate with larger teams.
How to improve communication within a team:
1. Consider your audience
Think about the key messages you are trying to communicate, and who you are communicating to. For many employees, technology is familiar territory. You may want to think about whether to choose more tech-heavy ways of communicating.
On the other hand, some team members may prefer verbal communication. In this instance, create a good balance between digital and face-to-face meetings.
If you are trying to communicate with a team that is diverse, consider using a number of communication methods. Doing so will help ensure that you spread your message effectively.
2. Be present in the moment
If you have ever been in a meeting where others clearly aren’t paying attention, you know how frustrating it can be. This situation is also very disrespectful.
By being present in the moment, you are demonstrating that you respect your employees and their time. Try actively listening, such as nodding your head at key points, or keeping your camera on during a video call.
3. Is your favoured approach the right one?
There are many communication options at your disposal, so make sure you focus on the ones that work for you. You need to have a firm grasp of the information you want to share, and what communication channel it will suit.
Phone calls and one-to-one meetings are often the best choice when needing to share information in a clear, concise manner. Emails are generally more appropriate for a thorough and documented response.
4. Create opportunities to bring people together
It is important to ensure team members have the chance to connect with each other. Those that work remotely may feel isolated from the wider organisation, so create chances to involve everyone.
Try introducing regular monthly team scrums. These meetings are a chance to discuss any updates, and to celebrate successes and good news. It is vital that these conversations allow for sharing information and allow people to meet virtually.
5. Effectively share important information
It is vital that all communications are clear and specific. Put yourself in the shoes of your team members and consider the type of information they would find valuable.
Acknowledge what you need to say, how you need to say it, and what the likely impact will be as a result. You should also say what employees should do if they have additional questions or queries further down the line.
6. Ask questions to show your interest
Asking questions shows that you are paying attention to what the other person is saying. Questions are also a great way to connect further with your team members.
If you aren’t sure what question to ask, try enquiring about the thought process behind an action or piece of work. Or, you could ask how your team member sees their work impacting the business. This approach shows that you have an interest in your team’s ideas. Questions also provide insight into how your team member sees themselves fitting into the future of the business.
7. Encourage team members to have regular check-ins
You should encourage your team to reach out to leaders directly if they need to. Also, encourage your team to leverage each other’s knowledge and expertise wherever possible. Peers can quickly and easily answer most questions, and rarely are there any stupid questions.
Developing a ‘buddy’ or mentoring scheme can increase knowledge sharing and build stronger connections within a large team.
8. Follow up team meetings with notes and next steps
Meetings are a necessary part of working together. However, many often lack direction or run on for far too long. To make sure each meeting you have serves a clear purpose, follow up on them with notes and next steps for members of the team. Artificial intelligence can even make this more efficient, with Microsoft’s ‘Copilot’ offering a summary of your meeting and highlighting key actions.
Sharing notes helps clarify actions, provides a chance to add points and ensures that everyone understands the key takeaways. Note sharing also allows people that weren’t present to ask questions.
9. Seek out and accept feedback
Anyone in a leadership position should be open to feedback. Receiving feedback from your team is an important part of your professional development.
By being open to feedback and seen as willing to implement any improvements, you can gain a lot of respect from your team.
A good approach for gathering feedback is to use team leaders as information gatherers. You should also encourage everyone to be honest with their opinions, building trust among team members.
10. Always set clear expectations
If you're trying to communicate effectively with a large team, you need to be clear about what you expect from them. In every situation, each team member should know what they need to deliver.
Therefore, the words you use to express these expectations should be easy to understand. Your message should be crystal clear for your team to be able to meet your goals.
Keep any instructions or guidance as concise as possible, whilst making sure you cover the fundamentals. If necessary, ask key stakeholders or department heads to review a draft. Then, you will have the chance to remove anything that is confusing or ambiguous.
Effective communication in the workplace is more than just understanding what someone is saying on a surface level. Encouraging your team to actively listen and constructively solve conflicts rather than letting them affect morale is fundamental too.
In doing so you will build a stronger and more productive team, no matter the size. And this is the most important benefit of all.
Interested in learning more about effective communication in a large organisation? Speak to a member of our Hays team.