The right team communication for effective cooperation

No matter what business your company is in - talking to each other is certainly part of your daily business. Whether it is communication in teams or conversations with customers:

The right - i.e. low-conflict and goal-oriented - communication literally determines whether you are understood with your concerns and whether your team understands each other. Of course, this also applies to all project communication, which can be efficiently supported by project management solutions and integrated platforms such as Microsoft Teams.

Good communication in a team: That is why it is so important for success

To put it simply: Team communication keeps the shop running. Because if you don't - or don't talk properly - to each other, for example within a project team, conflicts arise. The feeling of togetherness disappears and team spirit and motivation are lost without good team communication. With the result that the whole project suddenly threatens to topple.

Practiced communication rules in the team, on the other hand, have the following positive effects on cooperation, among others

• Responsibilities and accountabilities are becoming clearer.
• Conflicts are communicated immediately and used as an opportunity for improvement.
• The feeling of working together towards a common goal is strengthened.
• Tasks that are clearly communicated are also completed faster.
• Clear communication helps to convey appreciation.

The push and pull method as an example of a good communication method

For decades, communication in many teams worked "top down" as a communicative one-way street. Among team communication methods, this is also known as the push method: A message is distributed to the employees or team members, for example by circular mail, notice board or circular letter. Whether these are observed and implemented remains open: The message is only "pushed" - end of communication.

In team communication according to the pull method, on the other hand, employees or team members "pull" messages and information concerning them, for example from the intranet.

The push and pull method combines both and brings an interactive component to team communication. Messages and content are not only shared, but also answered, forwarded or constructively questioned. Anyone can be sender and receiver; team communication is alive and shared by everyone - depending on the desired orientation, either in compliance with the usual hierarchies or on an equal level. Communication thus becomes the central driving force of project progress and team success.

Team communication in the project can be supported by software such as Microsoft Teams. This is a platform developed by Microsoft that combines chat, meetings, notes and attachments. The project management software Can Do has connected the solution's Communication Center with teams in order to provide its users with all information about changes in the project in this way as well. When team communication is bundled in such a platform, your team will have a central location that is accessible to everyone and through which you will be directly notified about changes in your project planning, postponed milestones, etc. For questions and further exchange you can use the chat function. 

Have a look at the video!

With a project management tool you can promote communication in your team

How we communicate with each other, how we exchange ideas and how we react to suggestions for change depends not only on the type of team communication - but also on the people involved in the communication as sender and receiver. You can lay an important foundation stone for the success of your project right from the start of the project planning: by putting together the right team - in other words, a team of people who understand each other. The project management solution Can Do supports you in this process, for example with skills management - for example with the function "Skills in my department" or the possibility to plan capacities and skills company-wide. In this way, you can not only put together a powerful team for your projects and put it on the road to success, but also bring together people in your team who have similar skills and soft skills. And that in turn facilitates team communication.

Modern project management software also provides you with the technical platform for the central planning of your projects and your human resources. And via the chat functions mentioned above, you control the central mutual exchange of ideas and information in your team. With the right tools for good team communication, a certain empathy and common sense, you can ensure that team communication is productive and results-oriented - without losing its humanity.

You can find tips and tricks for putting together your successful team in our knowledge article Team Management.

Conclusion: Talking to each other remains in vogue

Even in the future, the best tools and integrations will not completely replace personal exchanges. They serve as an accelerator for the coordination of routines - but when it comes to important matters, reaching for the listener - whether via Skype, teams, chime or other platforms - is often the fastest and best solution!

If you would like to learn more about team communication, skill management and project management solutions for your business, please contact us!