Why can’t I get my team to communicate with each other?

You’ve put together an amazing team comprised of every different role. Everyone on the team possesses unique talents and can contribute in different effective ways. You start on your first major project together and run into a problem – everyone is working independently. There is no communication amongst the team members. Why?

On the other hand maybe you have a team that has been together for years, yet communication has been lacking lately. Everyone assumes they know what they need to do because they’ve been together as a team for so long. What should you do?

There are many reasons why there may be a problem with communication between you and your team members or between your team members. Today let’s take a look at five reasons they may not be communicating well.

1) Disrupted flow of information

Was the information for your project given to all the members of your team? You can’t expect one member with all the information to start before all of the other team members are up to speed and ready to go. If you want your team to work collaboratively together, they all need to have the same information. It needs to be equal or communication becomes difficult within your team.

Think about it, would you want to not have all the information and be talking to a team member who asks a question and you have no idea what they are talking about? A good way for information to flow equally is to distribute it at an in person meeting with your team. That way everyone has the same information at the same time

2) Not everyone is heard

A good team is comprised of introverts and extroverts. An introvert may have an amazing idea, but are not likely to insist with an idea or a point if no one will listen to them the first time. Make sure that every idea, every thought, is listened to with an open mind and discussed. This makes your team members want to communicate with each other.

Think about it, if you had an idea that you thought was amazing, brushed away like nothing and not even considered, would you want to continue to give your ideas and insights on the project? Communication is a two-way street and that means listening with open ears every time someone talks.

3) Uneven engagement

Good communication is only achieved if everyone on the team is just as engaged as everyone else with the project. Those leading meetings and projects should ensure that everyone on the team provides feedback about the process. Someone may not understand something and eliciting feedback is a great way to ensure that all team members are engaged.

Also, if you see team members yawning or becoming disengaged with a meeting or with the project that day, you should stop and come back later to continue. Team members are not as effective when they begin to disengage. Sometimes the team needs a break. This will ensure the team comes back sharper later to continue on with the project

4) Lack of encouragement

As with any team, you need to encourage team members. This boosts morale and encourages team members to continue on and thus communicate more effectively. If the team leader is not present to pull the team together and cohesively, team members are likely to work independently or even stop work altogether.

Let’s face it, everyone loves to be told their doing a good job. Even the most secure and confident team member will work harder if they know they will get a “good job” at the end of the project.

5) No team rapport

If you’ve just built a new team, remember it takes time to build team rapport and that means it can take time to build communication within that team. The team members need to become comfortable with one another. It is also possible for teams that have been together for a long time to become to comfortable and you need to re-engage them to continue to build team rapport.

There are so many ways to help you build team rapport within your team.  Go out for team lunches with the team, do some fun ice breaking team building activities, have a fun lunchtime barbecue – if team members get to know each other both professionally and personally on an ongoing basis they are more likely to communicate more openly with each other.

So if your team is struggling with good communication, take that as a sign you need to intervene and follow some of the above steps. This should help your team become more comfortable communicating with each other and producing amazing results on your team projects!

Ron leads a Las Vegas based consulting practice where the focus is on creating happy, harmonious and high-performing teams.   Additionally, he is an accomplished writer, speaker, and coach that focuses on helping highly successful female leaders discover and transition to more fulfilling work and roles.   If you want to be entertained, inspired, and transformed, then join the tribe!