How do you assess and improve your team's communication performance and skills?

2 Use feedback and surveys

One of the best ways to assess your team's communication performance and skills is to use feedback and surveys. Feedback and surveys can help you gather data and insights from different perspectives, such as team members, managers, clients, or stakeholders. Feedback and surveys can also help you measure the impact and outcomes of your communication efforts, such as satisfaction, engagement, collaboration, or innovation. You can use various methods and tools to collect feedback and surveys, such as interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, polls, or online platforms. You should also ensure that your feedback and surveys are timely, relevant, constructive, and actionable.

3 Analyze communication patterns and behaviors

Another way to assess your team's communication performance and skills is to analyze communication patterns and behaviors. Communication patterns and behaviors are the ways that team members interact and communicate with each other, such as frequency, mode, tone, style, or content. Analyzing communication patterns and behaviors can help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team's communication, such as clarity, consistency, respect, or empathy. You can also identify communication barriers or challenges, such as misunderstandings, conflicts, silos, or biases. You can use various techniques and tools to analyze communication patterns and behaviors, such as observation, recording, coding, or mapping.

4 Implement communication training and coaching

One of the most effective ways to improve your team's communication performance and skills is to implement communication training and coaching. Communication training and coaching can help you develop and enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential for effective communication, such as listening, questioning, summarizing, or persuading. Communication training and coaching can also help you learn and apply the best practices and principles of communication, such as active listening, open-ended questions, feedback loops, or emotional intelligence. You can use various formats and resources for communication training and coaching, such as workshops, webinars, courses, books, or podcasts.

5 Encourage communication diversity and inclusion

Another way to improve your team's communication performance and skills is to encourage communication diversity and inclusion. Communication diversity and inclusion are the recognition and appreciation of the different communication styles, preferences, values, and perspectives that team members bring to the table. Communication diversity and inclusion can help you foster a culture of respect, trust, and collaboration among team members. Communication diversity and inclusion can also help you leverage the diverse communication assets and resources that team members have, such as languages, cultures, experiences, or networks. You can encourage communication diversity and inclusion by creating a safe and supportive communication environment, promoting communication awareness and sensitivity, and celebrating communication differences and similarities.

6 Review and revise communication strategies and plans

The final way to improve your team's communication performance and skills is to review and revise your communication strategies and plans. Communication strategies and plans are the frameworks and guidelines that you use to plan, execute, and evaluate your communication activities and initiatives. Reviewing and revising your communication strategies and plans can help you ensure that they are aligned with your communication goals and expectations, feedback and surveys, communication patterns and behaviors, communication training and coaching, and communication diversity and inclusion. You can review and revise your communication strategies and plans by conducting regular communication audits, updating communication policies and procedures, and adjusting communication tactics and tools.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?