How do you share information and communicate better with your team?

1 Know your audience

Before you communicate with your team, you need to understand who they are, what they need, and how they prefer to receive information. You can use various tools and methods to assess your team's profile, such as surveys, interviews, feedback forms, or personality tests. Knowing your audience can help you tailor your message, tone, style, and format to suit their preferences and expectations. For example, some people may prefer visual aids, while others may prefer verbal explanations. Some may appreciate humor, while others may find it inappropriate.

2 Choose the right channel

Another important aspect of communication is choosing the right channel for your message. Depending on the purpose, urgency, and complexity of your information, you may use different modes of communication, such as email, phone, video call, chat, or face-to-face. Each channel has its advantages and disadvantages, so you need to weigh them carefully. For example, email is good for sending detailed and formal information, but it can be slow and impersonal. Phone is good for quick and personal communication, but it can be noisy and distracting. Video call is good for visual and interactive communication, but it can be affected by technical issues and bandwidth limitations.

3 Be clear and concise

When you communicate with your team, you want to make sure that your message is clear and concise. You don't want to confuse or bore your audience with too much or too little information. To achieve clarity and conciseness, you need to plan your communication carefully. You need to define your goal, main points, and key messages. You need to use simple and direct language, avoid jargon and acronyms, and provide examples and evidence. You also need to structure your communication logically, use headings and bullet points, and summarize your main points at the end.

4 Listen and respond

Communication is not only about sending information, but also about receiving and processing it. As a team facilitator, you need to listen and respond to your team's feedback, questions, concerns, and ideas. Listening and responding can help you show respect, empathy, and interest in your team. It can also help you clarify misunderstandings, address issues, and generate solutions. To listen and respond effectively, you need to use active listening skills, such as paraphrasing, reflecting, asking open-ended questions, and acknowledging emotions. You also need to use appropriate body language, eye contact, and tone of voice.

5 Encourage participation

One of the goals of team facilitation is to create a collaborative and inclusive environment where everyone can contribute and learn from each other. To encourage participation, you need to communicate in a way that invites and supports your team's input and involvement. You can do this by using positive and constructive feedback, asking for opinions and suggestions, acknowledging and appreciating contributions, and facilitating discussions and activities. You also need to be aware of and manage the dynamics and diversity of your team, such as power, conflict, culture, and personality.

6 Adapt and improve

Communication is a continuous and dynamic process that requires constant adaptation and improvement. As a team facilitator, you need to monitor and evaluate your communication performance and impact. You need to seek and accept feedback from your team and other stakeholders, such as clients, managers, or partners. You need to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, identify areas for improvement , and implement changes and actions. You also need to keep learning and updating your communication skills and knowledge, by reading, watching, listening, or attending relevant resources and events.

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?