How can you build interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary communication skills?

Listen carefully. Be cautious about approaching communication situations with the primary desire to give your input and expertise. Instead, first listen and consider the strengths of team members, their perspective, and opinions and then communicate with a desire to guide, affirm, direct, and fill in gaps of missing knowledge or experience.

The first activity is line every one up in order of age. 2nd order sort: what industry? A 16-wheeler semi-driver is licensed to drive a big truck. The thoracic surgeon is licensed to operate on your heart. The veterinarian is licensed to drive your dog in a car and operate on your dog but not you. Transdisciplinary interactions will work if you sort by expertise, qualifications, and years of experience. The best salesman is the expert with no credentials except his or her big mouth.

In our increasingly globalized world, interdisciplinary collaborations benefit immensely from understanding diverse cultural backgrounds. Beyond mastering different fields of study, it's crucial to grasp the subtleties of language, societal norms, and cultural contexts each participant brings. By emphasizing empathetic listening, building cultural competency, leveraging the richness of diversity, encouraging open dialogues, and recognizing cultural nuances, such collaborations can transcend academic boundaries, fostering innovations and providing a holistic insight into the multifaceted global landscape.

Para profundizar en el entendimiento del contexto, es crucial involucrar métodos cualitativos que permitan captar las percepciones y experiencias de los participantes. Técnicas como entrevistas en profundidad o grupos focales pueden revelar dinámicas subyacentes y valores compartidos, facilitando un marco de colaboración más empático y efectivo.

The part about language is super helpful. In interdisciplinary work a single word can have multiple connotations. I have found generating a contextualized "dictionary" for the project to be helpful. This takes more time on the front end, but it saves time over the long haul.

The varied languages, terminologies, and concepts across disciplines and sectors often present a challenge in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary endeavors, “there is no Esperanto for TDC”. To bridge this divide, it's pivotal to familiarize oneself with the linguistic nuances of collaborating parties. Leveraging glossaries, dictionaries, and online platforms can facilitate this learning. Additionally, proactive measures like asking questions, seeking clarifications, and using illustrative examples ensure clear, aligned communication among participants.

Diverse styles, formats, and conventions characterize interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary communication, posing challenges in conveying information effectively. To bridge this divide, molding one's communication style, considering the audience, medium, and communication objective is essential. One can fine-tune their approach by employing tools like audience analysis, genre analysis, and rhetorical analysis. Furthermore, employing strategies like simplification, summarization, visualization, and storytelling enhances clarity and engagement in the communication process.

Unless you're giving the same presentation to the same people over and over again, you'll always have to adapt your materials every time you present to fit the audience & the purpose of the presentation, not just for interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary teamwork. Specifically when working with others outside your (primary) field, pay special attention to word use. For example: Do you have to specify each polymer you're using by its full name? Or even by its abbreviation? Consider if you could get away with referring to "Polymer 1", "Polymer 2", and so on -- so your non-polymer-scientist coworker can follow along more easily and the actual point you're trying to make comes across.

Al adaptar nuestro estilo de comunicación, la narrativa puede ser una herramienta poderosa, especialmente en campos técnicos o especializados. Contar historias que ilustren conceptos complejos mediante analogías o experiencias cotidianas puede trascender barreras disciplinarias, haciendo la información más relatable y comprensible para una audiencia diversa.

When engaging in communication with others a perception of listening is crucial— a perceived understanding essential to an effective listening experience. To accomplish this goal, practice articulate and reflective responses, silent pauses, and non-verbal ques. In addition, such active listening skills may encourage non-judgmental attention, rapport building, depersonalization, and question-posing to facilitate a perceived listening experience.

One way to build rapport in a team is to call out others by name for their contributions. Whether it's "Dr. Krikorian had a great point earlier about __. What if we ..." or "I'd like to add on to what Nakia was saying: ..." or "I'm so glad Dr. Johnson mentioned __, ...": when you recognize someone's contribution, it helps show that you're listening & you're really "hearing" what the other group members are saying. People like their work to be acknowledged, and by referring to what has already been said, you're reinforcing the "team" aspect of the discussion. Plus, if you use someone else's name, they're probably more likely to try to learn and use yours.

For a Director of Research, collaborating with faculty members across diverse departments, fostering interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations is essential. The bedrock of these collaborations is trust and rapport, which allow for seamless sharing of ideas, data, and insights. This foundation of mutual respect and understanding promotes the exchange of diverse perspectives and drives our common goal of advancing research and innovation.

The SWOT analysis is beneficial but you can also you a logic model to evaluate communication objectives. Using the logic models helps you visualize what action may have let to a specific objective. It helps you see and evaluate what each input is and how that resulted in the outcome.

Last year our team used a different model -SOAR- (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results) rather than SWOT. This model resulted in more optimistic, forward looking thought processes.

Effective interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary communication is not merely a one-time accomplishment but an evolving journey of enhancement and evolution. Elevating the quality of such interactions necessitates regular reflection and evaluation. This process not only allows for learning from previous experiences but also aids in identifying both strengths and potential areas for improvement. Tools such as self-assessments, peer reviews, and surveys are instrumental in offering a comprehensive assessment of communication efficacy.

Un aspecto a menudo subestimado es el rol de las emociones en la comunicación interdisciplinaria. Reconocer y validar las emociones puede fortalecer la conexión entre los participantes, promoviendo un entorno de trabajo más inclusivo y receptivo. Este enfoque humaniza la colaboración, permitiendo que la creatividad y la innovación florezcan.