What are some ways to improve communication with your IT team?

1 Use the right tools

One of the first steps to improve communication with your IT team is to choose the right tools for the job. You need tools that are reliable, secure, and easy to use, and that suit the needs and preferences of your team. For example, you might use a project management software to track tasks, deadlines, and progress, a chat app to exchange messages and files, a video conferencing platform to hold meetings and presentations, and a code repository to share and review code. Make sure that everyone in your team knows how to use these tools effectively and that they are integrated with each other.

2 Set clear expectations

Another way to improve communication with your IT team is to set clear expectations for each project, task, and role. You need to communicate the objectives, scope, requirements, and deliverables of each project, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each team member. You also need to establish the communication norms, such as the frequency, mode, and tone of communication, the response time, and the feedback process. By setting clear expectations, you can avoid confusion, ambiguity, and conflicts, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

4 Listen actively

Listening is one of the most important skills for improving communication with your IT team, as it shows that you care, respect, and value their opinions and input. Listening actively means paying attention to what your team members are saying, asking questions, clarifying doubts, summarizing key points, and acknowledging their feelings and emotions. Listening actively can help you to build rapport, trust, and understanding with your team members, as well as to identify and solve problems, generate ideas, and make decisions.

5 Appreciate diversity

Finally, one of the ways to improve communication with your IT team is to appreciate the diversity of your team members. Diversity can refer to different aspects, such as background, culture, language, personality, skills, and preferences. Diversity can enrich your team's performance, creativity, and innovation, but it can also pose some communication challenges. That's why you need to appreciate the diversity of your team members and respect their differences. You can do that by learning about their backgrounds and cultures, using inclusive language, adapting your communication style, and celebrating their contributions and achievements.

6 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?