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Team Communication Research Paper

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Team Communication

Communication is key to building an effective, high functioning interprofessional team. Defined, communication is a process in which information is exchanged between team members and partners. Developing team communication skill sets is critical to achieving greater results. You may have heard the saying, communications can make or break a team. Here, we explain why this is so while providing methods to ensure success. Once the team is formed, the members need to establish expectations for communications from both the members and key stakeholders. Key elements in communication within an evidence base project include briefing, debriefing, and feedback as a part of each meeting to ensure your project stays on track. Overcoming …show more content…

Research has shown that the most effective form of communication is face-to-face (Harvard Business Review). Since that is not always possible, as a team, you need to determine what other ways the team can stay connected and focused on the team goals. In today’s world, communication is done across a variety of medias; verbal, visual, non verbal and written includes face to face meetings, conference calls, video conferencing, email, learning platforms, Google documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint - and the list goes on. Continual regular communication that is transparent and related to team goals can be instrumental in a team’s success. Use technology as a tool in team communications, but always monitor that the technology is a benefit, not a hindrance. …show more content…

___ At what point do you need to communicate?
Briefing and debriefing Briefing and debriefing are critical aspects of communication to ensure the team grows and learns from the process. In the beginning of each meeting, the whole team will brief the team by updating the goals of the meeting, new information that may impact the goals of the team, and responsibilities to accomplish. The debriefing should become routine step and a part of the culture of your team to advance relationships and performance. Debriefing after each meeting highlighting team successes or disappointments by identifying what went well and what can the team improve or learn for the future. Instead of focusing on negative comments regarding individuals, it is a time to reflect and learn from the experience. At the end, the team should understand the key issues and lessons learned as well as a clear plan for the next steps in the process. Some questions could include:
• What went well? What did not work as planned? Why?
• Any barriers or time constraints that impacted the results? How did we overcome these or what can we do in the future?
• Were the goals and assignments clear? If not,

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