Learn how to communicate better with your team members in the enterprise software industry with these six tips, such as defining your goals, choosing the right tools, and listening actively.

Make sure to confirm that the message you sent was actually received. A good principle to be reminded of is: "The issue with communication is the illusion that it occurred". Good luck!

How can you improve your team's communication skills?

Communication skills are essential for any team, especially in the enterprise software industry, where projects are complex, diverse, and often involve multiple stakeholders. Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, delays, errors, conflicts, and low morale. How can you improve your team's communication skills and foster a culture of collaboration and trust? Here are some tips to help you.

Key takeaways from this article

Define clear goals:

Use SMART criteria to set specific, measurable, and achievable objectives. This ensures everyone knows the project's purpose and scope, fostering alignment and reducing misunderstandings.### *Choose suitable communication tools:Match the communication medium to the message's nature and urgency. This helps ensure that information is shared effectively, minimizing delays and enhancing collaboration.

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1 Define your goals and expectations

The first step to improve your team's communication skills is to clarify your goals and expectations for each project, task, and role. Make sure everyone understands the purpose, scope, timeline, deliverables, and quality standards of the work. Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) criteria to set clear and realistic objectives. Communicate your goals and expectations regularly and consistently, and encourage feedback and questions from your team members.

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Leron Kornreich

PR Strategist for Tech Startups @ Si14 Global Communications
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Take into account that what's obvious to you, might not be obvious to your team. Check in with team members early on in the process to make sure they understand their roles and responsibilities. And make sure to clearly define the high level objective. Often, even if people know their role, they aren't told the overall objective of a project, which limits their ability to contribute beyond the specific task to which they are assigned.

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Bruno Aziza

4 Start-Ups. 4 Scale-Ups. X-Googler. Disruptor in Tech, Data & AI. 🚀 (Views Are My Own)
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A key step missing here is "Know Your Audience". Good communication starts with the audience, their style, their needs. Ultimately, you want your message to resonate well with an audience - so you first need to make sure you understand your audience so you can customize the delivery of your message to them!

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2 Choose the right tools and channels

The second step to improve your team's communication skills is to select the appropriate tools and channels for different types of communication. Depending on the nature, urgency, and audience of your message, you may use different modes of communication, such as email, phone, chat, video conferencing, or face-to-face meetings. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of each tool and channel, and establish some guidelines and best practices for their use. For example, you may use email for formal and detailed communication, chat for quick and informal updates, and video conferencing for collaborative and interactive discussions.

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3 Listen actively and empathetically

The third step to improve your team's communication skills is to listen actively and empathetically to your team members. Active listening means paying attention to what the speaker is saying, asking relevant and open-ended questions, summarizing and paraphrasing the main points, and providing constructive feedback. Empathetic listening means showing respect, interest, and compassion for the speaker's feelings, perspectives, and experiences. Listening actively and empathetically can help you understand your team members better, build rapport and trust, and resolve conflicts and problems.

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4 Communicate clearly and concisely

The fourth step to improve your team's communication skills is to communicate clearly and concisely with your team members. Clear communication means using simple and precise language, avoiding jargon and ambiguity, and providing relevant and accurate information. Concise communication means using short and direct sentences, avoiding unnecessary details and repetitions, and highlighting the key messages. Communicating clearly and concisely can help you avoid confusion and misunderstanding, save time and effort, and increase efficiency and productivity.

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Bruno Aziza

4 Start-Ups. 4 Scale-Ups. X-Googler. Disruptor in Tech, Data & AI. 🚀 (Views Are My Own)
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The best format I've seen so far is: What, So What, Now What. Specifically: What: communicate your message simply and in the way your audience can best understand it. So What: clearly and succinctly explain why it matters. Now What: connect your communication with action that you want your audience to take....after all, it's not just about the information, it's about what they will do about the insights you've delivered!

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5 Adapt your communication style

The fifth step to improve your team's communication skills is to adapt your communication style to suit different situations, contexts, and audiences. Communication style refers to how you express yourself, such as your tone, volume, pace, gestures, and body language. Different communication styles may have different effects on how your message is received and interpreted by others. For example, you may use a more formal and assertive style when communicating with senior management, a more casual and friendly style when communicating with peers, and a more supportive and encouraging style when communicating with subordinates.

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6 Seek and provide feedback

The sixth step to improve your team's communication skills is to seek and provide feedback to your team members. Feedback is the process of giving and receiving constructive and specific information about the performance, behavior, or outcome of a task or project. Feedback can help you and your team members identify strengths and weaknesses, improve skills and knowledge, and achieve goals and expectations. Seek feedback from your team members, managers, clients, and other stakeholders, and provide feedback to your team members in a timely, respectful, and honest manner.

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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?

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Bruno Aziza

4 Start-Ups. 4 Scale-Ups. X-Googler. Disruptor in Tech, Data & AI. 🚀 (Views Are My Own)
Report contribution
Make sure to confirm that the message you sent was actually received. A good principle to be reminded of is: "The issue with communication is the illusion that it occurred". Good luck!

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How can you improve your team's communication skills?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Define your goals and expectations

2 Choose the right tools and channels

3 Listen actively and empathetically

4 Communicate clearly and concisely

5 Adapt your communication style

6 Seek and provide feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Enterprise Software

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How can you improve your team's communication skills?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Define your goals and expectations

2 Choose the right tools and channels

3 Listen actively and empathetically

4 Communicate clearly and concisely

5 Adapt your communication style

6 Seek and provide feedback

7 Here’s what else to consider

Enterprise Software

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