More than 70% of cross-functional teams are dysfunctional, failing to meet at least three of these five criteria for effectiveness:
- meeting a budget
- staying on schedule
- adhering to specifications
- meeting customer expectations
- staying aligned with company goals
In contract, teams with strong communication skills experience:
- Early resolution of conflict
- Better customer experience
- Meeting deadlines and budgets
- Improvement in employee engagement
- Encouragement of bottom-up ideas
Focus on these six areas to get started:
- Completeness. Give the receiver all the information needed to process the message and take action.
- Conciseness. Keep your message on point so the receiver can focus on what’s important, speeding up the processing of information.
- Consideration. Take into account the receiver’s background, frame of reference and point of view.
- Courtesy. Respect the receiver’s culture, values and beliefs and craft a message that is genuinely polite and unbiased.
- Clearness. Use exact terminology and concrete words to reduce ambiguities and confusion in the message.
- Correctness. Ensure facts are accurate to ensure your credibility.
Making improvements in this area can yield significant results for both your team and your customers.