13 key qualities of an effective, unifying team communication system

In any organization, clear communication is key for maximizing productivity, camaraderie and the overall happiness of the team — particularly as more and more companies take on full or partial remote work arrangements. It’s essential for everyone to communicate well, but this is one effort that must start at the top through commitment and modeling by leaders.

So what does effective team communication look like? It can be measured by several factors. Below, 13 members of Business Journals Leadership Trust discuss the key components that make for effective and unifying team communication.

1. Team purpose

Purpose, purpose, purpose — what’s the “why” of the communication? Data shows that the move to virtual work has created too much communication in the form of excessive meetings, leading employees to feel more emotionally drained. This has contributed to ineffective collaboration and reductions in team innovation and intent to stay. Team purpose should inform team norms around communication. – Kim Baker, Vivid Performance Group

2. An open, nonjudgmental environment

Healthy company culture is key to boosting productivity and keeping your team motivated. In my experience, fostering a work environment with internal communications that allow employees to speak freely, be themselves without feeling judged, contribute by sharing ideas, and take ownership of their work can go a long way. – Carlos Casas, Predictive Data Lab

3. Consistency

Consistency and two-way conversations are essential. If communication is scattered and intermittent, it becomes more disruptive than effective. Communication on a steady cadence will have more benefit and be better received. Team communications need to be both push and pull. If the communication is pushed to the team without encouraging and embracing feedback, it won’t have ultimate value. – Hinda Mitchell, Inspire PR Group

4. Leader availability

I always try to make myself available as a sounding board for my team to bounce ideas off of, vent to, ask advice from, request another point of view from, and so on. Especially when teams are remote, it’s critical to be able to rely on others in times of need. I make sure that my teams know they can pop into my office or shoot me a call/text to talk through challenges so we can come to a solution. – Messina Truttman, Beck Flavors

5. Multiple outlets

Setting up multiple forms of communication is helpful so that team members do not feel drained by interactions, but they have places and moments where they can share ideas and thoughts. We mix social get-togethers, all-hands meetings, meetings with the HR manager and performance manager check-ins. Each meeting should have a specific tone and goal. These multiple touchpoints allow for clear and consistent communication. – Zane Stevens, Protea Financial

6. The ‘Three C’s’

I ascribe to the “Three C’s” for effective communication: clarity, consistency and care. Clarity is achieved through brevity and highly focused messages that leave no doubt about what’s intended. Consistency means tying communication to solid principles that don’t shift much over time. And care means that effective communications only happen when a culture of trust and mutual respect exists. – Chip Laingen, Defense Alliance

7. Non-work discussions

Our company has always been remote, and we’ve found that taking the time to get to know each other and talk about non-work things helps everyone connect as people, know each other and, ultimately, communicate more effectively. Whether that time is five minutes during a status call or a virtual happy hour, we make time for the entire team (including leadership) to engage as more than just co-workers. – Rebecca Thorburn, Visible Impact

8. Regular meetings

While many of us are not fans of meetings, you need to meet with your team regularly. Make it productive and meaningful, and have an agenda. Track what was completed, review new business and make assignments. If you make your communications purposeful, others will catch on and participate in more productive engagements. – Jared Knisley, Fizen Technology

9. Adaptability

Test, learn and evolve. Ask questions in different ways. Different people have different needs and styles, and what someone needs when things are going swimmingly may be different from what they need when they are stuck on a new task, fearful of a failure, going through a health issue or just stressed because they hit the garage door that morning while rushing to drop off their kids (yes, that was me). – Amy Marshall, Slalom

10. Team-building routines

We’ve established a companywide tradition in the new normal we’re all living in: daily huddles. Every morning, all of our teams break out into virtual huddle video calls to talk about life and fun questions of the day and discuss their big wins and successes. It’s been very impactful for all of our teams and helps keep that strong sense of community that every successful workplace needs. – Scott Scully, Abstrakt Marketing Group

11. Sharing of all the news and successes

I have personally found that nothing is “too small” a news category to share with the team. With tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, there are ways to overcommunicate updates, especially if the team is fully or mostly remote. And don’t forget to celebrate the wins (no matter how big or small)! – Cindy Lo, RED VELVET

12. Contribution from everyone

The ability for all team members to contribute and be heard is essential. Communication that is strictly top-down will not bring forth ideas from others. Having the viewpoint that we can all learn from each other encourages everyone to contribute. Don’t be afraid of questions, as they help to better develop a given topic. – Jason Comstock, Clarity Technology Solutions LLC

13. Facetime

Make sure that face time plays a major role! Now, I am not a proponent of meetings for the sake of meetings, but regular check-ins where the team can get together — whether remotely or in person — are absolutely key. Verbal communication sometimes trumps the misunderstandings that can come with the written word. Use this face time to remove misunderstandings and gain clarity as a team. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency