45+ Best team communication quotes

The art of productive teamwork lies in each teammate’s ability to transmit information successfully and communicate effectively. However, communication mishaps are not that uncommon. Sometimes, the intended message might be unclear, but the speaker assumes it’s transparent enough. According to Forbes magazine, ineffective communication leads to decreased productivity and prevents collaboration among teammates. 

Ensuring your team’s high performance and preventing miscommunication depends on your ability to inspire them as a leader. Sometimes, people might exhibit a lack of motivation, especially when faced with challenging tasks. Therefore, to help you ensure a dynamic and prolific team atmosphere, we’ve compiled some of the best team communication quotes. 

Whether you are a team manager or you’re just looking for a nudge to help your team persevere with a challenging task, these quotes can help you transmit your message successfully and be on the right lines with your words.  

Why choose communication quotes?

The essence of creativity, reduction of stress, and problem-solving lie in effective team communication. Without a proper manner to address your teammates, you might lose a sense of purpose and start making frequent mistakes. 

Open discussions and opportunities for asking clarifying questions are some of the most frequently used methods to ensure effective team communication. However, there’s more to productive team communication than meets the eye! 

Directing your team towards a common goal does not always have to follow the usual plan. You can still strengthen your team’s communication abilities and maximize their productivity by introducing some simple changes to your routine meetings — inspirational quotes. 

Do quotes really inspire?

If you have ever shared motivational quotes or seen your friends do it on social media, you might have wondered whether they really work. Being discouraged or uninspired is entirely human, and attempting to draw inspiration from the outside world is perfectly natural. Apart from being essential to our creativity and well-being, cognitive psychologists consider inspiration as a product of the synergy between the insight we already have and the knowledge we receive from the world. Language is our first and foremost media for transmitting information; it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we frequently look for inspiration in words. 

However, it’s not only about the message. Psychologists claim that the more influential the person, the more likely we are to find the message credible. When we look up to people we consider inspiring, their words naturally resonate with us — this is how we absorb the motivation from their messages. Sharing the inspirational sayings further, we participate in the act of encouraging others to either stay motivated or persevere through hardships.

The science behind motivational quotes 

In case you have your doubts, encouragement does not have a positive impact on the listeners only. Small acts of support construct a positive air around the person who frequently provides them. Therefore, if an employer encourages his teammates, they are more likely to respect and admire them. Cognitive psychology teaches us that the higher we think of someone, the more likely are we to accept their words as genuine. 

Creating a culture of encouragement and motivation in the workplace is not only crucial for giving well-deserved validation to your teammates. Positive psychology research has shown that people who are inclined to encourage others are also more likely to be sincerely interested in other people’s overall wellbeing. They also tend to look forward to everyone’s accomplishments and development. 

Implementing encouraging and inspirational quotes into your regular communication with the team not only instills you as a person they genuinely trust, but it also helps everyone from the group be aligned with the same goals and endeavors.

Five team communication quotes that actually work

The science behind the words of encouragement shows that they can be an excellent change of course from the ordinary teamwork practice. Although there are numerous methods managers can adopt to secure purposeful team communication, we’ve put together some of the best team communication quotes to help you align with your team in the blink of an eye.

Best quote about miscommunication 

More often than not, we assume that people we are having a conversation with will understand our message clearly. In business, this assumption might even lead to project failure. 

Psychology teaches us that most misunderstandings come from our belief that we say more than we actually do. This phenomenon is called signal amplification bias, and it’s the root cause of all our communication gaps. 

Trying to create an atmosphere of positive and open team communication does not happen overnight. However, the wise words of Dostoyevsky demonstrate that our thoughts usually do not go without saying. Famous for his keen psychological insight, Fyodor Dostoyevsky provides valuable advice on the importance of adequately communicating our thoughts and ideas.

“Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Best quote about listening

How many times have you participated in a discussion where you were incredibly eager to share your side of the story? You start checking your phone and your mind drifts away, waiting for the other person to finish the sentence. This impatience usually leads to most misunderstandings in communication. 

Inspiring active listening or breaking your own habit of closing your ears in a conversation should be your top priority for running a successful business. Initiate asking questions, providing feedback, or remind your teammates about the importance of listening by sharing Hemingway’s quote. 

We can all learn a thing or two about communication from the writer honored for his brisk and direct writing style. 

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” — Ernest Hemingway

Best quote about teamwork

Are you working against the clock? Trying to fit in all the time-consuming tasks within a short time frame can be draining, and we’ve all been there. However, if hurrying to assign everybody a duty stops you from clarifying your vision, you might get a poorly done job.

In line with that, research has shown that the more familiar the employees with the ultimate goal are, the more eager and motivated they will be to participate in the company’s joint mission of succeeding. Apart from that, the ultimate quality of their work would be elevated. 

Instead of directing your attention to ‘how,’ try substituting it with ‘why.’ Taking enough time to communicate the reasons behind your idea will contribute to your team’s awareness and motivation. They will dare to be brave enough and follow your lead. 

The works of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry speak volumes about the importance of perpetually broadening our perspectives, placing him in a fit position to pass on advice. Apart from nourishing his writing career throughout his life, de Saint-Exupéry also pursued a career in aviation. Engrossed in his love for flying, the writer transformed his plane into a vessel for exploring not only the infinite horizons of the sky but the true meaning of human relationships as well.  

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Best quote about productivity

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that we could pick up the mastery of communication from John Milton, whose most acclaimed work, Paradise Lost, contains more than ten thousand lines of verse. Being the epitome of ‘practice what you preach,’ Milton’s words speak volumes about the heightened levels of productivity stemming from continual communication. 

Forming a communication culture within your team helps proper decision-making and produces meaningful bonds among the team members. If your teammates get along well, their meetings will be more fruitful. The equation is simple — the better the communication, the brighter the ideas!

“Good, the more communicated, more abundant grows.” — John Milton

Best quote about feedback

Communication is a two-way street. Both employees and their employer should share the responsibility for efficient communication. Apart from contributing to the purposeful process of information sharing, providing and receiving feedback are excellent strategies employees can implement to improve communication in their team. 

Oscar Wilde’s witty words remind us yet again of the importance of reciprocating in communication. Not only is offering feedback a proper conversation etiquette, but it’s also beneficial to the process of developing ideas, strategies, and goals in unison. 

“When people agree with me, I always feel that I must be wrong.” — Oscar Wilde 

42 more team communication quotes

If you didn’t find any of the quotes mentioned above suitable for increasing your team’s communication abilities, we’ve prepared many more you can choose from to inspire your team members! 

Quotes about the communication gap

Getting to the bottom of a message or the information we receive is not always a straightforward process. Usually, we engage in the process of assumption instead of concentrating for the sake of the conversation. The following quotes should give you a new perspective on what truly matters in communication. 

“The most important things to say are those which often I did not think necessary for me to say — because they were too obvious.” ― André Gide, French author and a Nobel Laureate 

“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” —William Butler Yeats, Irish poet and a playwright

“How well we communicate is not determined by how well we say things but how well we are understood.” ― Andrew Grove, CEO of Intel Corporation

“It is always hazardous to express what one has to say indirectly and allusively.” ― Walter Pater, English essayist

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” ― Tony Robbins, American author

“How often misused words generate misleading thoughts.” ― Herbert Spencer, English philosopher 

“The great enemy of communication, we find, is the illusion of it. “ ― William H. Whyte, American sociologist 

Quotes on teamwork communication

Cultivating a communication culture within your team is the essence of a trustworthy and collaborative work environment. Without an established communication practice, you can experience delays, mishaps, and low morale on a daily basis. Perhaps these wise thoughts could lend you a helping hand when unsure how to prompt purposeful communication. 

“Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication.” ―  Mike Krzyzewski, basketball coach

“In teamwork, silence isn’t golden. It’s deadly.” ― Mark Sanborn, Leadership speaker 

“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” ― H.E. Luccock, American Methodist minister 

“Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.” ― Rollo May, American psychologist 

“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes, American physician and a poet 

“Building a strong team around you and being able to really communicate well with them is part of what’s going to bring you a higher level of success.” ― Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex 

“The kinds of errors that cause plane crashes are invariably errors of teamwork and communication.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Canadian journalist 

Quotes on attentive listening in communication

A strong work relationship stems from the employer’s ability to listen to his colleagues sincerely. Although there will always be opportunities for misinterpretation, showing a willingness to pay attention to other people’s ideas is the stepping stone to establishing alignment within your team. 

Let us remind ourselves of the importance of intent listening by taking a look at the following quotes. 

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” ― Peter F. Drucker, Austrian-American educator

“There is only one rule for being a good talker – learn to listen.” ― Christopher Morley, American journalist 

“I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.” ― Larry King, American television host 

“It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear.” ― Italo Calvino, Italian writer

“​​Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” ― Bernard Baruch, American financier 

“It is greed to do all the talking but not to want to listen at all.” ― Democritus, Greek philosopher 

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” ― Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 

Quotes on communicating ideas

The process of carrying out your ideas depends on your capacity to convey them in the most accurate way possible. If you find yourself unable to put your ideas into words, you might end up in a vicious circle of frequent misunderstandings. Hopefully, the sayings of the following noteworthy people will inspire you to bring some changes to your team’s usual communication process. 

“You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere.” ― Lee Iacocca, former president and chairman of the board of Chrysler Corporation

“All communication must lead to change.” ― Aristotle, Greek philosopher

“We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share. “ ― Rania Al-Abdullah, Queen Consort of Jordan

“Eloquence is the power to translate a truth into language perfectly intelligible to the person to whom you speak.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist 

“Communicate everything you can to your associate. The more they know, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them.” ― Sam Walton, founder of Walmart 

“Communication is power. Those who have mastered its effective use can change their own experience of the world and the world’s experience of them. All behavior and feelings find their original roots in some form of communication.”  ― Tony Robbins, American author

“Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true.” ― Salman Rushdie, Indian-British novelist 

Quotes on the power of communication

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a proper way of addressing an issue is a flying start to a better mutual understanding. Consequently, the inability to convey the information leads to a vast array of troubles, especially in the workplace. Skillfully selected words can do wonders, so choose your words wisely. Maybe the selection of the following quotes can assist you in making a good choice. 

“Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, American novelist 

“Communication is your ticket to success, if you pay attention and learn to do it effectively.” ― Theo Gold, author of Positive Thinking

“Of all the life skills available to us, communication is perhaps the most empowering.” ― Bret Morrison, American actor 

“The only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” ― John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President 

“Talkers have always ruled. They will continue to rule. The smart thing is to join them.” ― Bruce Barton, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives

“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” ― Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational speaker

“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.”  ― Blaise Pascal, French mathematician

Funny team communication quotes

Sometimes, all it takes to instill a positive attitude in your team is to have a good laugh together. Funny communication quotes are never a bad idea, whether a stressful situation gets in the way of your team’s daily schedule or you lack adequate words to express your thoughts. Look into the list we’ve compiled and pick your favorites. They’ll brighten everyone’s day in an instant. 

“Conversation, n. A vocal competition in which the one who is catching his breath is called the listener.” — Ambrose Bierce, American short-story writer 

“Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” ― Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American author 

“Science may never come up with a better office communication system than the coffee break.” ― Ansel Adams, American photographer

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus, Greek philosopher

“The tongue is the only instrument that gets sharper with use.” — Washington Irving, American author

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” — Mark Twain, American writer 

“No man ever listened himself out of a job.”  — Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. President 

Wrapping up 

Empowering productive and consistent communication in a team should be the conclusive goal of each team member equally. However, it would be best to consider introducing innovative means of getting your point across every once in a while. It’s what makes the difference between an inspired and satisfied team and a group of disengaged people sharing an office. 

Regardless of how eloquent or persuasive you consider your communication manner, try implementing team communication quotes into your regular team-building activities. You might be surprised at how swiftly your overall work climate transforms! In case you still have your doubts, there’s always science to back you up! 

References

• Chandler, D. and Kapelner, A. (2013). Breaking monotony with meaning: Motivation in crowdsourcing markets. in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. Vol. 90. Pages 123-133. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016726811300036X
• Hall, J. (2020). These 7 Types Of Miscommunication Kill Your Team’s Productivity. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2020/12/20/these-7-types-of-miscommunication-kill-your-teams-productivity/?sh=b2c58861ab71
• Hellweg, A. S. and Phillips, S.L. (1982). Communication and Productivity in Organizations. in Public Productivity Review. Vol 6. No 4. Pages 276-288. Retrieved 16.08.2021, from https://doi.org/10.2307/3380183
• Kaufmann, S. B. (2011). Why Inspiration Matters. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://hbr.org/2011/11/why-inspiration-matters
• Moran, G. (2015). The Science Behind Why Motivational Quotes Inspire Us. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://www.fastcompany.com/3051432/why-inspirational-quotes-motivate-us
• Rajhans, K. (2009). Effective Organizational Communication: a Key to Employee Motivation and Performance. in Interscience Management Review. Vol 2. Issue 2. Article 13. Retrieved 17.08.2021, from 10.47893/IMR.2009.1040
• Signal amplification bias. (n.d.). in APA Dictionary of Psychology. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://dictionary.apa.org/interpersonal-gap
• Wong, J.Y. (2015). The Psychology of Encouragement: Theory, Research and Applications. in The Counseling Psychologist. Vol 43(2). Pages 178-216. Retrieved 17.08.2021, from https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000014545091
• Zoder, S (2019). Poor Communication Is Still The Primary Contributor To Project Failure. Retrieved 18.08.2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanzoder/2019/12/17/poor-communication-is-still-the-primary-contributor-to-project-failure/?sh=4b2cb14a5a6a