La communication d'équipe et son importance

Dostoevsky once said, “Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.” 

However, a lack of communication can lead to much more than just unhappiness.

Although Dostoevsky (probably) didn’t have team communication in mind when he wrote his famous quote above, lack of communication or bad communication can lead to a complete team breakdown. 

Team communication is important because when team members don’t communicate well throughout their joint work, they can’t successfully collaborate. 

Dans ce guide, nous entrerons dans les détails de la communication d'équipe et de son importance, et nous aborderons des sujets tels que :

• La définition de base de la communication d'équipe,
• The benefits of good team communication, and
• How poor communication affects a team.

We’ll also share some expert opinions and tips on how to communicate effectively in any team. 

Plongeons dans le vif du sujet !

Qu'est-ce que la communication d'équipe ?

According to the MIT Human Resources website, a team is a group “formed deliberately and carefully to meet work needs that an individual or a group of individuals cannot meet as effectively.” 

Meanwhile, the same website defines teamwork as “a shared commitment both to the team’s process (how the team works together) and to its product (what work the team accomplishes).” 

For teamwork to happen, individuals working in a team need to work interdependently but also come together regularly to:

• Prendre des décisions,
• Mener des discussions,
• Planifier le travail futur et
• Résoudre des problèmes. 

Pour ce faire, l'équipe doit communiquer de manière fréquente et efficace.

Team communication: Definition

La communication d'équipe représente toutes les interactions et tous les échanges d'informations qui ont lieu au sein d'une équipe. Cela inclut divers :

• Types of communication (e.g. verbal communication, nonverbal communication, written communication, or visual interactions),
• Communication situations (e.g. 1-to-1 conversations, job interviews, or meetings),
• Communication styles (e.g. aggressive, passive, or assertive forms of communication), 
• Communication channels (e.g. phone calls, direct messages in team communication apps, or emails), and
• Communication models (e.g. one-way, two-way, and complex two-way communication).

At its core, team communication is a transmission of information. 

However, in order to have truly effective communication in a team, we have to transmit information successfully — i.e. the person sharing the information has to convey the information properly, and the person or group receiving the information has to interpret it properly. 

The components of communication

In order to improve team communication, we need to thoroughly understand the communication process. 

According to various theoretical frameworks, the communication process is a series of actions taken in order to successfully communicate a message. It involves 8 main components:

• The sender (initiator of communication),
• The message (a piece of information, thought or idea transferred to others),
• Encoding (process of turning a thought or idea into communication),
• Noise (anything that interferes and distorts the intended message),
• The channel (how a message travels between the sender and receiver),
• Receiver (the person who receives and interprets the message),
• Decoding (the process of understanding thoughts and ideas communicated), and 
• Feedback (the receiver’s reply to the message. It answers the question of whether the message was properly encoded, sent, decoded, and interpreted).

Additionally, the message is shaped by the environment and the context in which it occurs.

How team communication influences teamwork

La communication d’équipe est un élément crucial pour établir un bon travail d'équipe sur le lieu de travail. 

The flow of new ideas, recognition for your efforts thus far, feedback that inspires you to improve further — everything beneficial that comes from teamwork, requires constant, proper communication.

Nous en avons parlé au Dr Raffaello Antonino, maître de conférences en psychologie de l'orientation, qui reconnaît que la communication au sein de l'équipe influence tous les aspects du travail d'équipe.

Dr. Antonino went on to add that communication also influences team dynamic on all levels:

Jake Ciccarelli, expert en communication et en relations publiques, partage cet avis et ajoute qu'il existe trois points clés entre la communication et le travail d'équipe. 

Let’s take a look at other aspects that prove the importance of team communication.

Benefits of team communication

As determined, effective business communication is of the utmost importance because teamwork relies on it.

However, teamwork has a myriad of benefits. Teamwork:

• Favorise les grandes idées — Selon John J. Murphy, auteur de “Pulling Together : 10 Rules for High-Performance Teamwork,” nous admirons peut-être les “génies solitaires”, mais tous les noms célèbres dont nous louons aujourd'hui les inventions et les compétences avaient derrière eux une équipe de personnes qui ont rendu tout cela possible dans une telle mesure.
• Encourages healthy risk taking — Working in a team allows individuals to share responsibility with their teammates, and thus encourages them to take some healthy risks. That is beneficial both for employees (as it helps them be perceived in a more favorable light) and organizations (as it allows workers to propose new solutions to old problems).
• Makes individuals happier (and more successful) — One Atlassian research reports that honest feedback, mutual respect, and personal openness (which are all integral to great teamwork) help make the members of a team 80% more likely to report high emotional well-being and 60% more likely to achieve more and perform work faster.  
• Helps teammates grow as individuals — Teamwork can help individuals understand their weaknesses and then work on improving them. Furthermore, working in a team means having a safe space to grow while being supported by other team members (through delegation, feedback, etc.)
• Decreases the chance for burnout — According to a study conducted by Edelman Data and Intelligence, 50% of employees and 53% of managers have experienced at least some level of burnout. Burnout is linked with the stress of having a lot of work to do and not enough time and resources to do it. Teamwork can alleviate this kind of stress as teams share the workload.

Aside from that, a 2021 study done on teamwork and team decision making showed that teams tend to reach conclusions through the exchange of arguments and communication, which leads to: 

• Better group performance,
• Une meilleure compréhension,
• Une collaboration plus facile,
• Une augmentation de la productivité,
• Une amélioration de la créativité,
• Easier problem solving, and
• Une diminution des risques de conflit. 

On the other hand, poor communication will have considerable negative effects on most teams.

Consequences of poor team communication

Poor communication happens when the sender and receiver have a different take on the message. That can happen due to many reasons, but the effects are always the same — miscommunication. 

Dans les équipes, ce problème peut se poser au niveau de l'interaction 1 à 1 entre les collègues, entre la direction et les employés, ainsi qu'au sein de l'équipe dans son ensemble.

Les effets d'une mauvaise communication prolongée au sein d'une équipe peuvent être graves :

• Environnement de travail instable,
• Baisse de la productivité,
• Perturbation de la collaboration,
• Baisse du moral,
• Tensions sur le lieu de travail,
• Conflit,
• Mauvaises relations avec l'extérieur et
• Perte de réputation.

Découvrons plus en détail chacune des conséquences d'une mauvaise communication.

Consequence #1: Unstable work environment

When teams are unable to communicate effectively, they are easily overcome by the constant uncertainty and stress of not having clear objectives. 

And, as mentioned before, employees who don’t know what’s expected of them are less likely to be motivated to do their tasks.

Consequence #2: Lower productivity

When there’s a breakdown in communication, team members can’t function at their optimum level. This lowers employee engagement in the team. 

Given that 88% of engaged employees enjoy their work, and 50% of them thrive in their personal and professional lives, it’s clear that poor communication can directly affect their productivity.

Consequence #3: Disruptions in team collaboration

Without effective communication, team members are often left to their own devices and are unable to properly collaborate. This, in turn, shuts the door to innovation, brainstorming, and any other form of collaborative work. 

Consequence #4: Low employee morale

Without proper communication, employees can feel underappreciated, which can lead to them lagging behind with work. When employees are disheartened, they are less motivated to utilize their skills for company gain. 

Consequence #5: Workplace tension and conflicts

In an atmosphere of uncertainty and miscommunication, tension can build up and disrupt the workflow. The most visible, and, at the same time, the most detrimental effect of poor communication is conflict among coworkers, which can harm the entire team. 

Consequence #6: Poor external relationships and loss of reputation

Poor communication is infectious, so when team members miscommunicate, they can relay confusing and even contradictory messages to clients and other third parties. 

When poor communication becomes the norm, the entire company suffers — as bad reviews pile up, the organization’s reputation takes a huge hit.

Tips for improving communication within a team

According to Pumble’s Workplace Communication Statistics, 40% of business leaders claim that poor communication decreases productivity, and 32% report having noticed the financial impact of poor communication. 

That is why acquiring strong team communication skills can do wonders for you and your coworkers. But, which exact approach can you take in order to achieve effective group communication?

Let’s take a look at some applicable tips.

Conseil n°1 : Soyez honnête

Honesty and open communication are the cornerstones of successful teamwork. 

However, people often choose to conform at work in fear of going against the current. But the truth is that inauthenticity at work can create a dissonance within a person that causes them to drift away from the rest of the team.

De plus, lorsqu'un membre de l'équipe exprime son désaccord avec l'idée générale, il apporte une perspective différente qui peut profiter à tous.

For example, let’s say a member of the marketing team is the only one who notices that the slogan for a new product could be misinterpreted. If they decide to keep quiet only because everyone else agrees the slogan is great, this could seriously damage the brand.

Still, honest communication doesn’t mean you should bluntly and rudely say everything that’s on your mind. 

Maintaining positive communication while being honest is of the utmost importance because it builds inter-team relationships and increases motivation and productivity (among other things). 

Take a look at the Pumble exchange below. Emilia is voicing her strong opinion clearly, but despite this, she could have phrased the message more lightly — especially since she’s trying to convince a group of people who agree with each other. 

Conseil n°2 : Soyez clair et concis

One of the most important components of successful team communication is being able to convey the message clearly and precisely.

So, think before you speak, and try to get your point across as effectively as possible.

Ne pas communiquer clairement amène les gens à rse baser sur des hypothèses pour interpréter le message, ce qui est l'une des principales causes de rupture de la communication.

Miscommunication, in general, leads to misunderstandings, and the latter can cause all sorts of problems within your team, such as: 

• Missed deadlines, 
• Errors, 
• Bottlenecks in the workflow, and even 
• Conflict.

Conseil n°3 : Soyez respectueux et attentionné

Research about respectful communication at work, presented in a recent study, showed that people value respectful engagement more than autonomy, job security, and high income.

So, respect your teammates’ time and energy, and be careful not to overburden them. If you want to delegate a task to someone, first check if they have the time and are willing to do it. If someone is on a break and doing nothing, it doesn’t mean they are available for work.

Être prévenant peut également signifier offrir de l'aide si vous voyez que quelqu'un a des difficultés ou même apporter une tasse de thé à un collègue stressé.

Des choses apparemment insignifiantes peuvent faire beaucoup et renforcer réellement les relations au sein de l'équipe.

Conseil n°4 : Utilisez la communication non violente (CNV)

La communication non violente est un concept créé par Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., présenté dans son livre Nonviolent Communication : A Language of Life. Ce processus comprend :

• Observer sans juger,
• Exprimer ses sentiments,
• Exprimer ses besoins et
• Exprimer ses demandes.

Nous avons demandé à Avigail Lev, psychothérapeute, auteur, médiateur et coach exécutif, quels sont, selon elle, les avantages de la CNV. Elle affirme qu'elle ouvre de nombreuses possibilités pour la communication au sein d'une équipe.

Elle ajoute qu'en utilisant la CNV, nous pouvons parvenir à des solutions gagnant-gagnant souvent inaccessibles.

Conseil n°5 : Écoutez attentivement

Faire passer votre message avec succès n'est qu'une partie du travail. Une bonne communication d'équipe repose également sur l'écoute active. Il s'agit d'une compétence que vous pouvez mettre en pratique en étant attentif à ce que disent vos collègues et en comprenant réellement leurs points de vue.

Pour vous assurer que vous faites de votre mieux pour écouter activement lorsque vous recevez un message, vous pouvez essayer de :

1. Adjust your attitude — A positive attitude makes you more receptive to what other people have to say.
2. Pay attention — Paying attention and focusing on both verbal and nonverbal cues people are sending us makes us better listeners.
3. Adjust your response — Not making assumptions and being flexible when listening to what the sender of the message is trying to convey is also an important feature of active listening. 

De cette manière, vous améliorerez non seulement la communication et la collaboration au sein de votre équipe, mais vous ferez également preuve de respect envers les autres membres de l'équipe et leurs opinions.

Conseil n°6 : Choisissez le meilleur canal pour transmettre votre message

Une communication efficace et efficiente dépend également de l'utilisation intelligente des différents canaux de communication par l'équipe.

Choosing the right channel to contact a coworker is especially important if you’re working in a remote team and can’t simply hop to their desk and ask a question.

But even in the office, face-to-face communication is often not the best option. For example, you won’t go from person to person delegating tasks if you can do that through a project management platform. Similarly, you won’t stand up in the middle of the office to shout an announcement that you need to deliver to an entire group of people. 

Instead, you’ll use a different channel — one that is a better outlet for organizational communication. 

De même, même dans le cadre de conversations individuelles, lorsque les travailleurs à distance ont besoin de consulter leurs collègues sur un problème, il est beaucoup plus pratique d'en discuter dans une application de communication d'équipe, telle que Pumble, plutôt que d'envoyer des emails dans tous les sens.

Conseil n°7 : Trouvez les styles de communication préférés de chacun

En plus de trouver le canal de communication qui répond le mieux aux besoins de chacun, il est également essentiel que vous compreniez le style de communication préféré de chaque membre de l’équipe. 

Tout le monde ne communiquera pas de la même manière (tout comme ils ne recevront pas le même message de la même manière). 

Nous avons interrogé Ciccarelli à ce sujet et il a déclaré que reconnaître les différences dans la communication peut être la meilleure stratégie pour améliorer l'efficacité de la communication.

Conseil n°8 : Soyez ouvert au feedback et à la critique constructive

No one is immune to mistakes, and we often can’t see our own errors. That’s why we should value constructive feedback coming from our colleagues, as it can help us learn, grow, and stay engaged.

Les critiques constructives sont tout aussi importantes que la reconnaissance des employés pour leur amélioration et leur engagement, nous devrions donc accueillir les deux. En fait, les commentaires, quels qu’ils soient, encouragent l’engagement : ¼ des employées féminines et ⅕ des employés masculins déclarent que fournir des commentaires et de la reconnaissance est un puissant outil d’engagement. 

Même si vous n’êtes pas d’accord avec les commentaires que vous recevez, prenez-les avec grâce et ne vous offensez pas. Expliquez simplement votre point de vue et essayez de trouver un terrain d’entente. Là où il y a place au feedback, il y a place à l’amélioration.

Être ouvert aux critiques constructives signifie permettre aux membres de votre équipe de vous inciter à toujours vous efforcer de vous améliorer dans ce que vous faites.

Conseil n°9 : Abordez les problèmes au fur et à mesure qu'ils se présentent

Lorsqu’ils ne sont pas résolus, même les petits problèmes ont tendance à créer des frustrations qui finissent par entraîner des problèmes majeurs au sein de l’équipe. Donc, si quelque chose vous dérange, assurez-vous de le communiquer sur un ton respectueux et neutre et essayez d'y remédier immédiatement.

La communication au sein d’équipes de travail performantes est libre et n’empêche pas de faire face à des choses difficiles.

Vous aurez peut-être du mal à résoudre le problème, mais en le résolvant immédiatement, vous clarifierez les choses et vous éviterez de développer du ressentiment.

Conseil n° 10 : Adoptez une communication ascendante

Finally, ensure that all team members, no matter their spot in the team hierarchy, are included in the conversation. That is something that Dr. Antonino highlights as especially important for teamwork and the overall success of the team.

Le Dr Antonino vous invite également à vous rappeler qu’une communication d’équipe efficace n’est pas à sens unique.

Amplify internal team communication with Pumble

One of the easiest ways to improve your team’s communication is by making it simple, accessible, and effective. In today’s day and age, this is best accomplished with dedicated internal communication apps like Pumble.

Pumble offers users substantial versatility for different types of communication, including: 

• Written communication through direct messages and sharing of important documents, and 
• Verbal communication through voice calls, voice and video messages, and virtual meetings.

Pumble functions as your digital HQ, allowing for flexibility in how you notify your coworkers, address issues, and formulate ideas.

Furthermore, Pumble inspires you to communicate concisely and effectively, remember important processes through custom reminders, and keep track of information through threads.

Improve your team communication efforts today, and start utilizing the best communication practices intuitively. Try Pumble by CAKE.com today!