Communication in

Teams and
Mastering Listening
and Nonverbal
Communication
Skills

Chapter No. 2
Working in Teams

– Team members have a shared mission and are collectively

responsible for their work
– Companies like to hire people who work effectively in teams
– Studies show that teams contribute to an organization’s
performance
Types of Teams

– Formal Teams: Become part of the organization’s structure

– Informal Teams: Teams which aren’t part of the formal
organization but are formed to solve a problem, work on a specific
activity, or encourage employee participation
Types of Teams

– Informal Teams
– Problem Solving teams and Task Forces are informal teams that assemble to
resolve specific issues and then disband once their goal has been accomplished.
Team members often include representatives of many departments so those who
have a stake in the outcome are allowed to provide input
– For e.g. a team of members from every department in DSU has been made to
look whether COVID 19 precautions are being observed or not.
Types of Teams

– Virtual Teams bring together geographically distant employees to interact, share

information and accomplish goals
– Recent wave of COVID 19 has converted all education to Online
Advantages and Disadvantages of
Teams
– Increased information and knowledge: By pooling the resources of several
individuals teams bring more information to the decision making process
– Increased diversity of views: Team members bring a variety of perspectives to the
decision making process
– Increased acceptance of a solutions: Those who participate in making a decision
are more likely to support the decision enthusiastically and encourage other to
accept it.
– Higher Performance levels: Working in teams can unleash vast amounts of
creativity and energy in workers who share a sense of purpose and mutual
accountability
Disadvantages of Teams

– Team’s are unproductive and frustrating and they waste everyone’s time
– A team may develop Group Think, the willingness of individual member to set
aside their personal opinions and go along with everyone else, simply because
belonging to the team is more important to them than making the right decision
– Some team members may have a hidden agenda private motives that can
interfere with the group’s efforts to accomplish its mission
– Other team members may be free riders-those who don’t contribute their fair
share to the group’s activities because they aren’t being held individually
accountable for their work
Group Dynamics

– Refers to interactions and processes that take place in a team

– Norms: Informal standards of conduct that members share and guide member
behavior
– For e.g. members may have an unspoken agreement that it’s okay to be 10
minutes late for meetings but not 15 minutes late
Team Roles

– Self Oriented Roles are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs so they tend
to be less productive than other members
– Team Maintenance Roles: Help everyone to work well together
– Task facilitating Roles: Help solve problems or decisions
Self Oriented Roles Team-Maintenance Roles Task Facilitating Roles

Team Roles People

Controlling: Dominating
others by exhibiting
Play
Encouraging: Drawing out
other members by showing
Initiating: Getting the team
started on a line of inquiry
superiority or authority verbal and non verbal
support, praise, or agreement
Withdrawing: retiring from Harmonizing: Reconciling Information giving or
the team either by becoming differences among team seeking: Offering or seeking
silent or by refusing to deal members through mediation information relevant to
with a particular aspect of a or by using humor to relieve questions facing the team
team’s work tension

Attention Seeking: calling Compromising: Offering to Coordinating: Showing

attention to oneself and yield a point in the interest of relationship among ideas,
demanding recognition from reaching a mutually clarifying issues,
others acceptable decision summarizing what the team
has done

Diverting: Focusing he Procedure Setting:

team’s discussion on topics Suggesting decision making
of interest to the individuals procedures that will move the
rather than on those relevant team toward a goal
to the task
Five Phases of Team Decisions

– Orientation: Team members socialize, establish their roles, and begin to define their
task or purpose
– Conflict: Team members begin to discuss their positions and become more assertive in
establishing their roles
– Brainstorming: Team members air all the options and discuss the pros and cons fully.
At the end of this phase , members began to settle on a single solution to the problem
– Emergence: Team members reach a decision. Consensus is reached when the team
finds a solution that is acceptable enough for all members to support
– Reinforcement: Group feeling is rebuilt and the solution is summarized. Members
receive their assignments for carrying out the groups decision
Characteristics of Effective Team

– Have a clear sense of purpose

– Communicate openly and honestly
– Reach decision by consensus
– Think creatively
– Remain focused
– Resolve conflict effectively
Conflicts in Teams

– Conflict arise due to a number of reasons. Some of them may be:

– Team members may disagree about who is responsible for a specific task
– Poor communication can lead to misunderstandings and misperceptions about
other team members, and intentionally withholding information may
undermine members trust
– Differences in values, attitudes and personalities may lead to arguments
– Power struggles may result when one party questions the authority of another
or when people or teams with limited authority attempt to increase their power
or exert more influence
Conflicts in Teams

– Conflict can be both constructive or destructive to a team’s effectiveness

– Conflict is constructive if it forces important issues into the open, increases the
involvement of team members, and generates creative ideas for the solution to a
problem
– Conflict is destructive if it diverts energy from more important issues, destroys
the morale of teams or individual team members , or polarizes or divides the
team
– If you believe that the only solution is for one party to win and the other party to
loose the outcome of the conflict will surely make someone unhappy.
Conflicts in teams

– On the other hand if you approach conflict with the idea that both parties can
satisfy their goals at least to some extent (win-win strategy), no one loses
– The principle behind the win-win strategy is that parties in conflict can better
solve their problems by working together than by waging war.
– However for the win-win strategy to work everybody must believe that it’s
possible to find a solution both parties can accept, that co-operation is better for
the organization than conflict
Developing an Effective Team

– `Build a sense of Fairness in decision making

– Encourage Debate and Disagreement without fear of reprisal
– Allow members to communicate openly and honestly
– Consider all proposals
– Build consensus by allowing team members to examine, compare and reconcile
differences
– Avoid quick votes
– Keep everyone informed
– Present all the facts
Developing an Effective Team

– Select team members wisely

– Involve stakeholders
– Limit size to no more than 12 to 15 members
– Select members with a diversity of views
– Select creative thinkers
– Make working in teams a top management priority
– Recognize and reward individual and group performance
– Provide ample training opportunities for employees to develop interpersonal, decision-
making, and problem solving skills
Developing an Effective Team

– Allow enough time for the team to develop and learn how to work together
– Manage Conflict Constructively
– Share leadership
– Encourage equal participation
– Discuss disagreements
– Focus on the issues, not the people
– Don’t let things get out of hand
Developing an Effective Team

– Stay on Track
– Make sure everyone understands the team’s purpose
– Communicate what is expected of team members
– Don’t deviate from the core assignment
– Develop and adhere to a schedule
– Develop rules and obey norms
Resolving Conflict

– Proactive: Deal with minor conflict before it becomes major conflict

– Communication: Get those directly involved in the conflict to participate in resolving
it
– Openness: Get feelings out in the open before dealing with the main issues
– Research: Seek factual reasons for the problem before seeking solutions
– Flexibility: Don’t let anyone lock into a position before considering other solutions
– Fair Play: Don’t let anyone avoid a fair solution by hiding behind the rules
– Alliance: Get parties to fight together against an “outside force” instead of against
each other
Overcoming Resistance

– Express Understanding: Most people are ashamed of reacting emotionally in

business situations. Show that you sympathize
– Make people aware of their resistance; When people are noncommittal and
silent, they may be turning you out without even knowing you. Deal directly
with the resistance, without being accusing
– Evaluate other objections fairly: Focus on what the other person is expressing,
both words and the feelings. Get the person to open up to so that you can
understand the basis for the resistance
– Hold your arguments until the other person is ready for them
Collaborative Writing

– The term collaborative writing refers to projects where written works are

created by multiple people together rather than individually. Collaborative
writing is also an approach for teaching novice authors to write, or for
experienced writers to stretch their creative potential into modes that would be
less accessible to each writer operating alone.
– Collaborative writings have their own challenges. To begin with, team members
often come from different backgrounds and have different work habits or
concerns.
Guidelines for Composing Effective
Collaborative Messages
– Select team members Wisely: Choose team members who have strong
interpersonal skills, understand team dynamics, and care about the project
– Select a responsible leader: Identify a group leader who will keep members
informed and intervene when necessary
– Promote cooperation: Establish communication standards that motivate
accuracy openness, and trust
– Clarify goals: Make sure team goals are aligned with individual expectations
– Elicit Commitment: Create a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for
the document
Guidelines for Composing Effective
Collaborative Messages
– Clarify Responsibilities: Assign specific roles and establish clear lines of
reporting
– Foster prompt action: Establish a timeline and deadline for every part of the
project
– Ensure technological compatibility: Use the same word processing program to
facilitate combine files
– Apply technology wisely: Use electronic tools to communicate quickly and
effectively with other team members
Guidelines for Critiquing the Writings
of others
– When critiquing a document, concentrate on four elements
– Are the assignment instructions clear
– Does the document accomplish the intended purpose?
– Is the factual material correct?
– Does the document use unambiguous language?
Making your Team meetings more
productive
– Preparing for Team Meetings
– The best preparation for a meeting is having a specific goal that would be best
handled in a face to face situation
– Decide on your Purpose
– Most meetings are either informational or decision making
– Select Participants
– If the session is purely informational and one person will be doing most of the
talking, you can include a large group. However if you’re trying to solve a problem,
develop a plan, or reach a decision, try to limit participation between 6 to 12 people
Making your Team meetings more
productive
– Choose an appropriate Location:
– Decide where you’ll hold a meeting and reserve the location. For work sessions
morning meetings are usually more productive than afternoon sessions
– Choose seating arrangement whether you need just chairs or you need a conference
table
– Set and Follow an Agenda
– Success of any meeting depends on the preparation of the participants
– Meeting agendas aid this process by putting the meeting plan into a permanent,
written form
Making your Team meetings more
productive
– A typical agenda format may seem stiff and formal, but it helps you start and end
your meetings on time and stay on track once the meeting begins.
– A productive agenda answers three questions
– 1.) What do we need to do in the meeting to accomplish our goals
– 2.) What issues will be of greatest importance to all the participants
– 3.) What information must be available in order to discuss these issues
Conducting and Participating in
Meetings
– Keep the Meeting on Track
– A Good meeting is not a series of dialogue between individual members and
the leader
– As leader you’re responsible for keeping the meeting moving along.
– If the discussion lags call on those who have not been heard
– Don’t be rigid. Allow enough time for the main ideas to be heard and give
people a chance to raise related issues
Follow Parliamentary Procedure

One way to improve productivity of meeting is by using parliamentary procedure, a

time tested method for planning and running effective meetings.
Used correctly it can help teams
Transact business efficiently
Protect individual rights
Maintain order
Preserve a spirit of harmony
Accomplish team and organizational goals
Robert’s Rule of Order

– Generally, Robert's Rules of Order is a guide for conducting meetings and

making decisions as a group. ... In other words, the book is about procedures for
meetings and not about what is "legal" (i.e. it is not a law book).
Encourage Participation

– As the meeting gets under way, you will discover that some participants are too
quiet and others are too talkative.
– To draw out the shy types, ask for their inputs on issues that particularly pertain
to them
– The best meetings are those in which everyone participates, so don’t let one or
two people dominate your meeting while other doodle in their notepads
– If you’re a meeting participant, try to contribute to both the subject of the
meeting and the smooth interaction of the participants
Conducting and Participating in
Meetings
– Close Effectively: At the close of the meeting either summarize the general
conclusion of the discussion or list the actions to be taken
– Wrapping things up ensures that all participants agree on the outcome and gives
people a chance to clear up any misunderstandings
– Following Up
– Make sure all participants receive a copy of the minutes or notes, showing
recommended actions, schedules and responsibilities
– Generally the secretary who attends the meetings prepares a set of minutes for
distribution to attendees and interested parties
Improving your Listening Skills

– Your ability to listen effectively is directly related to your success in team relationships.
– Most of us are not good listeners
– We listen at or below a 25% efficiency rate, remember only half of what’s said during a
10 minute conversation and forget of half of that in 48 hrs.
– That’s because we tend to listen to words, we don’t necessarily listen to the message
– Effective listening strengthens organizational relationships, enhances product delivery,
alerts the organization to innovation from both internal and external sources, and allow
the organization to manage growing diversity both in the workforce and in the
customers it serves
Improving your Listening Skills

– Companies that listen effectively stay informed, up to date, and out of trouble.
Those that don’t loose millions of dollars each year
– Learning to listen effectively is difficult indeed, but it’s one of the best ways to
improve your communication skills
– Good listening gives you an edge and increases your impact when you speak
– Effective listening also enhances your performance
 Distinguishing Good Listeners from
Bad Listeners
The Bad Listener The Good Listener
Tunes out dry subjects Opportunist. What’s in it for
me?
Tunes out if delivery is poor Judges content: skips over
delivery errors
Tends to enter into arguments Does not judge until
comprehension is complete
Listen for facts Listens for central themes
Takes extensive notes Takes fewer notes
Fakes attention Works hard; exhibits active
body state
Is distracted easily Fights or avoids distractions
Resists difficult expository Uses heavier material as
material exercise for the mind
To Listen Effectively
Find areas of interest
Judge content, not delivery
Hold your fire
Listen for ideas
Take selective notes
Work at listening
Block out competing
thoughts
Paraphrase the speaker’s
ideas
Types of Listening

– Content Listening: Content listening is also known  as comprehensive listening,

informative listening and full listening. Informative listening is where the
listener’s primary concern is to understand the message. This sort of listening is
found in all areas of our lives. Much of our learning comes from content
listening. For example we listen to lectures or instructions from teachers and
what we learn depends on how well we listen. It can also be included in
academic listening.
Types of Listening

– Critical listening
– Critical listening is a form of listening that involves analysis, critical thinking and judgment.
Critical listening is where listeners have to evaluate the message. Listeners have to critically
respond to the message and give their opinion. The ability to listen critically is essential in a
democracy. On the job, in the community, at service clubs, in places of worship, in the family—
there is practically no place you can go where critical listening is unimportant. Politicians, the
media, salesmen, advocates of policies and procedures, and our own financial, emotional,
intellectual, physical, and spiritual needs require us to place a premium on critical listening and the
thinking that accompanies it.
– When the Regional Sales Manager presents sales projections for the next few months, you listen
critically, evaluating whether the estimates are valid and what the implications are for your
manufacturing department
Types of Listening

– Empathetic listening
– Empathetic listening is paying attention to another person with empathy
[emotional identification, compassion, feeling, insight]. One basic principle is to
"seek to understand, before being understood. Another basic principle is to
connect emotionally with another. Empathy is not sympathy. Whereas sympathy
is "feeling for someone," empathy is "feeling as someone.“
– By listening in an empathic way, you help the individual vent the emotion that
prevent a dispassionate approach to the subject. Avoid the temptation to give
advice. Try not to judge the individual’s feelings. Just let the other person talk.
Types of Listening

– Active listening is the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their

message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully. Unlike passive
listening, which is the act of hearing a speaker without retaining their message, this
highly valued interpersonal communication skill ensures you’re able to engage and
later recall specific details without needing information repeated.
– Active listeners use verbal and non-verbal techniques to show and keep their attention
on the speaker. This not only supports your ability to focus, but also helps ensure the
speaker can see that you are focused and engaged. Instead of thinking about and
mentally rehearsing what you might say when the speaker is done, an active listener
carefully considers the speaker’s words and commits the information to memory.
The Listening Process
The Listening Process

– Receiving: Physically hearing the message and taking notes of it. Physical
reception can be blocked by noise, impaired hearing, or inattentions
– Interpreting: Assigning meanings to sounds according to your own values,
beliefs, ideas, expectations, roles, needs, and personal history
– Remembering: Storing a message for future reference
– Evaluating: Applying critical thinking skills to weigh the speaker’s remarks
– Responding: Reacting once you’ve evaluated the speaker’s message.
Barriers to Effective Listening

– Pre-Judgement: One of the most common barriers to listening. To operate in life,

people must hold some assumptions. However, in new situations these
assumptions can often be incorrect
– Self Centeredness; Some people take control of conversations, rather than listen
to what is being said. For e.g. if a speaker mentions a problem self-centered
listeners eagerly relate their own problems with team conflict
– Selective Listening: When you listen selectively (out-listening) you let your
mind wander to things such as whether you brought your dry-cleaning ticket to
work. You stay tuned out until you hear a word or phrase that gets your
attention.
Barriers to Effective Listening

– One reason people’s minds wander is that they think faster than they speak.
Most people speak at about 120 to 150 words per minute. However, studies
indicate that depending on the subject and the individual, people can process
information at 500 or 800 minutes per minute. This disparity between rate of
speech and rate of thought can be used to pull your arguments together, but
some listeners let their minds wander and just tune out.
– The important thing is to recognize these counterproductive tendencies as
barriers and to work on overcoming them. Becoming a good listener will help
you in many business situations especially those that are emotionally laden and
difficult
Improving your Listening Skills
Look beyond the Speaker’s Style
Don’t Judge the message by the speaker
but by the argument
Ask yourself what the speaker knows that
you don’t
Depersonalize your listening
Decrease the emotional impact of what is
being said
Fight Distractions
Close Doors, Turn off radio or televisions
Move closer to the speaker
Stay ahead of the speaker by anticipating
what will be said next and summarizing what
already been said
Don’t interrupt. Hold your rebuttal until
you’ve heard the entire message
Provide Feedback
Let the speaker know you’re paying
attention
Maintain eye contact
Offer appropriate facial expressions
Paraphrase what you’ve heard
Keep all criticism and feedback positive
Listen actively
Listen for concepts, key ideas, and facts
Be able to distinguish between evidence and
argument, idea and example, fact and
principles
Analyze the key points whether they make
sense and are supported by facts
Keep an open mind, Ask questions that
Types of Non-Verbal Communication

– Facial expressions. The human face is extremely expressive, able to convey

countless emotions without saying a word. 
– Body movement and posture. Consider how your perceptions of people are
affected by the way they sit, walk, stand, or hold their head. The way you move
and carry yourself communicates a wealth of information to the world. 
– Gestures. Gestures are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. You may wave,
point, beckon, or use your hands when arguing or speaking animatedly, often
expressing yourself with gestures without thinking. However, the meaning of
some gestures can be very different across cultures.
Types of Non-Verbal Communication

– Eye contact. Since the visual sense is dominant for most people, eye contact is an
especially important type of nonverbal communication. The way you look at someone
can communicate many things, including interest, affection, hostility, or attraction
– Touch. We communicate a great deal through touch. Think about the very different
messages given by a weak handshake, a warm bear hug, a patronizing pat on the
head, or a controlling grip on the arm, for example.
– Space. Have you ever felt uncomfortable during a conversation because the other
person was standing too close and invading your space? We all have a need for
physical space, although that need differs depending on the culture, the situation, and
the closeness of the relationship
Types of Non-Verbal Communication

– Voice. It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. When you speak, other
people “read” your voice in addition to listening to your words. Things they pay
attention to include your timing and pace, how loud you speak, your tone and
inflection, and sounds that convey understanding, such as “ahh” and “uh-huh.”
Think about how your tone of voice can indicate sarcasm, anger, affection, or
confidence.
Evaluating nonverbal signals

– Eye contact – Is the person making eye contact? If so, is it overly intense or just right?
– Facial expression – What is their face showing? Is it masklike and unexpressive, or
emotionally present and filled with interest?
– Tone of voice – Does the person’s voice project warmth, confidence, and interest, or is
it strained and blocked?
– Posture and gesture – Is their body relaxed or stiff and immobile? Are their shoulders
tense and raised, or relaxed?
– Touch – Is there any physical contact? Is it appropriate to the situation? Does it make
you feel uncomfortable?
Evaluating nonverbal signals

– Intensity – Does the person seem flat, cool, and disinterested, or over-the-top
and melodramatic?
– Timing and place – Is there an easy flow of information back and forth? Do
nonverbal responses come too quickly or too slowly?
– Sounds – Do you hear sounds that indicate interest, caring or concern from the
person?
Tips for Maximizing Nov verbal
communication skills
– Smile Genuinely
– Be aware that people may give false verbal cues
– Keep an appropriate distance between you and others, and use touch only when
appropriate
– Respect status with your eye contact
– Adopt a handshake that matches your personality and intention
Types of Non Verbal Communication

– Facial Expressions: The face especially the eyes commands particular attention as
a source of non verbal message. When your words send a positive message
averting your gaze can lead your audience to perceive a negative one
– Gesture and Posture: By moving your body, you can express both specific and
general messages, some voluntary and some involuntary. Slouching, leaning
forward, fidgeting, and walking briskly are all unconscious signals hat reveal
whether you feel confident or nervous
– Vocal Characteristics: Your voice carries both intentional and unintentional
messages. Consider the sentence “What have you been up to” four or five times
changing your tone of voice, you can convey quite different messages
Types of Non Verbal Communication

– Personal Appearance: People respond to others on the basis of their physical

appearance. Grooming, clothing, accessories, “style”- all modify a person’s appearance. If
your goal is to make a good impression, adopt the style of the people you want to impress
– Touching Behavior: Touch is an important way to convey warmth, comfort, and
reassurance.
– Use of Time and Space: Some people demonstrate their importance by making other
people wait; others show respect by being on time. Space determines how comfortable
people feel talking with each other. When people stand too close or too far away we are
likely to feel ill at ease. Attitude towards punctuality and comfort zones vary from culture
to culture