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Team Talk
By Bill Nelson
ASCA News Volume 2001-7

As with many things we experience, the process of a team coming together takes time. The amount of time for each team to come together relies on a variety of circumstances. - History of the individual team members. - Understanding of their roles and responsibilities. - Understanding and commitment to the desired outcomes. - Strength of leadership, either individual or combined. - Effective communication. Of course there are many other influences that are not listed and we could easily spend a few pages outlining them and even more time discussing them. But the area I want to look at today, is the area of effective communication within the team. Team communication as everything else within the team goes through an evolutionary process. I believe there are three levels of the evolution in the communication of a team. 1. Rubbish 2. Safe 3. Real What are the three areas about and what does it mean to the team to communicate at each of these levels? First let’s look at each one of these levels in detail so we get an understanding of each.

Exactly what the name implies. The communication process is full of rubbish items. Maybe not to the individual, but certainly in the context of helping the teams develop and move towards their desired outcomes. The content at this level has very little to do with anything that is going to help the team. There is very little and in most cases nothing that is going to be communicated that will rock the boat of a particular individual or the team as a unit. Topics of discussion can be: - The weather. - What you did last night. - Why you bought brand A car as opposed to brand B. - Who you think is going to win one of the national sporting competitions. The “rubbish” level is the introductory part of the team’s evolution. That is, the team is either new or there are a lot of team members that are new that make this type of communication necessary. Yes, necessary. The team has to go through this process, as it is all about finding out what makes each individual tick and what type of communication will bring this team together. A smart leader will observe this part of the team’s evolution with great interest as it can give a great insight into the individual team members but also a great insight as to how the team is going to evolve and how long that process may take. However, the team does not want to be operating at this level of communication for too long. There are other areas that need addressing; there are jobs that need to be done. Let’s move through the getting-to-know you stage so that our team can develop and operate at maximum efficiency.

Individually and combined the team has to start finding things out. These will include areas such as, operation standards, the rules of engagement, the-how-to, in their areas of operation. So the communication is now structured to gather and disseminate information. But still this is done in a very safe manner. There are usually no personal comments or attacks made. The majority of information is gathered through the asking of questions. Because most feel comfortable communicating this way and believe it to be the safest way. Why do we use a low-pressure gun to wash this piece of machinery? Well, as management explained it to me, this particular piece of equipment is coated in special Teflon to reduce wear and tear and to reduce friction. If we were to hit it, with too hard a spray we may take this coating off. Why, do you think we should use a larger capacity gun to remove the grease and grime? Not sure, I think we will just see how this goes first. Safe talk. Question number 1 was asked to find out why, rather than just giving an opinion that maybe the gun pressure was too soft. Answer number 1 was given by removing themselves from the answer. “As it was explained to me.” Very rarely does someone give a direct comment or give their opinion or take a stand in front of the team. Rarely, if at all, does anyone say directly to anyone else what he or she thinks of them or their performance in carrying out their role in front of the team? This is not to say as the team gets to know one another that certain things don’t get said behind closed doors. Obviously, as the team evolves, friendships and camaraderie between individuals will grow and groups will form; with this change in structure there will also be a change in the type of communication. It is still safe talk, because you can trust the person you are talking to, as you feel they believe the same things you do. Therefore your views are not going to cause friction as the people that probably need to hear what you have to say, never will. It is only your friend or colleague that you feel comfortable with and believe to have the same views as yourself that will hear what you have to say. When the team operates at this level, information is being exchanged but the team is still a long way from where they really need to be. No one wants to say anything that is going to upset anyone else. The team has evolved past the rubbish stage and it realizes the need for information and relevant information to get the job done and to evolve. But the communication continues to be done in the safest possible manner.

This is where things that need to get said get said. Opinions are aired, concepts discussed, arguments or heated discussions evolve but the bottom line is that things usually get done because of the communication process. First and foremost though this freedom of speech doesn’t mean that the team is just constantly going after one another and that things just get said whenever. There must be a process so that effective communication can be developed. All team members need an understanding of what needs to be said at what time, in what structure and in what way. The team then structures the communication so that everyone is understanding of each other and understanding of the need for an open communication philosophy. It takes a special group of individuals to come together and work together towards a common direction. But it takes something extra both individually and as a combined group to be able to openly communicate with each other in a structured manner so that what needs to be said, gets said, in a way that it never becomes a personal attack on any individual. If there is, then that person knows that the attack is to help and benefit the team, its members, and its future. As much as they probably don’t like it at the time, they understand the philosophy behind it. The best statement I have heard in relation to team communication came after one of the teams I work with had one of these real talk sessions. Admittedly it was one of our first real talk sessions and the team was still looking at the rules of engagement, when one of the team members stood up and said,

"In this team, what doesn’t get said just gets worse."

That statement just sums it up beautifully, it is important to say what the team needs to say, but it is equally if not more important to have the structure or the how, when and why we are going to openly communicate in place. Have a look at where your team is operating as far as the three levels of team talk are concerned. 1. Rubbish 2. Safe 3. Real Then look at what it is you need to do, to get the team communicating openly and honestly with each other but in a structured way so that all team members are happy to openly communicate with each other. The success of the team will depend upon each individual recognizing and understanding the benefit to the individual, to the team and to the organization in having an open communication policy.