January 19, 2012 at 8:48 AM

Communication is the key to keeping a team productive and functioning smoothly. You can get the most out of your team if you:

Review the format for team discussions during meetings

Follow the same format for all meetings so everyone knows what to expect.  Focus on problem solving instead of sharing information. Don't waste valuable time on information that could be distributed ahead of time. Keep the discussion on track.

Encourage all members to contribute

Ask each person what they think of a proposal so that everyone stays involved. 

By structuring time for everyone to participate, the team will benefit from each member's opinion.

Deliberately examine opposite points of view

Ask for all possibilities, and examine them.

Ensure everyone has the opportunity to offer input.

Encourage the team to talk often about its goals

Revisit the initial purpose of the team periodically. When a project is under way, it's easy to get lost in the details.

Talking about goals will help ensure you're all working to accomplish the same thing.

Have you ever thought about having a Team Away Day? WG can facilitate this for you.  A team away day could really help you improve the communication in your business.