The importance of team communication is simple. A team that talks openly and honestly delivers better results, and it shows in the business.
Sometimes the flow stalls. Some of the team get what you mean and others miss it. It’s easy to decide they weren’t listening, or didn’t care.
More often the cause is the format of the message. People take information in through different modalities of communication. Change the format and the same message lands.
The modalities of communication
Everyone thinks and learns differently. Every team is different, every person in it is different, and few of them think like you.
Look at each team member as an individual first. Understand how they learn, how they communicate and how they respond to others.
At ActionCOACH Liverpool, one of our team coaching sessions covers team communication and VAK.
Visual Auditory Kinaesthetic
These are the three main modalities of communication: the three main ways people think and learn.
Visual
40% of people are visual communicators. They learn from images and pictures. They think in pictures, care how things and messages look, and spend time sketching ideas out.
They pick up a task faster when they can picture it. Process charts, spider diagrams and flow diagrams keep them on track.
Long verbal instructions are hard work for them. They’ll break what you said into a process they can put on paper.
Look at their notebook, their diary or their meeting notes. Plenty of colour, diagrams and charts means a visual learner. Expect some long to-do lists too.
Listen to your team. Phrases like “let me show you”, “I’d like to see how that will work” and “it needs to look like this” mean you have a visual communicator.
Communication tips for a visual communicator
- Break tasks into steps, then into a visual flow chart, so they can see what needs doing by when.
- Expect a spoken instruction to slip their mind. Follow it up in writing.
- Use their language of learning. Change “Can I tell you where we are with this project?” to “Can I show you where we are with this project?”
Auditory
Around 20% of people are auditory communicators. They care most about whether a message sounds right.
They learn well from verbal instructions and can often repeat them back to you almost word for word. They’re talkers. Face to face or on the phone, they prefer a conversation to a written message.
Noise distracts them easily. You may see them close their eyes in meetings, at conferences or whenever they’re taking in important information.
Closing their eyes shuts out visual distractions, so they can hear and process what they’re learning.
Listen out for “that sounds good” and “I hear you”. That tells you who is auditory.
Communication tips for an auditory communicator
- Tell them clearly and concisely what’s required.
- Be aware of your tone of voice and keep it consistent.
- When you praise them, say it out loud. Auditory communicators like to be told how they’re doing.
Kinaesthetic
Kinaesthetic communicators are hands-on people. They learn by doing, moving and handling things. They’re often excellent with their hands and the ‘makers’ of a product.
You may have someone who gets so absorbed in a task they miss their name being called. You have to walk over and touch their shoulder or arm to get their attention. That person is kinaesthetic.
With tasks and messages, they want to know whether it gives them the right feeling, and whether it feels right.
Listen for phrases like “I feel the XYZ should be XXX”, and words like grasp, touch and gut feeling.
Communication tips for a kinaesthetic communicator
- Give the task in hand an emotional impact.
- Show examples where you can. Better still, walk them through the task hands-on.
- Talk slowly with them. Take your time over your words.
The importance of team communication: one team, three styles
Most people have a dominant or preferred style. Most also respond to all three in different situations.
Treat these tips as tools for understanding your team and getting the most from each person. Styles shift as people develop, so keep paying attention.
In team meetings, use all three. Show it, say it, and let people try it. The whole room gets the same message.
If you’d like to know more, or want a session with your team, the first step is a free review of where the business is now and how the team is performing. Book Your Free Business Review.
