Strategies For Enhancing Team Communication

❓ How Can I Improve My Team’s Communication Skills? One of my clients - Matthew, a senior director was facing significant challenges with his team’s communication. There were frequent misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and a general lack of cohesion. Realizing the urgent need for improvement, he sought professional coaching from us. Here’s how our journey unfolded and the remarkable changes we achieved. Initial Challenges: 🚩Frequent misunderstandings among team members 🚩Missed deadlines due to poor communication 🚩Lack of team cohesion and collaboration Steps Taken: 1. Foster an Open Environment ⭕ Encouraging Openness: We emphasized the importance of creating a safe space for open communication. Matthew started holding regular team meetings where everyone felt comfortable sharing their ideas and feedback without fear of judgment. 2. Use the Right Tools 🛠️ Communication Platforms: Matthew introduced his team to effective communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams - which facilitated instant messaging, file sharing, and organized conversations, which streamlined workflows. 3. Provide Training 📚 Communication Workshops: this is where we came in fully by focusing on developing essential communication skills, such as active listening, clear articulation, and providing constructive feedback. 4. Lead by Example 🧘♂️ Modeling Behavior: By emphasizing the importance of leading by example, Matthew started demonstrating strong communication skills in his interactions with the team. By being clear, respectful, and attentive, he set a standard for others to follow. 5. Regular Feedback 🔄 Constructive Feedback: Implementing a system for regular, constructive feedback helped team members understand their communication strengths and areas for improvement. This ongoing process fostered a culture of continuous improvement. 🍀Tips for Team Member Development: 👂Active Listening: Encourage team members to practice active listening, focusing fully on the speaker, understanding their message, responding thoughtfully, and remembering what was said. 🔈Clear Articulation: Help team members develop the ability to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely, avoiding ambiguity and confusion. ❤Empathy: Foster empathy within the team so members can better understand and relate to each other's perspectives and emotions. 🎀Conflict Resolution: Train team members in conflict resolution techniques to handle disagreements professionally and constructively. 🧷Non-Verbal Communication: Educate the team about the importance of body language, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues in effective communication. Want to enhance your team's communication skills? 🌟 📞 https://lnkd.in/dGGM5vCK #sonniasingh #sonniasinghleadershipcoach #leadershipcoaching #teamcoach #teams #communicationskills #softskills #TeamCommunication #SoftSkills #ProfessionalTraining

This is the golden age of fan engagement. Football clubs are in an unprecedented position where they can connect with fans across all generations. 👉 Clubs can now tailor their communication strategies to resonate with diverse audience segments. ❓ ❓ How can clubs use the various platforms strategically? ✅ TikTok ☑ Utilize youth-oriented language and slang to connect with a younger, trend-following audience. ☑ Discuss popular trends like trap music and gaming to captivate the interest of tech-savvy fans. ✅ Facebook ☑ Engage in conversations about parenthood, showcasing the club's commitment to family values. ☑ Explore the rich history of the club, fostering a sense of nostalgia among long-time supporters. ☑ Highlight city pride to deepen the connection between the club and its local community. ✅ LinkedIn ☑ Showcase the entrepreneurial spirit of the club's city by featuring local business leaders and entrepreneurs associated with the club. ☑ Emphasize the club's role in fostering economic growth and community development. ✅ Twitch ☑ Establish a presence on Twitch, essentially creating a personalized television channel for the club. ☑ Develop ad-hoc programs, including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with players and fans, and interactive content to engage fans in real-time. ✅ Pinterest ☑ Curate boards displaying the most captivating images of the stadium, capturing the essence and atmosphere during matches. ☑ Showcase products for sale, transforming Pinterest into a visually appealing marketplace. 🔷 Final Thoughts ❗ This multi-platform approach ensures that football clubs can cater to the diverse interests and preferences of their fan base. 👉 Clubs can today create a comprehensive and inclusive fan engagement strategy that spans across generations. You can connect to a mum and a teenager at the same time on three different platforms! ❗ Clubs can now foster a deep and lasting connection with fans, ensuring the club's sustained success both on and off the pitch. ✔ I created a couple of strategies on how the club can produce content constantly. I will post them soon. ❓ On which platform do you follow your club? #footballbusiness #linkedinsports #socialmedia 

We all have our unique communication style. And this can sometimes be a problem… At my core, I am naturally direct—I prefer getting straight to the point and value concrete solutions. This direct approach was perfectly acceptable in my country, Ukraine. But it was not as well received in England, where I moved at the age of 21. Gradually, I adapted to my new environment. “I think you are wrong” transformed into “with all due respect,” and “Your idea is bad” evolved into “Could we consider other options?”. The experience of working in an international context, with people from all over the world, has taught me that: 1️⃣ There’s no universally “good” or “bad” communication style; what’s effective in one culture might not be in another. 2️⃣ The greatest skill lies in knowing when to pivot between directness and subtlety, especially in multicultural settings. 3️⃣ Adapting your style doesn’t mean sacrificing your core identity; it’s about building bridges across borders. For a deeper dive into cross-cultural communication, I recommend reading “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer, where she deciphers how culture shapes communication styles. To learn more about my personal journey in this realm, check out my latest speech on the topic at the International Geneva Toastmasters. 👇 #CommunicationSkills #CulturalIntelligence #communication #CrossCulturalCommunication #CulturalAwareness

Meetings aren’t for updates - they’re where your culture is being built… or broken. In distributed, remote, & hybrid teams, meetings are key moments where team members experience culture together. That makes every meeting a high-stakes opportunity. Yet most teams stay in default mode - using meetings for project updates instead of connection, ideation, debate, and culture-building. Fixing meeting overload isn’t just about having fewer Zooms. It’s about rewiring your communication norms: ✔️ Do we know when to communicate synchronously vs. asynchronously? ✔️ Are we using async tools that give transparency without constant live check-ins? ✔️ Have we aligned on our team values and expected behaviors? 💡 3 ways to reduce meetings and make the remaining ones count: 1️⃣ Co-create a Team Working Agreement. Before you can reinforce values, your team needs to define them. We’ve spent hundreds of hours helping teams do this - and have seen measurable gains in team effectiveness. Key components: ✔️ Shared team goals ✔️ Defining team member roles ✔️ Agreed-upon behaviors ✔️ Communication norms (sync vs. async) 2️⃣ Begin meetings with a connection moment. Relationships fuel trust and collaboration. Kick things off with a check-in like: “What gave you energy this week?” Or tailor it to the topic. In a recent meeting on decision-making norms, we asked: “Speed or certainty - which do you value more when making decisions, and why?” 3️⃣ Make team values part of the agenda. Create a ritual to recognize teammates for living into the team behaviors. Ask the question: “Where did we see our values or team agreements show up this week?” And check in on where could the team have done better. Culture doesn’t happen by accident - especially when your teams are spread across time zones, WFH setups, and multiple office sites. Your meetings can become a powerful tool to build culture with intention. Excerpt from the Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick

I’ve trained in rooms where people speak English, but think in Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil Same company, same goals, but completely different communication styles. We love patting ourselves on the back for being diverse. But when a South Indian team feels a North Indian manager is "too aggressive," or a Gen Z employee thinks their Gen X boss is "dismissive", we call it a "communication gap." When really it's India's invisible boardroom barrier. Because while communicating, you’re navigating: 🔹 Cultural nuances 🔹 Generational gaps 🔹 Language preferences 🔹 Urban vs regional perspectives And if you're not adapting, you’re alienating. Here's my 3A’s of Cross-cultural communication framework: 1. Awareness: Recognize that your communication style is shaped by region, generation, and upbringing. It's not universal. 2. Adaptation: Match your message to your audience. One style doesn't fit all rooms. 3. Ask: When in doubt, clarify: What does yes mean here? How do you prefer feedback? What's the protocol for disagreement? India's diversity is incredible. But if we are not actively learning to communicate across cultures, not just languages, we're wasting it. P.S. What's your biggest cross-cultural communication struggle? #CrossCulturalCommunication #AwarenessAdaptationAsk #3AsFramework #Awareness #Adaptation #Ask #CommunicationGaps

Communication is not about saying what we think. Communication is about ensuring others hear what we mean. Internal communications is about making employees feel good, engaged, informed, & connected. 🚙 It’s the engine behind culture, alignment, & business success. 🔗 It’s the bond that holds the teams together. 🩵 It’s about influence, not control. 📘 It turns corporate strategy into something real for the people. 💪 Internal communications is imperative. However, if everything is hyped to the max, then what is truly important? If all things are A+#1, then which one is truly first among equals? Thanks to technology, we can reach pretty much all employees all the time with everything that ever needs to be communicated. ❌ Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. ✔ We should limit broadcasting & embrace narrowcasting. Segment messages based on employee roles & locations. Defining clear segments & working groups for communication allows you to quickly send a message to the right individuals at any time. ✔ Make communication asynchronous. One example would be a post made on an employee App that others can respond to at any time. Asynchronous communication can be particularly effective for remote teams & those working across multiple time zones or languages (‘inline translations’ is a must). ✔ Move from broadcasting to conversation (interactive channels, Q&As, polls, surveys, feedback loops). ✔ Include your frontline workers. They hardly complain about too much communication. They miss it & too often miss out. ✔ Put in meaningful efforts to truly understand what your employees want. There is no bottom-up communication fatigue … as long as people don’t feel that their voices fall on deaf ears. ✔ Adopt an internal communications platform to connect with your employees at the right time, with the right information, & where they want to receive it. A platform that allows employees to opt in or out of certain information & updates.  ➡️ What has worked for you to reduce internal comms fatigue? Share your tips 👇👇👇 🍯

What if the biggest barrier to inclusion at work isn't what we say 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵? Most companies today talk about building inclusive workplaces through DEI programs, diverse hiring, and equitable policies. But there's one area that's almost always overlooked: 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆. And not just language as in English vs. Hindi or Tamil vs. Telugu. I’m talking about the language of belonging. The subtle cues of who’s in, and who’s left out. I still remember my first week at a MNC decades ago . My team was friendly and collaborative. But most of the conversations : during breaks, side discussions, even meetings happened in local language. I couldn’t participate. Not because I wasn’t capable, but because I didn’t understand. Slowly, I found myself withdrawing from informal chats and even team huddles. It wasn’t anyone’s fault it just was. This kind of linguistic exclusion isn’t malicious. But it is real. It limits collaboration, psychological safety, and the very inclusion we aim to build. Maybe it would be effective to see it from a different perspective 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆-𝑰𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 (𝑳𝑰𝑪). Let’s define workplace inclusion not just by who is in the room, but who feels heard. I believe that LIC is about: ✅ Encouraging inclusive language norms ✅ Training teams to switch consciously to a shared language ✅ Acknowledging regional pride without building silos ✅ Making communication choices part of your DEI playbook As hybrid work grows, these nuances matter even more. LIC could be the new frontier in shaping culturally intelligent teams. 💬 Over to You: Have you ever felt excluded at work because of language? Should language sensitivity be part of DEI training? How can leaders model inclusive communication without erasing cultural identity? Is English still the most practical “bridge” in Indian workplaces? What small shift could your team make today to be more language-inclusive? #DEI #OrgCulture #LessonsLearned

If you are looking for a roadmap to master data storytelling, this one's for you Here’s the 12-step framework I use to craft narratives that stick, influence decisions, and scale across teams. 1. Start with the strategic question → Begin with intent, not dashboards. → Tie your story to a business goal → Define the audience - execs, PMs, engineers all need different framing → Write down what you expect the data to show 2. Audit and enrich your data → Strong insights come from strong inputs. → Inventory analytics, LLM logs, synthetic test sets → Use GX Cloud or similar tools for freshness and bias checks → Enrich with market signals, ESG data, user sentiment 3. Make your pipeline reproducible → If it can’t be refreshed, it won’t scale. → Version notebooks and data with Git or Delta Lake → Track data lineage and metadata → Parameterize so you can re-run on demand 4. Find the core insight → Use EDA and AI copilots (like GPT-4 Turbo via Fireworks AI) → Compare to priors - does this challenge existing KPIs? → Stress-test to avoid false positives 5. Build a narrative arc → Structure it like Setup, Conflict, Resolution → Quantify impact in real terms - time saved, churn reduced → Make the product or user the hero, not the chart 6. Choose the right format → A one-pager for execs, & have deeper-dive for ICs → Use dashboards, live boards, or immersive formats when needed → Auto-generate alt text and transcripts for accessibility 7. Design for clarity → Use color and layout to guide attention → Annotate directly on visuals, avoid clutter → Make it dark-mode (if it's a preference) and mobile friendly 8. Add multimodal context → Use LLMs to draft narrative text, then refine → Add Looms or audio clips for async teams → Tailor insights to different personas - PM vs CFO vs engineer 9. Be transparent and responsible → Surface model or sampling bias → Tag data with source, timestamp, and confidence → Use differential privacy or synthetic cohorts when needed 10. Let people explore → Add filters, sliders, and what-if scenarios → Enable drilldowns from KPIs to raw logs → Embed chat-based Q&A with RAG for live feedback 11. End with action → Focus on one clear next step → Assign ownership, deadline, and metric → Include a quick feedback loop like a micro-survey 12. Automate the follow-through → Schedule refresh jobs and Slack digests → Sync insights back into product roadmaps or OKRs → Track behavior change post-insight My 2 cents 🫰 → Don’t wait until the end to share your story. The earlier you involve stakeholders, the more aligned and useful your insights become. → If your insights only live in dashboards, they’re easy to ignore. Push them into the tools your team already uses- Slack, Notion, Jira, (or even put them in your OKRs) → If your story doesn’t lead to change, it’s just a report- so be "prescriptive" Happy building 💙 Follow me (Aishwarya Srinivasan) for more AI insights!

Are your star communicators being left unheard in meetings? You might be managing a team of Textroverts. They’re sharp, articulate, and bold—on Slack, email, or Notion. But in live meetings? Quiet. Hesitant. Sometimes invisible. Recognizing these different communication styles isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a leadership must. Textroverts aren’t disengaged. They just shine in a different medium. If your people managers or HR team aren’t equipped to work with that, you’re losing out on impact, ideas, and innovation. Here’s how to bring them in without calling them out: ✅ Prioritize writing-first communication ✅ Redefine what ‘active participation’ looks like ✅ Design inclusive meetings that allow for both talking and typing ✅Spotting your team’s Textroverts is just the start—engaging with them is a different game. ✅Managing Textoverts sometimes can feel draining. It’s like walking on eggshells—especially when clarity gets lost in translation. The risk? Fatigue, friction, or worse—grievances that spill into public spaces. Set clear norms. Create safe check-ins. And don’t shy away from real conversations—even if they start in DMs. #Textroverts #LeadWithEmpathy #PeopleFirst #LeadershipDevelopment #DigitalCommunication #InclusiveWorkplace #CommunicationStyles #ManagementSkills #WorkplaceCulture #FacetoFaceCommunication

🌍 World Englishes It's time to debunk a common misconception: that only British, American, and Canadian Englishes are considered "correct." The truth is language evolves and adapts to its context. English, as a global language, takes on the characteristics and features of the diverse regions and cultures where it's used. Ghanaian, Nigerian, Singaporean, and all other Englishes are just as valid and correct. 🗣️Let's Embrace Linguistic Diversity In the global workplace, it's crucial to recognise and embrace linguistic diversity. It's not about conforming to a single "standard" English but about appreciating the richness that different Englishes bring to the table. Here are three steps institutions can take to create a more inclusive environment: ✅Cultural awareness training: Provide cultural sensitivity and awareness training to all employees. Understanding the linguistic and cultural diversity of colleagues can foster empathy and collaboration. ✅Language support programmes for Inclusivity: Offer robust language support programs that serve a dual purpose in your global workplace. These programmes not only encourage employees to improve their communication skills while preserving their unique linguistic identities but also provide training for native speakers to effectively communicate with colleagues whose first language isn't English. These inclusive programmes foster a harmonious work environment where everyone feels empowered to express themselves, regardless of their native language. By equipping both non-native and native speakers with the tools to bridge communication gaps, we create a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes effective collaboration. ✅Inclusive communication policies: Develop communication policies that promote inclusivity. Encourage employees to use their preferred Englishes, whether in written or spoken form, without fear of bias or discrimination. By taking these steps, institutions can foster a workplace where all Englishes are celebrated, respected, and valued. #LinguisticDiversity #InclusiveWorkplace #WorldEnglishes