LinkedIn Learning Course "Communication within Teams"

Benefits of using RACI

- Improve team efficiency - Reduces redundancies or overlaps - Coordinates your team's efforts at multiple levels

The 1st critical ground rules for an AAR (After-Action Review)

1. Get everyone involved. Everyone who is contributing should have an opportunity to reflect and contribute to the discussion. This conversation is not productive if everyone from the most junior person to the most senior executive doesn't have a seat at the table. To that point, if you have varying levels of seniority in the room, you may need to find ways to... leading to the second point

The 2nd rule for an AAR

2. Encourage honest discussion. There may be cultural, personality, or rank-related reasons people on the team don't feel comfortable speaking up. --> this led to the third point

The 3rd rule for an AAR

3. Dismantle hierarchies and ignoring. The people who are on the ground doing the work may have invaluable insights on how aspects of the project are getting done. Without making them comfortable speaking up, you risk missing out on important information that can change your work outcomes.

The 4th rules for an AAR

4. Establish a positive environment. This is not the time for blaming or shaming people on the team. It's okay to speak about what did or didn't happen as planned, but it's important that the tone of the conversation remains productive.

Seven components of LESCANT

Language Environment Socially organized Context Authority Nonverbal Time

RACI matrix

RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. - RACI is a responsibility matrix or tool you can use to keep each other informed and collectively hold each other accountable.

Why is it important?

Teammates need to trust each other's intentions. If you trust someone, you believe they have your best interests at heart They don't speak negatively about you behind your back, make belittling jokes, or make you feel incompetent. Teammates are protective of the psychological and emotional wellbeing of each other. If you trust your team, you aren't worried about sounding dumb if you present an innovative idea.

3 key process-roles suggested for every team

The convener, the recorder, the monitor

Say-do gap

The difference between what you say and what you do

Language

Use clear and basic phrasing whenever possible. While everyone on your team may be using the same language, it is easy for information to get lost in translation. The same words can have different meanings in different parts of the same country.

Environment

What external cultural factors impact your team's work or dynamics? This can include aspects of your physical realities and host of other external factors

5th W of Accountability for teams

What happens if a task is or isn't completed accurately, on time. or to any other project specifications? What are the consequences of failing to meet expectations? Consequences don't have to be negative

1st W of Accountability for teams

What specifically needs to be done. What are the tasks or tasks that must be accomplished?

Good questions to ask in an AAR

What was supposed to happen? If everyone isn't in alignment on this question, you want to revisit the team's goals and expectations next time. What did happen? Did we meet our goal and only our goal? What worked well and why? What did we do a good job with and why did it work so well? It is important to understand why we're being so successful. What do we need to change and why? It's also important to know what didn't go as planned and have a good understanding of why things got derailed. How can we improve our process going forward? A thoughtful discussion about what we can do better in the future gives your team a revised roadmap on your path forward.

2nd W of Accountability for teams

When is the deadline for getting this finished. If the deadline is Tuesday, what time?

3rd W of Accountability for teams

Who is going to take the lead in finishing this specific tasks?

4th W of Accountability for teams

Why is this this task or project important?

The convener

a role the team leader often takes at least partially, especially if he or she is accountable for the outcome of the team's efforts. Convening includes everything from determining whether a meeting is needed, to ensuring the agenda is developed and shared, to scheduling the actual meeting time and place

The monitor

help the group stick to the agenda items and keep the discussion within the time allotted. keeping a group's focus, particularly if you are meeting virtually, can be extremely challenging. It is easy to get off topic. When this happens, the monitor may ask the recorder to note that this topic needs to be an agenda items for further meetings.

Socially organized

how are the cultures represented on your team socially organized? How do religion, race, gender, and class factor into the societies your team is constructed of?

authority

how do your teammate's view authority? Our perspectives on authority, power and leadership style are all informed by our cultural background and personal preferences.

The recorder

responsible for keeping detailed notes on the discussion that takes place during the meeting. Notes should include a list of the participants, a summary of the discussion associated with them, so that it is clear who will be acting on whatever next steps you have discussed

Nonverbal communication

speaks volumes. Within your team, pay attention to the things that are unsaid.

You can use RACI to

track and assign responsibilities related to the specifics of your project.

Time

which is our most valuable resource. How individuals perceive time, and their schedules, varies.

Context

which of your teammates are from high-or-low-context cultures? In a high-context culture, communication is explicit. Communicators are direct and verbalize every word they need to get their point across in a low-context culture, communication is implicit and relies more on nonverbal cues, silence, and the unsaid.