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The third article in a follow-up series on Debbie Phillips’ four cornerstones for effective teamwork. By
DEBBIE PHILLIPS, Ph.D, CPM, The Quadrillion
Your Role in Teamwork –
Communication Beyond Words Communication can be defined as the process of sharing information, thoughts and feelings between people orally, in writing and through body language. So, communication is not just about your words – people also take in visual cues or listen with their eyes.
A note from the editor: This article was written in early March before Houston had any confirmed COVID-19 cases. It almost feels insensitive to publish articles that aren’t focused on the virus, but an article on communication during a time like this could be beneficial to everyone, and communication is more important than ever right now. As a leader, it’s important to communicate during times of heightened sensitivity and anxiety with transparency, certainty, empathy, humanity, inspiration and in a way that unites people. With the situation changing so fast and it being unknown territory, people value leader communication more than ever right now. Take this article as ways to communicate with your coworkers and to your employees for your consideration
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y January article, titled Your Role in Teamwork, emphasized four core elements in relationships within teams: trust, commitment, communication and connection. Merely one quarter into 2020 and I think we can all agree that it has been quite a year so far. I am more convinced than ever that literary critic and Nobel Prize recipient George Bernard Shaw was right when he said, “The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” At press time, Malcolm Gladwell’s “Talking to Strangers” has sat on the New York Times bestseller list for 27 weeks. Gladwell’s latest work includes famous examples of how miscommunication serves as the backdrop of potential conflicts and misunderstandings. With the everchanging and growing COVID-19 pandemic, effective communication will be a topic of interest throughout 2020. What You Say and Your Body Language Communication can be defined as the process of sharing information, thoughts and feelings between people orally, in writing and through body language. So, communication is not just about your words – people also take in visual cues or listen with their eyes. Communication experts agree
www.haaonline.org
May 2020
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