Making Teams Work

Mission oriented, goal oriented, project specific.

You’ve put together a cross-disciplinary team to accomplish an important task.  And, man, do you think you’ve got it nailed.  These professionals bring to the table exactly the right skills for the job.  You’re smiling as you blast out the E-mails letting each appointee know they’re on the team.

But, will they mesh?  Will there be personality conflicts?  Will there be dominators who monopolize the discussions?  Does everybody, in the words of the old grade school report card “play well with others?”  Here are some tips that should be passed along to EVERY member regarding how to make the most of face-to-face team meetings.

Of course, the first way to ensure a smoothly operating team is in the selection process.  Skills, of course, are paramount, but, if you can, avoid both the loner and the dominator.  One will hoard his ideas while the other will drown out contributions from any other member of her team.  Interaction can be also be fostered by considering the design of the meeting itself.  Something as simple as a round table, for example, can encourage participation by placing everybody on an equal footing.  You can also bring various viewpoints to the fore by tasking specific team members to make meeting presentations.  I’ve even assigned the job of meeting facilitator, on a rotating basis, to various team members.  Finally, participation can be encouraged by guaranteeing the meeting is meaningful.  Don’t call a meeting where E-mail communication will do as well.  Face-to-face brainstorming IS a legit reason to have a meeting.  The quick give and take can often produce breakthrough insights.  But, even if brainstorming is the only item on the agenda, make sure that agenda is distributed in advance so teammates can have a chance to gather their thoughts (some people are better extemporaneously than others).

Presentations at meetings can be vastly improved if both presenters and audience follow a few simple guidelines.

*When You Are The Presenter*

–Know your audience:  Make a note of teammates who might need a gentle reminder of meeting time and place.  Know which members might object to something out of hand or who might need prompting to contribute once the presentation reaches the discussion phase.

–Be Organized:   There’s not a lot that will lose the attention of your audience so fast as a mishmash of ideas that fail to follow a logical order.  Find a pattern, develop your organization, and stick to it.  Follow the rule of three’s if you can, organizing your points around three major ideas.  I know it sounds artificial, and it is, but the rule of three’s is well established as a psychological touchstone.
Having three main ideas gives the impression of weight while, at the same time, doesn’t overburden your listeners with too many main points to remember.

–Be Prepared:  Memorize the main points of your presentation and practice it a bit.  Avoid jargon unless it’s indisputably a shared language.  Remember the differences in the ways people learn.  If it’s appropriate, have slides for your visual learners and worksheets for those who get it best when they write it down.

–Be Patient:  Not everyone will understand immediately.  Remember, the reason you’re on the team is that you are expert in your field.  There will be knowledge you think is common to the group, but isn’t.  Expect to be questioned.  What’s more, expect to get the same question more than once.  Don’t let that bother you.  Instead, answer and explain, without condescension.

–Be Humorous:  Don’t try to do a stand-up comedy routine.  They pay Robin Williams big bucks for that.  But, now and then, try to drop a little humor into what otherwise might be tedious and technical.  Self-deprecating humor generally works well in these situations.

–Be Aware:  Monitor your body language.  Don’t let your bad day influence the team even through body movement you barely notice yourself.  Keep tabs on your audience too.  Eye contact will pull them into your discussion AND it will allow you to keep tabs on how things are going.  Are you losing them?  Are they eager?  They’ll give you signs if you look.

–Be In Control:  Don’t let minor disagreements dominate the discussion phase.  On the other hand, don’t let decisions be made off-the-cuff; without adequate discussion.  Make sure the presentation ends with takeaways or action items.

WHEN OTHERS PRESENT:

–Be Attentive:  Listen for meaning.  Understand what is being said.  This is a place where your active listening skills become very powerful.  The idea is that you make sure the content is clear to you.  Ask questions.  Preface those questions, if you can, with the presenters statement which, for you, needs clarification.

–Be Aware:  Make sure your body language represents you well.  Make eye contact with the presenter.  Sit forward with an engaged attitude.  Don’t tap your pencil or glance at your watch.  For the love of the almighty, turn off your cell.

–Be Constructive:  When that discussion phase rolls around, and you have issues, there are ways you can present them that minimize negativity.  USE THEM.  Compliment what you can.  When you do object, restate the original thesis (which proves you have been listening attentively) and establish exactly what it is about the idea that troubles you.  “That’s just stupid,” is never, ever, under any circumstances, an acceptable criticism; nor is any statement that targets the presenter rather than a specific element of what is presented.  Explain yourself (don’t be a knee-jerk hater); and never express an opinion as a fact.  For example:  When discussing colors on your next product brochure, you may despise the color red and think it is the most ugly part of the good Lord’s rainbow, but, if you state that, make sure you call it a personal opinion.  On the other hand, red text has been studied and researched.  Experts conclude that, while it is eye-catching, it is much harder to read.  In fact, readers might abandon the effort altogether.  That is fact.

–Be Responsible:  Make sure you understand the takeaways.  Make sure you complete any action items you’re assigned, on time.  And make sure you’re ready to report progress on those action items when asked to do so, via E-mail or in the next meeting.

Lewis and Clark were a team of two.  They shared command–equally–with neither considered the final authority.  Almost any manual of leadership will call that a recipe for instant disaster.  Yet, while they could not find an all water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific (none exists in North America), still, they succeeded.  Spectacularly.  As for me, I have, sadly, been part of teams that were little more than gripe sessions.  I have also been part of teams that proved, beyond doubt, that committee’s can produce amazing things…that they can lead.  In the end, the keys were respect between team-mates, a focus on action, and a singular passion for results.