12 rules for good communication and collaboration

July 18, 2024

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How does communication in the workplace differ from the private one? Business communication is the one you do at work, and it is about the work while private communication can be about anything. Knowing how to effectively communicate with your co-workers can reduce misunderstanding and increase efficiency of collaboration.

Teams trained to communicate effectively are better prepared for complicated situations and faster solve various issues. For this level of communication it is necessary to proactively map out strategic ways for everyone to work together effectively. In this blog post we will share our 12 rules for good communication and collaboration.

Share the same goals

Establishing clear goals and defining individual roles within the team is essential to achieve effective communication and collaboration at the workplace. If your co-workers have an understanding of their responsibilities and company objectives the communication process will become more productive. Each team member should have their own roles which align with their experience and skills. This will facilitate corporate communication and let employees contribute meaningfully to the company's success.

Encourage collaboration in problem solving

While solving complex issues it is important to have the ability to ask other experts for their advice or recommendations. This will significantly enhance problem solving process and will let your team members stay productive and provide excellent service to your customers.

Foster transparency in communication

By organizing transparent communication channels, you will achieve a higher level of efficiency. You can create group chat rooms for discussing different topics. In Virola corporate messenger it is possible to start audio and video meetings directly in group chat rooms and any of the participants can join such meetings with a click.

Leverage communication tools

Having tools for chatting and talking is not enough to achieve efficient communication. It is essential to select tools that align with your team's specific needs. Those can be project management software, task and issues tracking systems, documents sharing and video conferencing tools. Virola corporate messenger has everything your team needs to stay productive:

• Unlimited files sharing and chat history storage
• Video and voice meetings
• Task board to track tasks and issues
• Screen sharing and remote control

Listen to your co-workers

An environment for active listening will help you build trust and proactively approach problematic situations. You need not only to encourage your team to actively listen to their co-workers, but also help them develop this skill. Starting discussions and creating summaries of your meetings will help to achieve this goal. Work together on problematic situations to find the best solutions and share this knowledge with other team members.

Train collaboration skills

Collaboration skills are important for success in the workplace. No mater whether you have distributed or in-office teams, they need to collaborate effectively to stay productive. Team collaboration skills include problem solving, active listening, communication and teamwork skills. Train your team members to express their ideas, listen to and discuss co-workers' suggestions.

Offer different opportunities for communication

Secure and reliable communication is an essential part of any workflow. To make this process uninterrupted and keep all information is one place you need to use reliable software. Virola corporate messenger offers a wide range of features and allows keeping all communication in one place. With Virola your employees can chat with one another, make calls, submit tasks and report issues.

Set guidelines for internal communication

Communication happens in different forms: in corporate messenger, via email, on task tracking platforms or face-to-face. You need to make sure that your team uses these channels in the most productive ways and follows guidelines for messaging. For example, you should explain which channels to use to share files, which ones to communicate internally and with customers. By creating detailed communication guidelines, you will streamline not only the training process for new employees but also help your team stay efficient and avoid mess.

Use screen sharing apps

Screen sharing is used more and more often in the workflow of remote and distributed teams. It is essential for group meetings, training new employees and customer service. Ideally, screen sharing feature should be available with the application your team uses for communication as this significantly streamlines the process and helps keep all conversations in one place without splitting them between different apps.

Encourage new ideas

True collaboration is about being open to new ideas and critique from all team members. New ideas bring innovation and help your product or service stay competitive.

Use conflict management techniques

Never panic whenever you face the challenge of managing a conflict at the workplace. Approach such situations with kindness and use conflict management techniques to understand the reason and produce a resolution.

• Instead of avoiding complicated situations, try to look into them to prevent possible conflicts in future.
• Identify the real cause of the conflict.
• Look for compromises.
• Analyze past conflicts and promote forgiveness

Create positive atmosphere

A positive atmosphere is an atmosphere of harmony, optimism, and good relationships. It is essential for productive communication and collaboration, fresh ideas and excellent results at work. No matter whether your team works in an office or remotely, you need to take into consideration all their needs and do your best to create positive atmosphere to enhance their communication.