Effective Team Communication

To work in health care means to work as part of an interdisciplinary team. As I am sure we can all attest to, working as part of a team is not always an easy task. Personality and communication differences can lead to conflict, burn out, and hurt feelings. Nursing leaders act as a facilitator for many interdisciplinary groups. While it is important to highlight the positives in our behaviors when working as a group, sometimes it is equally important to highlight dysfunctional behaviors as well. Common types of dysfunctional behaviors:

Compulsive Talkers: these individuals are continuously giving their opinion and often end up guiding the conversation
How can the nurse leader deal with this situation? Thank them for their input and ask for input from other team members. Help guide the conversation so each member of the team feels heard and valued. Allow time for this individual to discuss the topic at hand in further detail later.

Non-Talkers: these individuals listen to the team discussion and often hesitate to give their opinion. How can the nurse leader deal with this situation? Ask them to write their opinions down. Specifically ask them questions to gain their insights. Allow them the opportunity to think and formulate their opinion.

Interrupters: these individuals are often seen as lacking self control. They can leave other team members feeling discourage, self conscious, and unappreciated.
How can the nurse manager deal with situation? control the situation by stopping the interrupter and asking the other team member to finish. Then ask for their opinion as soo as they are finished. Try saying “I like your thought process, but lets finish hearing what Jessica was saying.”

Squashers: these individuals will discount opinions and ideas before they have a chance to be entirely formulated. They are often seen as resistant to change or afraid to take a risk.
How can the nurse leader deal with the situation? State that the group will first hear all ideas before gaining pros and cons. In certain situations it may be important to allow them to express their reservations for a period of time before asking to move on. Ask them to determine positives as well as negatives to each situation

Busybodies: these individuals are often not entirely committed to the task at hand. They do not come prepared to group meetings, show up late, and leave early. They are meeting their own personal needs by attending the meeting.
How can the nurse leader deal with the situation? Find creative ways to engage the team member. Give them concrete assignments with a high level of accountability. If the team member is not able to commit, it may be necessary to consider disciplinary action. 

When it comes to working as a team, it is important to be aware of positive and negatives of human behavior. As a nurse leader, pay attention to the members of your team and how they respond to group task. 

I challenge you to contemplate which of these team members you are. How can you alter your behavior to be a better team player?