Before you communicate with your team members, you need to understand who they are, what they do, and what they care about. This will help you tailor your message to their needs, interests, and expectations. You can do some research on their discipline, ask them questions, or observe their work style. Try to avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that might confuse or alienate them. Instead, use clear, simple, and concrete language that they can relate to and understand.
I think that's one of the most powerful techniques to get people to feel included in your message or communication. Once you know better them you can adapt a little bit your words to not only make it more understandable but even inspiring to listen to.
To work in an interdisciplinary team, it is important to know each team member's area of expertise in order to express your ideas and contributions during interactions with the group. Knowing how to make theoretical and practical relationships between the different areas and show how each discipline works is crucial to be able to explain the techniques and methods to be applied to the project and how to develop the work, including the entire team background knowledge.
Understand Who They Are It is always important to have a connection with your colleagues. People want to feel valued, understood. We all come from different backgrounds, experiences and cultures. Many times we interpret things differently. Their life experiences and perspectives allow people to look at an existing problem with clear lenses. Creating a culture of openness, and team members sharing their ideas and views helps bring innovation.
Know your team - Effective communication starts with understanding the people you’re working with. Take time to learn about their backgrounds, specialties, and what drives them. This knowledge allows you to craft messages that resonate on a personal level, helping bridge gaps between diverse areas of expertise.
One of the main communication barriers across different disciplines is the lack of a shared vision, goal, or framework. To overcome this, you need to establish common ground with your team members. This means finding out what you have in common, what you agree on, and what you value. You can do this by creating a team charter, a document that outlines the purpose, objectives, roles, and norms of the team. You can also use tools like mind maps, diagrams, or models to visualize and align your ideas and assumptions.
Shared Vision All teams run into communication roadblocks, the key is to focus on the big picture. What are we trying to accomplish and what is the final outcome we want and most importantly why.
Create a Unified Vision - Different disciplines often have their own languages and priorities, which can lead to misunderstandings. Establishing a common vision or shared goals can unite these diverse perspectives. Use collaborative tools and workshops to co-create this vision, ensuring everyone has a stake in the outcome and feels aligned in purpose.
Another communication barrier across different disciplines is the tendency to talk over, interrupt, or dismiss each other. To overcome this, you need to listen actively and respectfully to your team members. This means paying attention, showing interest, and giving feedback. You can do this by using verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, smiling, or paraphrasing. You can also ask open-ended questions, seek clarification, or summarize what you heard. Listening actively and respectfully will help you build trust, empathy, and rapport with your team members.
Listen Actively Constantly cutting people off is a lack of respect and can be damaging to relationships, in any form of collaboration. As a team we must practice and possibly role play with colleagues to build better listening and communication skills. Always reflect on our interactions and identify areas for improvement.
Practice Deep Listening - Listening isn’t just about hearing words; it’s about understanding the intent and emotions behind them. Engage in deep listening by being fully present in conversations, asking thoughtful questions, and acknowledging others’ contributions. This fosters a culture of mutual respect and encourages open, honest dialogue.
Another communication barrier across different disciplines is the difficulty of dealing with diversity and conflict. To overcome this, you need to embrace diversity and conflict as opportunities for learning and growth. This means acknowledging, appreciating, and leveraging the different perspectives, experiences, and skills of your team members. You can do this by encouraging diversity of thought, expression, and participation. You can also manage conflict constructively, by focusing on the issues, not the personalities, and by seeking win-win solutions.
Dealing with the diversity of knowledge, thoughts and areas is fundamental to be able to develop an interdisciplinary project. In my experience, first, we seek to understand the problem and the objective of the work; Then, we study the ways in which each discipline can contribute to the project, connecting ideas from different areas. It is often necessary to understand and study the concepts and methodologies that other colleagues use to make connections between disciplines. This way, we were able to include all proposals, methods and different forms of research in the project and come up with a great solution for the project.
Opportunity for Learning and Growing Diversity and unique insights of knowledge offers a broader range of ideas and sometimes that can cause conflict to misunderstand. There is no doubt there will be conflicts but as leaders we should always be checking the pulse of our team members to establish trust and maintain good contact with your teams to detect the appearance of any conflict immediately.
Leverage Diverse Perspectives - Differences in perspective are not barriers but assets. Embrace the diversity within your team as a source of innovation. Encourage team members to share their unique viewpoints and use these differences to fuel creative problem-solving and better decision-making.
Another communication barrier across different disciplines is the mismatch of modes and channels of communication. To overcome this, you need to use multiple modes and channels of communication that suit the preferences, needs, and contexts of your team members. This means using a combination of verbal, written, visual, and digital communication. You can do this by choosing the appropriate mode and channel for the purpose, audience, and message of your communication. You can also use tools like online platforms, video conferencing, or chat apps to facilitate communication across time and space.
Adapt Your Communication Style - One-size-fits-all doesn’t work in interdisciplinary teams. Adapt your communication style to suit the preferences and needs of different team members. Whether it’s through detailed reports, quick chats, or visual presentations, choose the medium that best facilitates understanding for each individual or group.
The last communication barrier across different disciplines is the lack of feedback and evaluation. To overcome this, you need to review and improve your communication regularly. This means seeking and giving feedback on your communication performance, strengths, and weaknesses. You can do this by asking for feedback from your team members, peers, or mentors. You can also use tools like surveys, checklists, or rubrics to assess your communication skills. Reviewing and improving your communication will help you learn from your mistakes, celebrate your successes, and enhance your collaboration.
Reflect and Refine - Continuous improvement is crucial for effective communication. Regularly reflect on how well your communication strategies are working and seek feedback from your team. Use this insight to make adjustments, ensuring that communication remains clear, effective, and inclusive as the team evolves.
One effective way to deliver an even better message is by looking for healthy criticism, by healthy I'm referring to people who really can give you feedback without a lack of objectivity and with a clear freedom from bias.