COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATION

Tackling complex problems, fostering creativity and nurturing
collaborative solutions is universal in business today.
The terms cooperation, coordination, and collaboration are
often used interchangeably. However, collaboration refers to a
higher level of joint working in which people and resources that
may have previously operated in different spheres – separated
by organizational and reporting relationships – are pooled
together and aim towards a common end goal. The glue that
binds these collaborative teams together is communication.
In these slides, we look in detail at how to facilitate effective team
collaboration and the communication channels that will support it.

Why Communication Matters
Why Collaboration Matters
Effective collaboration cannot take place without
the support of good communications.
And successful collaboration goes beyond
merely dividing up tasks and assembling a
finished product. It’s more about fostering a
genuine determination to reach a common
objective by sharing knowledge, insights and
learning to build a consensus.
Unlike its poorer cousins coordination or joint
working, real collaboration involves creating an
environment of openness with mutual respect
and trust. Providing a range of communication
channels that will support collaborative teams is,
therefore, a critical part of the process.
What’s more, good internal communications will
have a positive impact on other business
processes. From enhanced employee
engagement to improved productivity and a
superior customer experience, good internal
communications are at the heart of successful
businesses.
Spending the time and effort on getting it right
will, therefore, not only impact on collaboration, it
will also have positive spinoffs in other ways too.
Traditional, hierarchical organizational
structures are increasingly being replaced with
flatter models and more open lines of
communication.
Flexibility is the order of the day in the modern
workplace with more staff members
telecommuting and working flexible hours.
Virtual businesses comprised of freelancers and
specialist contractors as well as employees are
also becoming increasingly common. These
personnel are often located in different states or
continents and demand diverse, more dynamic
communication channels to the traditional ones
of phone and email.
As well as different ways of working, the trend
towards organizational collaboration is also being
driven by the simple recognition that more can
be achieved by working together. More people
equals more ideas, more productivity and more
efficient and effective achievement of goals.
In today’s ever-changing and highly competitive
marketplace, businesses that can foster
creativity, agility and problem-solving
capabilities have an enhanced ability to adapt
and respond to change.

Collaborative Communication Culture
Before an effective collaboration can take place, however, each team will need to spend time creating the right environment. This means setting out
and communicating team members’ roles and responsibilities so that everyone is clear about their contribution to the process. From the outset
make sure you clearly define team goals and objectives as well as outlining each member’s role and responsibilities in reaching those goals.
And while you’re at it, make sure you have a system in place to manage any disagreements or settle disputes. It’s inevitable that there will be
differences of opinion in any collaborative exercise, and in most cases these can be respectfully and easily resolved. However, it’s a good idea to
have a formal process of conflict management or mediation in place just in case these problems were to escalate.
It’s also worthwhile setting out a code of conduct and working methodology for the collaborators. As we’ve seen respect, recognition and valuing
the contribution of all team members are essential prerequisites to effective collaboration. In addition, there’s no room for a blame culture. Mistakes
need to be analyzed and lessons learned without apportioning blame.
Business managers need to make it clear that in a successful collaboration, the group’s goals take precedence over any individual ones. Effective
collaboration requires a certain amount of compromise amongst group members in the interests of reaching a consensus about goals and methods
for completing projects. Workplace collaboration, requires a cohesive company culture across the board which needs to come from the top.

So, what are the collaborative communication skills that
team members need to bring to the table to be successful?
Well, it’s surprising how many organizations take it for
granted that staff members instinctively know how to work
together.
However, that isn’t always the case and like a great many
other skills in the workplace, collaboration
needs to be nurtured and developed.
Here are the TOP TEN SKILLS needed to support
effective collaboration:
Collaborative
Communication
Skills

By definition, collaboration involves a
minimum of two people working
together and so being able to actively
and respectfully listen to the views
of others is essential.
This ability is especially important in
situations when there may be a
difference of opinion or even conflict.
2. Being Able To Listen
As well as being able to listen,
effective collaborators also need to
respect the contributions of other
participants.
Team members may not necessarily
agree with the viewpoints of all their
colleagues, but they must at least be
respectful of the skill, experience and
creativity as well as their ideas and
contributions of their fellow
collaborators.
3. Respect For The
Contribution Of Others
Simply being able to get on with
people has to be the starting point
for an effective collaborator.
A people person will have the
capacity to work well with a wide
range of individuals, is a natural
communicator and knows how to
get the best out of others.
1. The Ability To Get
On With People

Effective workplace collaborations are
all about achieving a consensus on
the best solution.
This will inevitably require the ability to
compromise and make concessions in
order to achieve an outcome for the
greater good.
5. A Willingness To
Compromise
All the best collaborators understand
that the achievements of the group
are more important than any individual
goals.
They are able to see the bigger
corporate picture and are willing to
accept that their personal goals are
secondary.
The ability to problem-solve, identify
obstacles and find creative solutions
to problems is an essential attribute for
collaborators.
7. Problem-solving Abilities
The best collaborators know the
importance of being open to new ideas.
Different team members will inevitably
have different ideas and approaches.
Being open-minded and having a
willingness to consider different
approaches is an essential skill for
effective workplace collaboration.
6. Able To See The Big
Picture
4. Being Open-minded

Good organizational skills are essential
for collaborators.
Team members will be required to share
information and resources, use online
project management tools, collaborate
and edit shared documents as well as
organizing files and data.
8. Effective Organizer And
Project Manager
Brainstorming and exchanging ideas as
well as collaborating on tasks requires
participants to have the ability to give
and receive constructive feedback.
Effective collaborators give and seek
input from others in order to complete a
group task or achieve an outcome.
9. Able To Give And Receive
Constructive Feedback
Finally, effective collaborators must be
committed and enthused.
They should be willing and able to
invest the necessary time and energy to
completing the tasks on time and
fulfilling the expectations of their role
within the project.
10. Commitment And
Enthusiasm

COLLABORATIVE
COMMUNICATION
TOOLS
Now that we understand what collaborative communication is all
about and the skills and attributes needed to support it, let’s turn
our attention to how it can be achieved in the workplace.
Technology has certainly made it easier to provide the diversity of
channels needed to support collaboration. In particular, cloud
technology means that collaborative team members can be
connecting with each other in real-time regardless of the many
miles that may physically be between them.
There’s no doubt that cloud software with its great flexibility will
form the cornerstone of any collaborative communications
strategy, but it’s important not to lose sight of the need for more
personalized communication too. The key thing here is to
provide a range of communication channels that teams can
select to support their collaborations as needed.
So, let’s take a look at the toolkit of possible collaborative
communication channels.
We’ve divided these up into those that
• support personal connections and those that
• lend themselves more to streamlined working processes.

Communication
And Collaboration
In The Workplace

Supporting Personal Connections
One of the biggest barriers to effective collaboration and communication is that team members simply
don’t know each other. If at all possible, get the group together informally over a shared lunch or a
coffee away from the office. Breaking the ice in this way before participants are required to get on with
the job helps the team to gel and promotes better relationships.
Even if your collaboration teams are located in the same building, it’s still a good idea to have
technological solutions in place. As we’ve seen, there will be times when team members are working
from home or are away from the office attending a conference for example. One of the great obstacles to
collaborative working is an inability for employees to get together and this could be down to time or
physical constraints.
So, what technology platforms can collaborative team members use to connect with each other without
having to leave their desks?
High definition video and conferencing apps are an obvious choice. Much of human communication
takes place on the non-verbal level in the form of body language, facial expressions and gestures.
What’s more, paralanguage – our intonation, pitch and tone – is almost as important as the actual words
we use. So face-to-face interaction is still an essential aspect of successful collaboration.
High definition audio software, as well as group chatting and messaging apps, are also essential
items in the collaborative communication toolkit. These enable collaborating staff to quickly and easily
communicate and share updates.
In addition, social intranets are great enablers of collaborative communications. With staff biographies,
follow-me functionality and individual or project activity walls, team members will be able to keep up to
date with the latest developments. As well as being very effective, these tools are also inexpensive.

Streamlined Working Processes
File sharing tools are another essential item in the collaboration toolbox.
Being able to quickly and easily share documents and files is essential
to the smooth functioning of collaborative communication. And there are a
number of software platforms out there that you can choose from. It may
be that you are Dropbox or OneDrive or apps like WeTransfer.
While these apps are certainly convenient and will do the job for you,
they also have a number of disadvantages. There are, for instance,
question marks over security. SSL encryption and folder locking features
are perhaps not as robust as they could be. Price can also quickly
become an issue as the ‘free’ storage capacity is limited. Perhaps the
most important disadvantage though is an inability to edit and
collaborate on documents in real-time.
In comparison, cloud intranets offer the same ease of use and
convenience but with the added advantages of price certainty,
security assurance and unlimited storage.
You see, cloud intranet providers retain responsibility for the security
of all company information and data. They use the very latest encryption
techniques and security features to safeguard important or commercially
sensitive documents from cybercrime and hacking. Along with automatic
backups and updates, a cloud intranet also comes with unlimited user
numbers and storage all for just a modest monthly fee with no hidden
extras.
FILE AND
DOCUMENT
SHARING

Anyone who has had experience of collaborating with others on a document using
Word’s track changes and email will know what a challenging process it can be.
Keeping on top of where things are at is not easy. And having to notify all project
members every time there’s even a minor revision is time-consuming.
Cloud technology, especially in the shape of an intranet, will do away with these
challenges resulting in more streamlined working processes. As well as making it
easier to share files and documents both internally and externally, team members
can simultaneously work on the same document in real-time via an intranet-
embedded G Suite or Office 365 app.
Available 24/7, the cloud intranet will support telecommuters as well as those working
flexible hours. Collaborative team members will no longer spend time navigating
complicated email threads for the most up to date version of the document. Nor will
they need to make sense of complex track changes and editing comments.
Instead, they can have absolute confidence that the intranet has the very latest
version of the document. Embedding the document or spreadsheet directly in the
intranet also means that essential contextual or background information can be
displayed alongside.
What’s more, the intranet can be configured so that alerts and notifications are
automatically sent to team members when a change has been made.
Streamlined Working Processes
REAL-TIME EDITING
&
COLLABORATION

SHARED PROJECT SPACES
In addition, the cloud intranet offers the opportunity for team members
to brainstorm ideas, easily share insights and data either through a
collaborative workspace or a project blog.
Access can be restricted to only the relevant team members through
a series of intranet site permissions. Workspaces or blogs can transcend
time and location and enable employees to connect, share and
collaborate effectively.
SHARED-SCREEN APPS
These are another very effective collaboration tool. Team members can
share their entire desktop screen, individual window or specific application
with one or more colleagues as well as streaming videos or presentations.
Shared-screen apps are a great way for collaborative team members to
show their colleagues exactly what they are talking about and help to keep
everyone on the same page as well as ensuring meetings stay on track.
Streamlined Working Processes

Project management systems or task management software will be another
important weapon in the collaborative arsenal.
Whether it’s used to assign specific project tasks and responsibilities, monitor
completion of milestones and deadlines or to generally keep track of where things
are at, project management software makes for a more efficient and effective process.
However, Google search for ‘task management software’ and most likely, you’ll be
overwhelmed by the sheer number, complexity, and price tags of the options out there.
A cloud intranet, on the other hand, can easily be used to develop a streamlined
project management process.
From project initiation and planning through to execution, launch and control, an
intranet will support operations with online processes offering central oversight.
The ease of communication made possible by the intranet is one obvious advantage.
What’s more, with an intranet solution, there’s no need for additional software. And
because employees are already using the platform in their day-to-day work an extensive
program of staff training won’t be required either.
In the context of project management, it’s a logical and very easy step to use the
intranet for collaborative communication.
Project Management Tools

There’s no doubt that collaborative working
is the future. And so, if your business is
serious about promoting collaboration, then
the starting point must be communications.
Flexible, adaptable and dynamic
collaborative communication channels will
ensure collaborative working is a success in
your business.
If you would like an informal discussion on
how technology can support the process then
get in touch with us here at MyHub.
Better still, why not take advantage of our no-
obligation demo or 14-day free trial and
discover for yourself the many benefits a
cloud intranet has to offer.
Get in touch today!
Collaborative Communications - Making The Difference In The Workplace