Chapter 3Team Communication and Difficult Conversations.docx

Chapter 3
Team Communication and Difficult Conversations
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Team Assignment
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2
Your Team and Roles
Each of you must assume one of the following roles for the
meeting
1. -- Marketing Manager - to represent the customers and the
messaging/branding of the company
2– Finance Manager – to represent the financial interests of the
company
3– Human Resources Manager – to represent the employees of
the company and their needs
Also, each member must take assume one of the following roles:
Meeting facilitator and coordinator

Create and distribute agenda via email before the meeting.
Create and distribute meeting minutes after the meeting
Practicing Team Communication
Business Meetings
The scenario:
Your boss has come to you and asked for a solution to the
following problem: Your company's email contact list is down
by 30% over the past year because your customers are opting
out. You must develop a plan to address the problem. Plan a
meeting. Design an agenda and a team to address the problem.
You can choose your company together.
Source: https://www.usbusiness-news.com/2018-consumers-
more-aware-than-ever-of-ability-to-opt-out-of-marketing-
communications-new-research-finds.
Your Assignment
1. Create a team.
2. Assign team roles.
3. Via email, the team must find and agree on a meeting time
outside of class when you can all participate.
4. Create and send out an agenda out before the meeting
5. Meet to develop a response to the case study scenario.
Be sure to represent your position’s interests within the

meeting. Develop a list of potential solutions to the
problem for the CEO.
6. Develop and send minutes out after the meeting.
Your Assignment
By the assignment due date, you need to submit the following
items, as a team.
Team participants and roles
Meeting agenda(s)
Meeting minutes
Meeting email invitations and scheduling email (screenshoot).
If any team member doesn’t attend the meeting, or participate in
the allocation of duties, he/she will not receive credit for the
assignment.
TEAM FACILITATORS
Tips and Advice
Barriers to Team Effectiveness

Ineffective communication
Lack of effective chartering and goal setting
Lack of clarity and understanding of roles
Low morale
Low productivity
Lack of trust
In a recent survey, business professionals cited ineffective
communication (66 percent) as the biggest barrier to team
effectiveness. Other major barriers included lack of effective
chartering and goal setting (56 percent), lack of clarity and
understanding of roles (47 percent), low morale (44 percent),
low productivity (42 percent), and lack of trust (36 percent). All
of these factors relate to communication competencies.
8
Frustrating Aspects of Being Part of a Team for Business
Professionals
Ineffective use of meeting time
Ineffective communication among team members
Lack of accountability
Individuals who don’t complete assignments
Lack of preparation in meetings
Similarly, when ranking the most frustrating aspects of being
part of a team, business professionals cite the following:
ineffective use of meeting time (54 percent), ineffective
communication among team members (50 percent), lack of

accountability (47 percent), individuals who don’t complete
assignments (44 percent), and lack of preparation in meetings
(41 percent). All of these factors in turn relate to
communication competencies.
9
Principles of Effective Team Communication
Teams should focus first and foremost on performance.
Teams go through four natural stages to reach high
performance.
Effective teams build a work culture around values, norms, and
goals.
Effective teams meet often.
Your teams will perform far better if they follow the basic
principles of team communication, all of which depend on a
strong listening-centered approach. Work in teams is among the
most researched aspects of work performance, and hundreds of
studies have supported each of the following principles:
Teams should focus first and foremost on performance.
Teams go through four natural stages to reach high
performance.
Effective teams build a work culture around values, norms, and
goals.
Effective teams meet often.
10
Developing Quick Trust and Working in Short-Term
Teams
Get to know each other.
Hold an effective launch meeting.
Commit to working together and separately.

Set up a deliverable schedule and evaluate performance
regularly.
Many teams are created to accomplish projects in short periods
of time, often in just a few weeks up to a few months. Short-
term teams face unique challenges. To develop quick trust is
critical: Get to know each other; hold an effective launch
meeting; commit to working together and separately; and set up
a deliverable schedule and evaluate performance regularly.
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Behaviors that Drive Diversity
Making sure everyone is heard
Making it safe to let team members express novel ideas
Giving team members decision-making authority
Sharing credit
Giving useful feedback
Putting feedback into action
The following behaviors help drive acquired diversity: (1)
making sure everyone is heard, (2) making it safe to let team
members express novel ideas, (3) giving team members
decision-making authority, (4) sharing credit, (5) giving useful
feedback, and (6) putting feedback into action. In short, these
behaviors drive an innovative, “speak-up culture.”
12
Running Effective Meetings

Create tradition, culture, and variety
Set expectations and follow the agenda
Encourage participation and expression of ideas
Build consensus and a plan of action
Closing the meeting
Dealing with difficult people
If you’ve planned and prepared well for the meeting, you are in
a great position to carry out your meeting objectives. Ideally,
you’ve provided clear expectations for meeting participants—
what they should have done before the meeting and what they
can expect in terms of content and length of the meeting. Once
the meeting arrives, you have several options for achieving
productive outcomes:
Create tradition, culture, and variety.
Set expectations and follow the agenda.
Encourage participation and expression of ideas.
Build consensus and a plan of action.
Close the meeting.
Deal with difficult people.
13
Principles of Effective Team Communication
Effective teams embrace differing viewpoints and conflict.

Effective teams provide a lot of positive feedback and evaluate
their performance often.
Effective teams feel a common sense of purpose.
Some additional principles are:
Effective teams embrace differing viewpoints and conflict.
Effective teams provide a lot of positive feedback and evaluate
their performance often.
Effective teams feel a common sense of purpose.
14
Managing Difficult Conversations
Difficult conversations often center on disagreements, conflict,
and bad news.
Many people prefer to avoid difficult conversations because
they want to avoid hurting the feelings of others or want to
avoid conflict.
Business professionals routinely—often on a daily basis—
encounter difficult conversations, especially when working in
teams and collaborating with others. Difficult conversations are
approached with apprehension, nervousness, anxiety, and even
fear. Difficult conversations often center on disagreements,
conflict, and bad news. Many people prefer to avoid difficult
conversations because they want to avoid hurting the feelings of
others, want to avoid conflict, or for other reasons.
15

Principles of Difficult Conversations
Embrace difficult conversations.
Assume the best in others.
Adopt a learning stance.
Stay calm/overcome noise.
Find common ground.
Disagree diplomatically.
Avoid exaggeration and either/or approaches.
Most people back away from uncomfortable or unpleasant
conversations. This is particularly the case when we feel we
have a lot to gain but risk heavy losses if it doesn’t go right.
For these reasons, difficult conversations are often emotionally
challenging. Successful people in the workplace do not evade
difficult conversations. Those who regularly tackle them with
skill and tact improve work performance for themselves and
others. These basic, tried-and-true principles for handling
difficult conversations in the workplace rely on active listening
with a learner mind-set:
Embrace difficult conversations.
Assume the best in others.
Adopt a learning stance.
Stay calm/overcome noise.
Find common ground.
Disagree diplomatically.
Avoid exaggeration and either/or approaches.
16
How To Disagree Diplomatically
Typically, you can disagree diplomatically by validating the
views and feelings of others and using I-statements.
Validating others means that you recognize their perspectives

and feelings as credible or legitimate. It does not necessarily
mean that you agree.
I-statements begin with phrases such as I think, I feel, or I
believe. During disagreements or difficult conversations, I-
statements soften comments to sound more conciliatory and
flexible and less blaming and accusatory
You can disagree diplomatically by validating the views and
feelings of others and using
I-statements. Validating others means that you recognize their
perspectives and feelings as credible or legitimate. It does not
necessarily mean that you agree. I-statements begin with
phrases such as I think, I feel, or I believe. They soften
comments to sound more conciliatory and flexible and less
blaming and accusatory.
17
Agendas and Meeting Planning
Tips and Advice
Survey Monkey
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Doodle polls
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Planning for Meetings: Essential Questions
What is the purpose of the meeting? What outcomes do I
expect?
Who should attend?
When should the meeting be scheduled?
What roles and responsibilities should people at the meeting
have?
Planning for meetings requires strategy, scheduling, and
coordination. At a minimum, you should answer the following
questions in your preparations:
What is the purpose of the meeting?
Who should attend?
When should the meeting be scheduled?
What roles and responsibilities should people at the meeting
have?
21
Figure 3.6 Least Productive Parts of the Workday
Jump to Appendix 4 long image description

Generally, you should avoid meetings, especially brainstorming
meetings, during the least productive times of the day (usually
the afternoon). Typically, most employees are at their best
performance in the morning (see Figure 3.6).
22
Planning for Meetings: Essential Questions
What will be the agenda?
What materials should I distribute prior to the meeting?
When and how should I invite others?
What logistical issues do I need to take care of (reserving
rooms, getting equipment, printing materials)?
Other questions that you should answer in preparing for meeting
include the following:
What will be the agenda?
What materials should I distribute prior to the meeting?
When and how should I invite others?
What logistical issues do I need to take care of (reserving
rooms, getting equipment, printing materials)?
23
Creating and Distributing the Agenda
Agendas provide structure for meetings.
Most agendas should include:
Date time and location of the meetings
Agenda items

Time frames
Goals/expected outcomes
Materials needed
Agendas provide structure for meetings. For most meetings,
preparing and distributing an agenda ahead of time allows each
meeting participant to form expectations and prepare. Most
agendas should include items to be covered, time frames, goals
and/or expected outcomes, roles, and materials needed. You can
foster more effective meetings by getting others involved in the
agenda-creation process. For example, at least several days in
advance, ask meeting participants for agenda items they want
included.
24
Figure 3.6 Creating and Distributing the Agenda
As you develop the agenda, pay attention to the ordering of
items so that it flows much like you would expect other written
communications to flow from point to point. Also, consider
placing those agenda items of most importance near the
beginning. This way, if items take longer than expected and you
are forced to shelve some items, you have addressed the
highest-priority items. See Figure 3.7 for an agenda for the

Prestigio marketing team.
25
Meeting Agenda Email
Taking Meeting Minutes
Tips and Advice
Record the meeting.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-
NC
28
Share minutes promptly after meeting.

Meeting Minutes/Follow Up
Meeting minutes must include:
Who attended?
What are the important decisions that were made?
What are the important action items that need to be addressed
and who is responsible for each item?
Meeting follow-up/minutes components include the following:
Date and time
Team members present
Meeting roles
Key decisions
Key discussion points (optional)
Open issues (optional)
Action items and deadlines
30
Figure 3.7 Following Up After Meetings
Follow up by distributing the minutes of the meeting. Minutes
of the meeting should include the date and time, team members
present, decisions, key discussion points, open issues, and

action items and related deadlines. You can also include names
of people who were invited but were absent and the assigned
roles (i.e., note-taker). The minutes serve as a record of what
your team accomplished. Figure 3.8 provides an example of
meeting minutes.
31
Working in Virtual Teams
Focus on building trust at each stage of your virtual team.
Meet in person if possible.
Get to know one another.
Use collaborative technologies.
Choose an active team leader.
In addition to the principles for working effectively in
traditional teams, consider the following tips when working in
virtual teams:
Focus on building trust at each stage of your virtual team.
Meet in person if possible.
Get to know one another.
Use collaborative technologies.
Choose an active team leader.
32
Virtual meetings

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Run Effective Virtual Meetings
Start the meeting with social chat.
Start with a contentious question.
Ask “what do you think about” questions.
Make sure each team member is involved.
Articulate views precisely.
Take minutes in real time.
Focus on your teammates and avoid multitasking.
Use video when possible.
Consider the following tips to make your virtual meetings more
productive:
Start the meeting with social chat.
Start with a contentious question.
Ask “what do you think about” questions.
Make sure each team member is involved.
Articulate views precisely.
Take minutes in real time.
Focus on your teammates and avoid multitasking.
Use video when possible.
34
Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams (1 of
2)
Forming stage

Team members focus on gaining acceptance and avoiding
conflict.
Storming stage
Team members open up with their competing ideas about how
the team should approach work.
In the forming stage (months 1 and 2), team members focus on
gaining acceptance and avoiding conflict. In some ways, this
stage is a honeymoon period in which team members get to
know one another.
In the storming stage (months 2 and 3), team members open up
with their competing ideas about how the team should approach
work. This stage is typically the least productive, since team
members are attempting to make sense of uncertain roles, goals,
and accountabilities.
35
Figure 3.1 Stages of Development in High-
Performance Teams
Nearly all high-performing teams go through four stages before
they maximize their performance. In best-case scenarios, work
teams take roughly six to seven months to reach this level (see
Figure 3.1). Typically, leaders become less directive and more
consultative as the team progresses through the stages: forming,

storming, norming, and performing.
36
Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams (2 of
2)
Norming stage
The team arrives at a work plan, including roles, goals, and
accountabilities.
Performing stage
The team operates efficiently toward accomplishing its goals.
In the norming stage (months 4 and 5), the team arrives at a
work plan, including the roles, goals, and accountabilities.
In the performing stage (months 6 and 7), teams operate
efficiently toward accomplishing their goals. They have evolved
to a level where they can transform disagreement and conflict
into consensus for future action.
37
Image Descriptions Appendix
©McGraw-Hill Education
Figure 3.1 Stages of Development in High-Performance Teams
Appendix
A line graph is shown. Its vertical axis, team performance level,
is labeled high at the top, medium in the middle, and low at the

bottom. Its horizontal axis, months together as a team in best-
case scenario, lists the numbers 0 through 7. The area of the
graph is divided into four columns: forming, storming, norming,
and performing. A line represents the team’s performance level
over the course of the 7 months.
The line begins at a medium performance level in the forming
stage. It drops to medium-low by 1.5 months, transitioning into
the storming stage. Storming shows the team’s performance
dipping down to its lowest point just before month 3. After that,
performance begins to increase. By month 3.75, the line
transitions into the norming stage. The team performance line
increases sharply and steadily upward here, arching toward the
highest level as it transitions from the norming stage to the
performing stage a little after month 6. The performing stage
sees the highest level of team performance at month 7.
Return to slide
Principles of Effective Team Communication (5 of 5) Appendix
Mission Statement: We provide marketing for Prestigio that
matches its mission of outstanding guest service, superior
financial results, and sustainability. Values: Excellence in all
work, creativity, honesty, sharing and collaboration,
professional growth. Goals: (a) To become the premier resort
destination for sustainable conferences in this region; (b) to
increase revenue annually by 12 percent; and (c) to maintain 95
percent guest satisfaction among business travelers and reach 85
percent guest satisfaction among conference attendees.
Team Member Roles/Responsibilities are (from left to right):
Andrea Garcia, general manager, oversee all marketing
initiatives.
Nancy Jeffreys, director of marketing, lead marketing efforts
for non-convention guests.
Barbara Brookshire, director of conventions, lead marketing

efforts for convention guests.
Kip Yamada, marketing associate, develop campaigns for
business travelers.
Jeff Anderton, marketing assistant, conduct market research and
analytics.
Kailey Change, marketing assistant, create concepts and
graphics for campaigns.
Communication Protocol
We will post project updates, recommendations, and relevant
experiences to our team blog. Team members should post
roughly twice per week.
We will respond to direct messages from each other (emails,
phone calls) within four hours.
We recognize the value of each team member’s ideas. We will
discuss differences of opinion with one another immediately,
directly, and respectfully.
Meetings
We will hold meetings on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each
month at 10:00 a.m.
We will rotate facilitators for each meeting. The facilitator will
ensure agenda items are covered with the input of all team
members.
The facilitator should create the agenda. By the Monday
preceding each meeting, the facilitator should make a call for
agenda items. The facilitator should distribute the final agenda
as a blog post by Tuesday at noon on the day before each
meeting.
We will rotate note-takers for each meeting.
The note-taker should post minutes to the team blog by the end
of the day on Tuesday.
The note-taker will create calendar entries for all action items.
Decision Making
We aim for consensus. If we do not achieve consensus,
decisions will be based on a majority vote of the general
manager, the director of marketing, and the director of
conventions.

Feedback
After each major marketing initiative, we will evaluate each
team member’s performance.
In June and December each year, we will evaluate team
performance and communication.
We are dedicated to professional growth. We will constantly
help one another reach our professional goals.
Return to slide
Embracing Differing Viewpoints (2 of 2) Appendix
This image depicts the cycle of dissociation and association in
team communication. A solid horizontal line with a defined
starting point and end point is presented. On the left side, it’s
labeled “start of meeting or team communication.” On the right
side, it’s labeled “end of meeting or team communication.”
Surrounding the line is a clock-wise-moving dotted line. The
dotted line points to the word “disassociation” over “start of
meeting or team communication.” The dotted line proceeds and
points to the word “association” over “end of meeting or team
communication.”
Return to slide
Figure 3.6 Least Productive Parts of the Workday Appendix
The vertical axis lists the percentage of employees indicating a
time frame is the least productive part of the day. The
horizontal axis lists workday time segments by increments of
two hours: 8 to 10 am, 10 am to noon, noon to 2 pm, 2 pm to 4
pm, and 4 pm to 6 pm. Ten percent of employees say 8 to 10 am
is the least productive part of the day. This falls to less than 5

percent during 10 am to noon. From there, the lack of
productivity in a certain time frame climbs steadily through the
rest of the day, reaching a high of almost 40 percent in the 4 pm
to 6 pm slot. According to the graph, the best times for
meetings are in the 10 am to noon segment.
Return to slide
Figure 3.7 Creating and Distributing the Agenda Appendix
Date: November 9, Start Time: 10 a.m., and End Time: 11 a.m.
Purposes:
1. Discuss plans to conduct market research about (a) Internet
pricing for groups and (b) customer satisfaction levels relative
to our local competitors.
2. Discuss progress on our Staff & Service Initiative started in
January.
3. Examine ways to improve participation on our marketing
team blogs and wikis.
4. Finalize plans for the Valentine’s Day marketing campaign.
Desired outcome:
Create action items to complete within the next month (by
December 15). At our December 15 meeting, we will develop
our annual marketing plan, which will include priorities for
improving guest satisfaction and pricing.
Agenda Item 1: Internet Pricing for Groups (20 minutes).
Summary of findings from Internet pricing survey for groups
(Jeff), 5 minutes. Industry standards for Internet pricing for
conference groups (Barbara) ,5 minutes. Group discussion of
findings and options, 10 minutes. Develop action items, 5
minutes.
Agenda Item 2: Improving Customer Satisfaction (20 minutes).
Summary of findings from customer satisfaction research on
external websites (Jeff), 5 minutes. Group discussion of
findings and options ,10 minutes. Develop action items, 5

minutes.
Agenda Item 3: Enterprise Social Software. Discuss goals for
increased use of wikis and discussion forums (Andrea), 5
minutes.
Agenda Item 4: New Promotions. Valentine’s Day hotel
promotions (Nancy), 5 minutes.
Summarize Action Items: 3 minutes.
Participants: Andrea Garcia, Nancy Jeffreys, Barbara
Brookshire, Kip Yamada (note-taker), Jeff Anderton.
Return to slide
Following Up After Meetings Appendix
Meeting follow-up/minutes components:
Date and time
Team members present
Meeting roles
Key decisions
Key discussion points (optional)
Open issues (optional)
Action items and deadlines
Return to slide
Figure 3.8 Following Up After Meetings Appendix
Date: November 9 Start Time: 10 a.m. and End Time: 11 a.m.
Agenda Item 1: Internet Pricing for Groups
Discussion: Jeff presented survey findings about conference
attendees’ purchases of Internet service while here. The group
agreed that Internet-service purchases are far too low and that
less use for lower-income groups suggests high price
sensitivity.

Action Items: Develop and conduct survey that identifies price
points at which conference guests are willing to purchase
Internet service. Responsibility: Barbara and Jeff; Completion
time: December 15. Develop price sensitivity estimates and
related revenue impacts. Responsibility: Barbara; Completion
Time: December 15.
Agenda Item 2: Improving Customer Satisfaction
Discussion: Jeff presented customer satisfaction ratings of
Prestigio and three local competitors. The group agreed that our
customer satisfaction ratings have improved, particularly in
relation to competitors. We are most concerned about the areas
of cleanliness, business center, and meeting rooms.
Action Items: Develop plans to improve the equipment and
furnishings of the business center. Responsibility: Andrea;
Completion Date: December 15. Develop plans for improving
cleanliness and meeting rooms. Responsibility: Nancy, Andrea;
Completion date: January 15.
Agenda Item 3: Enterprise Social Software
Discussion: Andrea encouraged the group to log on to the new
enterprise social platform throughout the day, share documents,
use wikis, and stay aware of progress on shared projects.
Action Item: Use a wiki to collaborate on a joint project with
another member of the marketing team. Responsibility: All
members of marketing team; Completion Time: December 15.
Agenda Item 4: New Promotions
Discussion: Nancy introduced her plans for Valentine’s
promotions, including a price special and advertising campaign
designed to cater to local-area couples.
Action Item: Negotiate TV and print ad campaign details with
ad agency. Responsibility: Nancy, Kip; Completion Time:
December 1.
The participants are listed at the bottom of the meeting minutes:
Andrea Garcia, Nancy Jeffreys, Barbara Brookshire, Kip
Yamada (note-taker), Jeff Anderton.
Return to slide

45
Business Communication
Chapter 3
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