You need to talk and listen to build a shared vision in collaboration
It is good to talk. By talking and listening we explore and develop our ideas further. We find mistakes in our thinking.
In a collaboration talking and listening to team members is how we develop our shared understanding. This is where we tease out the nuances and details of our shared vision. Where we realise that by ‘blue’ we mean specifically ‘navy blue’, as the pastel blue was the wrong hue to tone with the other elements on the screen.
Talk to clarify the shared vision
It is all fine agreeing with the team, but you also need to talk through the implementation in order to clarify details. When you don’t then you might be surprised by the results.
This is why listening is so important to the conversation process. You need to listen so that you notice when there might be different interpretations, or meanings of the words. This space for confusion leads to mistaken assumptions, and confusion.
This is one reason I find ‘resources’ such a bad word in discussions: if you mean things, then specify them, if you mean people, then say that. Don’t make people things.
Building empathy within the team makes these conversations easier. When you know your team members better it is easier to ask them questions, and for them to answer you too. In addition, you feel the effort you put in together is more valuable, and not a waste of time.
Yes, the teasing out of details can be tiring, and slow. Yes, it can be challenging clarifying what might be small details. It is also rewarding when you discover issues, you and the rest of the team hadn’t appreciated too. You have pre-emptively shortened your feedback loop and saved time.
Be patient with your team
Next time you meet with your team make sure you are agreed on the small things. If not, ask questions. Check that everyone is clear by asking them to share their understanding with their neighbour. This makes it easier and together they can both raise questions they might have.
Being patient and a good listener is something you can try in any setting. It’s not just for your team collaboration. This is one of those lifelong skills your teachers told you about.
This post is part of a project pulling together my materials and ideas about Teaching Team Collaboration: the Human-Side of Software Development for software development to students.
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The ideas above are from my book 101+ Ideas to Improve Team Collaboration, which covers all of these little things that students can do to improve their collaboration. Also available via Kindle.