Army Family Team Building Leadership Development

L.3 Effective Communication for Leaders

FY13 Instructor Aids

INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND - FAMILY PROGRAMS

Effective Communication for Leaders

Instructor Aids

Army Family Team Building Program Leadership Development

FY13

Army Family Team Building Leadership Development

L.3 Effective Communication for Leaders

FY13 Instructor Aid 1.1

Types of Communication

Type of

Communication Challenges How to Overcome

When Best

Used

Telephonic

o May not be able to hear or understand the person clearly

o Unable to read non-verbal cues such as body language and facial

expressions o Possible bad connections

or dropped calls

o Ask questions to verify understanding

o Follow up with email

or some type of confirmation of what was discussed

o Utilize video conferencing when available

o When participants cannot get

together in person

o For clear

directions o Follow-up o Check-in to

ensure work is on track

o With those

who are uncomfortable utilizing technology

Face-to-Face

o May not have time to

think about answers o Can take more time

o Allot time

o Let the person you are meeting with know specific amount of

time you have to spend

o Make regular eye-

contact o Watch your own non-

verbal cues

o When you

need to make sure the receiver

understands what you are saying

o When there is a task for one person.

o Cultural differences that cause

misunderstandings

o Issue with

member of the team

Army Family Team Building Leadership Development

L.3 Effective Communication for Leaders

FY13 Instructor Aid 1.2

Meeting

o Can easily get off topic o Can miss non-verbal

cues because you cannot

see everyone o May take longer o Group instead of

individual contact

o Have an agenda and stick to it

o Provide tool such as

“parking lot” for side issues

o Set specific amount of

time o Assign duties to

members of the group

o Make regular eye contact with each member of the group

o Publish minutes and action items

o Group decision required

o Group buy-in

required o Need to

distribute

duties and get team working together

o Update group on progress of team

members/ project

Written (E-mail, letters, reports, etc.)

o Unable to read non-verbal cues (body language, facial

expression, tone of voice, etc).

o Misunderstanding of

purpose o Unable to obtain

immediate feed-back

o Not everyone reads entire email

o Some people may not

have email capability or may not check regularly

o Possible poor reading

skills

o Have someone read your document before you distribute or send

o Follow up with additional types of communication such

as telephone, text messaging, etc.

o Be concise

o Communicate the importance of reading the entire document to

members of the team o Ask for specific

feedback

o Specific information to share

o Official documentation required

Social Networking

(Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

o OpSEC o Unable to read non-

verbal cues

o Unable to obtain immediate feedback

o Revealing personal

information o Misunderstanding of

purpose

o Not everyone is comfortable utilizing

o Possible poor reading

skills

o Plan before you post o Verify information is

able to be posted on

social site through security officer

o Follow up with

additional types of communication

o Distribute general information

more social in nature

o Reminders of

dates and times

o Check-in to

ensure work is on track

Text / Instant Messaging

o Unable to read non-verbal cues

o Misunderstanding of

purpose o Limited amount of

communication space

o Not everyone is comfortable utilizing

o Possible poor reading

skills

o Plan before you post o Follow up with

additional types of

communication

o Reminders of tasks / meetings

o Check-in to ensure work is on track

Army Family Team Building Leadership Development

L.3 Effective Communication for Leaders

FY13 Instructor Aid 2

Task, Purpose, Method, End State Scenario

Using the define task, purpose, method, and end state strategy, complete the following

scenario. You are in charge of a team of 6 people. They have worked well together before. Each

offers a different strength to the team. Your boss assigned you to create a presentation on what Family Members can expect during a deployment. She wants you to include

information on the other agencies on post that can help both Family Members and Service Member during deployments. You have one week to get the presentation done. It will be briefed to the garrison commander and later on to units’ Service Members and

their Families before they deploy.

What is the task? Create a presentation on what Family Members can expect during a

deployment What is the purpose? To educate Family Members on services and agencies that can

assist them and their Service Member during deployment.

How will you disseminate the purpose to your team? Answers may vary. Possible

answers: Make sure the team understands they will need to create a PowerPoint slide

show and handouts that explain services offered by the different agencies on post. Hold a meeting or email to communicate this to the team.

What methods will you employ to make sure the project is done in a timely manner?

Answers may vary: May delegate directly or allow the team to choose areas to focus on based on the individual team member strengths and interests. Set up a clear time line

and provide team members with the time line. What is the desired end state of the project (i.e. how long should it be, which

agencies, etc.)? Answers will vary. Typical agencies will include all agencies within

Army Community Service (ACS); American Red Cross (ARC); Chapel; Child, Youth and

School Services (CYSS); Judge Advocate General (JAG) or Legal; Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (FMWR); School Liaison Officer (SLO); etc. How will you communicate effectively with your team while the project is underway?

Use email or text messaging to remind of deadlines. Provide feedback to team members regarding status and quality of the information. Check in with team members on a consistent basis. Offer guidance as needed.