Five Effective Team Communication Tips

Have you ever considered why some teams appear successful and other teams are in constant conflict? A key feature of positive teamwork is effective communication. Communication among individuals and groups is a dynamic and complex process. One study identified that most communication failures are a result of misprocessing messages and data.¹

The role as a new nurse may seem daunting. Being a new nurse working in a hospital setting can be a time filled with intimidating and confusing experiences related to communicating with peers, physicians, allied health professionals, patients, and families. However, this time of learning as a new nurse does not need to be awkward or difficult.

Communication is one key component of providing safe care for patients and building trust among team members. Although everyone is unique and will have a specific communication style, there are five communication techniques that can be beneficial for perioperative practice:

• Active listening
• Rephrasing
• Being aware of nonverbal cues
• Admitting to misunderstandings
• Ensuring concise and informative communication

Active Listening

The first technique is active listening. Active listening is giving full attention to the conversation. It allows the listener to receive and process necessary and required information. Benefits of active listening include receiving the most information possible and providing the opportunity to ask questions and clarify information prior to beginning a task. Often, a nurse will begin a task and will need to stop the task to seek further guidance and information. Using active listening skills will decrease this type of event during the workday.

Nurses often work in environments filled with noises and alarms, but these types of environmental distractions do not allow the listener to concentrate on the current conversation. It is important to try to hold conversations in an environment with limited noise and distractions. Nurses can shut off unnecessary electronics, place mobile phones on silent mode, and limit harsh lights (eg, sunlight, bright lights). In addition to limiting environmental distractions, other tips to support active listening include having a pen and paper (or preferred method) to take notes and arriving two to five minutes prior to the beginning of a scheduled conversation (which allows for collection of thoughts and preparations for the conversation).

Rephrasing

The second technique is rephrasing. When there is implied or expressed confusion, one should rephrase statements or ask the person who is speaking to rephrase statements. Rephrasing is about communicating clearly or with more clarity. An example is to rephrase “This is a time to be silent and still, and limit the amount of communication” to “We need to be quiet.”  

Everyone is at various levels of proficiency. If asked to rephrase a statement, nurses should not be offended. Nurses also should not be afraid to ask someone to rephrase a sentence or idea. Examples of ways to ask someone to rephrase a statement include, “Excuse me, would you please explain step two of the process again?” and “I did not understand the first sentence of your statement. Would you please repeat this?” A part of the team-building process is communicating understanding; for example, “Thank you for explaining that step again. I understand now.” Asking someone to rephrase a message will build trust within a team because it demonstrates a need to understand all steps and actions. See the related video for additional tips on active listening and rephrasing.

Nonverbal Cues

Nonverbal cues are the “words” communicated with body actions, gestures, and postures. Nonverbal communication is equally important as verbal communication. Nurses should be aware of the nonverbal cues they communicate to others (Table 1). Often with nonverbal cues, the messages communicated can be mixed or misunderstood. In this case, it will be important to ask the speaker to rephrase or clarify the message.

Table 1. Examples of Nonverbal Cues and Their Meaning

Addressing Misunderstanding

Another technique is admitting when a message was misunderstood or miscommunicated. Coworkers may be more understanding when this is communicated rather than when unneeded blame is placed on someone, which can cause further frustration. Communication is a skill, and it will take time to be proficient. Nurses should not hesitate to state, for example, “I misunderstood what was stated earlier in the conversation. Please repeat this message again” or “Patient safety was discussed during our team huddle. Was there something miscommunicated regarding our actions?”

Additionally, many times the phrase, “I was not communicated that message” or “I didn’t know”  is stated. These statements are made when active listening was not used. They also can be the result of the individual not receiving a communicated message due to absence or the message not being communicated to all involved parties (for example, unsent email, misplaced paper with updates, or missed texts). One should not become angry or upset when another individual says these statements because they may not have received the message.

Conciseness

This leads to the fifth tip. Communication should be concise and informative. The message should contain pertinent facts, data, or information and not be filled with extra “fluff” or nonessentials (for example, information about personal conversations conducted during the procedure unrelated to patient care in a hand-off report). This is important because excess information may lead to misunderstanding of the intended message, confusion, and not staying on-task.

Of note, there is a time to build team rapport and a time to communicate as a team, and it is important to know the difference. Rapport building is building connections with your peers and coworkers and increasing trust and reliability between each other. It may take place during OR time and beyond this time, such as during the set-up of cases, environmental cleaning, team-building staff meetings, or break times. Communication as a team should take place at all times in the work environment. In the OR, it should be concise because time is often a critical factor.  Communicating as a team leads to increasing rapport with peers.

Reference

1. Clapper TC, Ching, K. Debunking the myth that the majority of medical errors are attributed to communication. Med Educ. 2020;54(1):74-81. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.13821

AORN Resources

Open access:

• 3 Strategies to Identify Your Communication Blind Spots | AORN
• Two Steps to Become a More Effective Communicator | AORN

AORN members can access:

• Improving Perioperative Communication During the COVID‐19 Pandemic - AORN Journal
• Strategies to Improve Perioperative Communication During the COVID‐19 Pandemic - AORN Journal
• Encouraging Interdisciplinary Preoperative Communication With a Virtual Huddle - AORN Journal

If your facility subscribes to eGuidelines+, you can access:

• Team Communication Guideline| AORN eGuidelines+