Team

Communication

Team Training
Workshop
Facilitator Guide
Training Checklist
YES NO

PLANNING FOR SESSION

• Number in group approximately 12.

• You have/know the names.
• Trainees from similar background.
• Understand your language.
• Translator necessary? Arranged.
• Times of starting, breaks, finish.
• Tea and snacks organised.
• Discussed workplace exercise with team leader.

EQUIPMENT / AIDS

• Venue.
• Seating in a U shape. Enough chairs.
• Overhead projector available. Working.
• Flipchart (enough paper) and pens.
• Overheads in order.
• Notes in order.
• All can see overheads/flipcharts.

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 YES NO

HANDOUTS / MATERIALS:

• Team Communication Workbook per delegate

Accident Report Icebreaker
• Accident report or a short passage customised
to the interest and requirements of the delegates
Blindfold Building Blocks
• Coloured wooden blocks per group (the same
number of different coloured blocks for each
group)
• 1 blindfold per group
Communication Role-play
• 2 copies of the Communication Model
Role-play
• Blank paper and pencils
• Communication Role-play feedback form per
delegate
Animal Meeting
• Handout: Animal roles (one copy for each
delegate
• Overhead Transparency: Animal Roles

Team Meeting Role-play

• Flipchart paper and pens
• Lined A4 paper and pens/pencils
Activity Board
• Large cardboard
• Coloured pens
• Sticky tape
• String
• Scissors
• Prestick/glue spray
• Drawing pins
• A4 lined paper

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Customisation Requirements
Page Ref. Yes No

1. Find out the following from the Task Force: 20

• when and how often the team should be
meeting
• how long the meeting should be
• where the meeting should be held
• what the standard meeting agenda is
• what the company policy is on meeting
attendance
2. Ensure that the standard meeting agenda covers 21
the following:
• feedback on previous action points
• performance on each key performance
indicator (QCDSM)
• plans and production targets for the coming
shift
• company news
• general

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Course Map
Introduction and Outcomes Page 1 10 minutes

Icebreaker – Accident Report Page 1 20 minutes

Effective Communication Page 3 170 minutes

• Overcoming Barriers to Communication Page 4
• Blindfold Building Blocks – Exercise Page 6
• Types of Communication Page 7
• 5 Golden Rules of Communication Page 9
• Role-play Page 12
• Communication Role-plays - Exercise Page 13

Productive Team Meetings Page 16 150 minutes

• Purpose of Team Meetings Page 16
• Animal Meeting – Exercise Page 17
• Positive and Negative Participation Page 18
• Structuring Team Meetings Page 20
• Roles in Team Meetings Page 23
• Characteristics of Productive Meetings Page 25
• Team Meeting Role-play – Exercise Page 25

Conclusion and Report Page 27 70 minutes

• Activity Board – Exercise Page 27
• Key Learning Points Page 29

Workshop Follow-up Page 30

TOTAL:
7 hours

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Introduction and
Outcomes
Welcome to the Team Communication
Workshop.

In today's workshop we are going to focus on

developing and improving the way the team
communicates by looking at effective
communication skills and how to run
productive meetings. These two skills are
vital to enabling the team to work together
effectively to achieve its common goals.

By the end of this workshop you will

understand:
• the importance of effective communication
in the team
• how to overcome barriers to communication Outcomes

• how to use the 5 Golden Rules of

communication
• the purpose of team meetings
• how to have productive team meetings. P1

Before we begin, let's prepare for the session by

doing an exercise.

Icebreaker - Accident
Report
Purpose:
• To illustrate how easily communication can
break down as it passes from person to
person.
• To illustrate the importance of clear
communication.
• To illustrate that effective communication
consists of speaking, listening and asking
questions for clarity.

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Time:
Approximately 20 minutes.

Material:
• Accident report or a short passage (e.g. a
sports report) customised to the interest and
requirements of the delegates.

Instructions:
1. Ask for seven volunteers.
2. Explain to the volunteers and observers that
you are going to read an accident report
commentary to the first volunteer. The
remaining six volunteers are to go outside,
out of earshot of the training room.
3. You will read the commentary once, slowly.
The volunteer may not ask questions. You
will repeat no part of the commentary.
4. After reading the report, call the second
volunteer back into the room. The first
volunteer is to tell the second volunteer
about the commentary, as he recalls it.
5. Repeat this process until the last volunteer
describes the commentary to the group.
6. The rest of the group observes what takes
place.

Debrief: NOTE TO TRAINER

• What happened to the commentary as it Do not let the debrief session become a
was retold from person to person? blame session. Make sure to explain to
the volunteers that the exercise is set up
• Does this kind of breakdown in in such a way that the message cannot be
communication ever happen in your passed on effectively.
team?
• This exercise was done with only seven
people. How many people are there on
this site? Is it possible that messages
could be even more distorted when so
many people are involved?
• What have you learnt from this exercise
about the need for effective
communication in your team?
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Effective
Communication
Effective communication is the core skill
which enables a team to be productive. Not
only is communication a very important part
of maintaining good relationships in the team
but it is also vital for setting goals and
discussing team roles and procedures.
Without effective communication, the team's
ability to work together towards a common goal
is seriously affected.
Thinking back to the exercise, how would
you describe effective communication?
Discuss.
Communication
• Effective communication is the exchange of
information and understanding thereof from
person to person.
What is the most important word in that
definition? Why? What is the most
important word?
• Understanding – because communication
has not been effective unless the message
has been completely understood by the
receiver.
In communication between two people, we have
a sender and a receiver. Think about our
exercise - we had people who were sending the
message and people who were receiving the
message. At first, the sender had a thought
which was put into words. This was heard by
the receiver and understood.
Why do you think effective communication is
important for your team?
• To avoid confusion.
• To prevent unnecessary conflict.
• To ensure that everyone understands what
is required of them and the team. P2

• It makes problem solving easier.

• It will help to prevent mistakes and
unnecessary waste.
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• It will make us feel more confident about

what we are doing.
• It will make us feel happier in our jobs
(more job satisfaction).

Think back to the exercise again. What

caused the communication breakdowns?
Impact of communication
• Participants spoke too fast/softly. breakdown on the team?

• Participants were not allowed to repeat the

message.
• Participants were not allowed to ask
questions.
• Participants did not understand the context
or the message, etc.
In real life, what impact does a breakdown in
communication have on the team?
Discuss.
We talk about the causes of communication
breakdowns as 'barriers to communication', and
part of learning to communicate more
effectively as a team involves learning how to
overcome any barriers to communication.

Overcoming Barriers to
Communication
What are the typical barriers to
communication which you experience in
your team?
• People do not understand the language in
which the message is communicated.
• Cultural differences.
P2
• Words are used incorrectly or do not convey
what they are meant to.
• Words are misunderstood.
• People do not have an opportunity to ask
questions to clarify their understanding.
• Low literacy levels.
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• People don't hear or don't listen.

• People hear what they want to hear.
• Body language gives a different message to
the words spoken.
• Outside noise or other distractions disturb
people's concentration.
In the exercise, how could we have ensured Passing on accurate
that the message was accurately passed on messages
from person to person?
Discuss
Now can you think of ways in which we can
overcome barriers to communication in our
teams?
• Communicate face-to-face whenever
possible.
• Use simple language and communicate in
P2
the language everyone understands.
• Have an interpreter present if people do not
understand the language the message is
communicated in.
• Make sure that body language matches the
verbal message.
• Gain permission to ask questions to clarify
understanding and clear up
misunderstandings.
• Ask for feedback and listen actively to it.
• Always back up talk with action.

We are now going to do an exercise in which

we practise overcoming some of these barriers
to communication.

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Blindfold Building
Blocks – Exercise
Purpose:
To demonstrate the positive results of effective
communication in the team.

Time:
15 minutes

Materials:
• Coloured wooden blocks per group (the
same number of different coloured blocks
for each group)
• 1 blindfold per group

Instructions:
1. Divide the team into two or three groups.
2. Explain that one person in each group will
be blindfolded. The blindfolded person will
be required to use the blocks in front of him
to build a pattern that is the exact replica of
the one which you the trainer have created.
The rest of the group have to guide and
instruct the blindfolded person. Only the
blindfolded person may touch the blocks.
3. The first group finished wins.

Debrief:
• What made the task difficult?
• How did you make the task easier for the
blindfolded person?
• What have you learnt about effective
communication from this exercise?

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Types of
Communication
There are three basic types of
communication – verbal, non-verbal and
written. All of these are important in the
workplace.

Verbal Communication
Successful verbal communication is a two-
way process in which during the discussion,
the roles of sender and receiver swap
continually.
Most of our communication in the team is
verbal and therefore it is important that each
team member is able to express himself simply
and clearly, using language and terms that are
understood by everyone in the team. It is also
important that other team members ask
questions to make sure that they have
understood the message. We will discuss
effective verbal communication in the next
section.

Non-Verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication is what we call
'body language'. It is important to be aware
of your body language when communicating
with your team because the non-verbal
message is far more powerful than the verbal
message.
When you are communicating with others at
work, remember that WHAT YOU SAY is only
7% of the impact of the message, HOW YOU
SAY IT (i.e. the tone of your voice) is 38% of
the impact but your BODY LANGUAGE (i.e. Impact of the
message
what your face and body look like when you
say it) has the greatest impact on the receiver -
55%! So make sure that your spoken message is
the same as your non-verbal message, if you
want the receiver to hear and believe what you
are saying!

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Written Communication
Written communication also has an
important role to play in the team. Writing
things down can help us and others to
remember them.
Studies have shown that one's ability to
remember something is increased if you can
both hear and see the message.
What forms of written communication does
your team use?
• Action plans
• Shift handover notes
P3
• One point lessons
• Log sheets
It is a good idea for the team to use written
forms of communication when passing on
important information to others, for example in
addition to a verbal shift handover, shift
handover notes and instructions should be
written down in the shift handover book or on a
whiteboard so that the next shift also has a
written reminder of the important information.
Written communication
Think of ways that you could use written to improve team
communication to improve your effectiveness effectiveness
as a team.
Discuss.

We are now going to take some time learning

five simple rules to ensure that our verbal
communication in the team is effective.

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5 Golden Rules Of
Communication
In order for your communication to be
effective from the beginning it is important 'Set the Scene'
to remember to 'set the scene' first.
By 'setting the scene' we mean making sure that
the time and place you have chosen are suitable
for open communication. You cannot expect to
communicate effectively when the other person
is distracted by someone else or is busy with
another task. Similarly when the other person
feels threatened or uneasy, your communication
is unlikely to be effective.
This means that before you introduce the topic
you want to discuss, you must make the person
you are talking to feel comfortable and
confident so that he will be prepared to open up
and communicate freely and willingly. First
chat about the soccer game last week or the
weekend, and then introduce the topic.
e.g: Hi Ben, what did you think of the match
this weekend? … If you have the time now,
could we talk about the problem on machine
393?
This allows both of you to relax and helps you
to communicate effectively.

Once you have set the scene, you can follow

with the 5 Golden Rules of Communication.
P4

1. STATE THE FACTS SIMPLY

Introduce the discussion by stating the facts
clearly and simply. This helps the receiver to
5 Golden
understand what your conversation is about. Rules of
Communication
e.g. Ben, as you know, we seem to be having a
problem with machine 393 as the down time on
that machine has increased from 5% to 25%
over the past three days.

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Use facts and not hearsay, rumours or opinion.

Try to give data which is based on real
evidence, e.g. the down time on that machine
has increased from 5% to 25% over the past
three days, as this will help to keep your
communication focused on the issue at hand.
This is especially important when you are
dealing with a problem because keeping to the
facts will help all parties to focus on the
problem instead of attacking the person. Focus on the
problem not the
Speak clearly in a voice that can be heard and person
use simple language that you can both
understand. By doing this you will minimise the
possibility of a breakdown in communication.

2. ASK AND LISTEN NOTE TO TRAINER

Ask questions so that you get all the Before you discuss active listening,
information you need from the other person stop and ask a delegate to tell you
about himself. While he is speaking,
and make sure that you get the other
deliberately show that you are not
person's views and ideas. listening to him, look around, fiddle
e.g. Is there perhaps anything you can think of with your papers and then ask the other
delegates if you were listening properly
that may be done differently on that machine to and, if not, how they knew you were
cause it not to break down? not. Also ask the delegate how he felt
when you did not listen to him.
It is important to listen actively to what the
other person is saying. Studies have shown that Now ask the delegate to repeat what he
was saying and this time apply and
of all the time spent communicating, most of demonstrate the principles of active
the time is spent listening. listening. Now ask the other delegates
again if you were listening and how
Let's discuss how we can listen actively. they knew. And ask the delegate how
he felt the second time around.
• Ask questions.
• Test your understanding of the situation.
• Don't interrupt.
• Give full attention.
Active Listening
• Acknowledge, respond, show support and
encourage the person to talk by using eye
contact or nodding your head.

P4

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3. DISCUSS AND AGREE ON SOLUTIONS

Encourage the other person to suggest
possible solutions as well and then discuss
and look at the merits of all the possible
solutions. This will help to get the
commitment of the other person and will
make him feel involved.
e.g. What can we do to prevent further
breakdowns?
Once you have discussed and evaluated the
solutions, you need to agree on which
solution is the best and then discuss how you
are going to put it into practice. What action
needs to be taken? By whom? When?
e.g. Let's check the machine specifications and
then this afternoon I'll get the maintenance
department to adjust the machine and make
sure that we can fit 12 sheets in the machine.

4. SUMMARISE
Now you will need to summarise the content
of your discussion and the actions that need
to be taken. This ensures that both people
have a common understanding of the
situation and a common goal.
e.g. So Ben, we are going to meet in the
workshop at 10.30 today so that we can check
the specs of machine 393 and see if we can get
it adjusted to fit 12 sheets. In this way we can
hopefully keep up the production and prevent
further down time on that machine.

5. FOLLOW UP
This involves ensuring that whatever has
been agreed upon has been completed,
attended to or solved. The follow-up is the
control mechanism of the communication
Action Plan
process. Without it, the communication
process may have been worthless.
Often in a team situation, an action plan needs
to be written up as part of this fifth and final
step of communication.

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An action plan is a written record of what was

agreed on as a result of the communication. It
should show 'what' was agreed on, 'who' is
responsible for each action and 'by when' the
action needs to be taken.
A written action plan helps all involved to
remember what was discussed and what is
expected of them. An example of an action plan
is on page 5 in your workbook. P5

These 5 Golden Rules are simple but do not

become real until we try to apply them to
real situations.
We are now going to use role-play to practise
the 5 Golden Rules of Communication.

Role-play
Role Play
What is a role-play?
• A role-play is an interaction where
delegates are given the opportunity to
practise new skills learnt by playing out a
given role.

Why do we do role-plays during training?

A role-play offers an opportunity to practise
new skills in a 'safe' environment where it does
not matter if you make a mistake.

Let's go through a role-play procedure

step-by-step:
1. The trainer demonstrates the correct skills.
2. Each person chooses a situation he would
like to practise and is given a few minutes to
prepare. An assistant(s) is also chosen, if
necessary.
3. The situation chosen is acted out and
practiced in front of the group.
4. Each person who practiced the skill is then
given an opportunity to say what he feels he
did well, what he did not do so well and
how he thinks he could improve.

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5. The person who has assisted is also given an

opportunity to say how he feels.
6. The trainer and other delegates give
feedback on areas for development.

What are the reasons for giving feedback?

• To help the person to improve his skills. Reasons for giving
feedback
• To help the person know what he is doing
well and what needs to be improved.
• To learn.

We need to consider the following when

giving feedback:
• Give positive feedback first to build a
person's confidence.
• Give feedback in such a way that the person
Rules for giving
can learn from what you say, e.g. give feedback
specific examples of what was said/done.
• Be constructive by suggesting what could
have been said or done to be more effective.
• Give reasons for what you are saying.
• Be aware of the other person's feelings. P6

• Give feedback on the most important items

rather than going into too much detail.

Communication
Role-plays - Exercise
Purpose:
To learn about role-plays and to practise using
the 5 Golden Rules of Communication.

Time:
60 minutes

Materials:
• 2 copies of the Communication Model
Role-play
• Blank paper and pencils
• Communication Role-play feedback form
per delegate

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Instructions:
1. Act out the model role-play for the team in NOTE TO TRAINER
order to demonstrate the correct use of the 5 During a break, approach the delegate
Golden Rules and to show the team what it whom you wish to assist you to model
will be required to do. the Communication Role-play and give
him a copy of the model role-play to
2. Ask the team: read so that he can prepare.

• Did the Team Leader use the 5 Golden

Rules? (Ask the team to identify when
each rule was applied.)
• Was this an effective way to
communicate?

3. Divide the group into subgroups of ideally

two (or three if numbers necessitate) within
each group. Two delegates will participate
in the role-play. The third individual will be
the observer who watches the role-play,
notes areas for development and gives
feedback. In the course of the
communication between the two role-
players, there should be evidence of all 5
Golden Rules being used.
4. Ask the pairs to choose a role-play scenario,
based on their earlier discussions on where
communication went wrong in their team or
their company. Give them paper and pens to
jot down some ideas. They have 10 minutes
to prepare. Remind them that they are
practicing the correct way of
communicating, not acting out what went
wrong before.
5. Now ask them to act out their scenario.
Move between groups, watch their progress,
give feedback and assist where necessary. If
time permits, role-plays should be
conducted, after practise, in front of the
large group.
6. The Role-play Feedback Form may be used
by the trainer or by delegates observing
role-plays to help in giving specific
feedback to the role-play participants.

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Debrief:
When all the delegates have had a chance to
practise, get the group together and discuss the
following questions:
• How did you feel using the 5 Golden
Rules?
• Did the rules help to improve your
communication?
• What are the areas you need to watch out
for and keep practicing in your
communication?

Successful communication is integral to

preventing problems. There is a saying that
we don't have time to do things right the first
time but we always have time to do them a Effective
communication
second time. helps to get
things right
Good communication helps to get things first time
right the first time.

In your daily and weekly team meetings, you

are required to use all the communication
skills that we have discussed today. During
these meetings, you will be required to
communicate clearly with one another about
daily production, problems, action plans and
ideas for improvements.
Learning how to communicate effectively is
only one part of becoming a team which
communicates successfully. The other is
learning how to ensure that the time that has
been set aside for your team to meet and
discuss important issues is productive.
We will therefore take some time now to look
at how your team can ensure that the team
meetings are working the way they should.

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Productive Team
Meetings
What is a team meeting?
• A forum where members of a team get
together for a specific purpose, to discuss
and contribute ideas on issues important to
the ongoing success of the team. What is a
team meeting?

Purpose of Team
Meetings
What is the purpose of your team meetings? NOTE TO TRAINER

• To get feedback on previous action points. Discuss the purpose of the team
meetings, making sure that you elicit
• To review performance on each key each of the points which should be
performance indicator. covered on the team's standard agenda.
• To discuss plans and production targets for
the coming shift.
Purpose of Team
• To pass on any company news. Meetings
• To discuss any important issues affecting
the team and its members.
How do you think having regular team
meetings can be of benefit to your team?
• By giving the team a regular time to discuss
whether they are meeting their objectives.
• By facilitating communication between team P7
members and team leader.
• By providing the time to discuss and solve
production problems.
• By facilitating continuous improvement in
the team.

Let's see what we can learn about team

meetings from the next exercise.

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Animal Meeting –
Exercise
Purpose:
To demonstrate positive vs negative
participation in meetings, the different roles
people play in meetings and the need for
well-structured, productive meetings. Roles in team
meetings
Time:
20 minutes

Materials:
• Handout: Animal roles (one copy for each
delegate)
• Overhead Transparency: Animal Roles
NOTE TO TRAINER
Instructions: Guide the delegates when they are
• Show the overhead transparency and choosing their roles. The success of
this exercise depends on people acting
explain to the delegates the different roles as out their roles strongly and correctly.
described on Handout: Animal Roles. For example, a very shy delegate will
not make a good job of playing the frog
• Ask for volunteers to choose roles carefully and should rather be cast as the lamb.
and then to 'act out' the different roles.
Write the names of delegates and roles
chosen on the flipchart. Make sure that all
roles are covered.
• Ask one delegate to play himself and to act
as the leader of the team meeting.
• Tell the delegates that for the next 10
minutes they will play the role they chose in
a 'meeting'.
• The 'meeting' is to discuss the following
issue:
'You have been asked by your Factory
Manager to come forward with a proposal on
how to spend R10 000 that was budgeted but
has not been spent.'

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Debrief:
Ask the following questions:
• Have you ever seen people in a real
meeting playing the different roles we
acted out?
• Did the meeting achieve its purpose?
Why/why not?
• What would have helped the meeting to
be more productive?
It should be clear from this exercise, and from
your real life experience of meetings, that not
all kinds of team member behaviour contribute
to the success of a meeting.
Let's look at the different types of participation
and how they contribute to or detract from the
success of team meetings.

Positive and Negative Positive

and negative
participation
Participation
Who is responsible for making team
meetings a success?
• Everyone in the team.
P8
Participation during team meetings can
either be positive or negative.
What do we mean by participation in a team
meeting?
• Sharing our unique skills, knowledge and
Participation in team
ideas to help the team reach decisions. meetings
• To be involved in discussions, in solving
problems and making decisions.
Why should all team members participate in
meetings?
• The individual who does the job knows it
better than anyone else. If you know your Why participate?
job, you are in the best place to suggest
improvements.
• Improvements and ideas lead to an
organisation that is continuously improving
and is constantly ahead of its opposition.

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• People take pride and interest in their work

if they are involved in influencing decisions
related to their work.
In the exercise, which kinds of behaviour
contributed to a successful meeting?
• Asking questions and coming up with
suggestions and ideas.
• Team members getting involved in making P8
team decisions and seeking agreement on
important team issues.
• Team members getting involved with
solving team problems.
• Discussing important issues and team
objectives.
We call this positive participation. Positive
participation means that all team members
are making an effort to make the meeting
more productive.
How can YOU participate positively in team
meetings?
Discuss. P8

In the exercise, which kinds of behaviour

resulted in the meeting being unsuccessful
and unpleasant?
• Team members focusing on grievances and
complaints instead of team objectives.
• Team members withdrawing and refusing to P8
take responsibility.
• Team members dominating the discussion
and trying to gain control of the meeting.
• Team members not attending the meeting.
• Team members discussing private matters
with another team member and not
listening to other team members.
• Arguing, insults, blaming.

We call this negative participation. Negative

participation means that team members
behave in such a way as to prevent meetings
from being productive.

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Structuring Team
Meetings
In team meetings, we need to meet regularly CUSTOMISE
to review and discuss the targets (WHAT), Find out the following from the Task
roles (WHO), procedures (HOW), and Force:
relationships (FEELINGS) of the team. • when and how often the team
Are you having regular team meetings? should be meeting
• how long the meeting should be
Discuss. • where the meeting should be held
Are the meetings well-attended? • what the company policy is on
meeting attendance.
Discuss.
Discuss this information with the team
Are the meetings well-structured? as you go through this section of the
workshop.
Discuss.
What do you normally discuss during your
team meetings?
Discuss.
A team meeting needs to be well structured
to ensure that it meets its objectives. For this
reason, the Task Force has drawn up a
standard list of items that should be covered
in the daily meetings. We call this an agenda

Agenda
An agenda is used to give team meetings
structure. It helps all team members to prepare
for the meeting. It is important for team Team meeting
members to have all the necessary information structure
with them and to have completed all the action
items assigned to them.
An agenda:
• is a list of items to be discussed during
the meeting
• is not a list of grievances or complaints
• has a specific time allocated to each item
to ensure that meetings are productive
• helps to clarify progress
• helps to avoid digressions.

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What does your team need to discuss during

the team meetings to make sure that it
achieves its objectives?
• Feedback on previous action points
• Performance on each key performance
indicator
• Plans and production targets for the coming
shift Daily team
meeting agenda
• Company news
• Any important issues affecting the team and
its members.

Let us have a look at the standard agenda for NOTE TO TRAINER

the team meeting. You can make notes in Discuss the standard team meeting
your workbook on page 9. agenda according to Task Force
guidelines.
_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________ CUSTOMISE
Ensure that the standard meeting
_____________________________________________ agenda covers the following:
_____________________________________________ • Feedback on previous action
points
_____________________________________________ • Performance on each key
performance indicator (QCDSM)
Besides having an agenda to structure the • Plans and production targets for
team meeting, we also need some way of the coming shift
following up on the meeting to make sure • Company news
that we all remember what actions were • General
decided on. We call this follow-up tool an
action list.

P9

Action List
The action list is a very important part of the
meeting. In fact it is the team's success in
drawing up and following up on the action
list that makes the meeting productive or
unproductive. Without an action list, the
meeting becomes a talk session only and no Importance of
practical plans, actions or changes will ever Action Lists
come out of it!

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What information do we need to record

about the decisions made during the
meeting?
Discuss.
An action list is completed by the team leader
of the team meeting to make sure that a record
is kept of what what actions should be taken by
the team members as a result of the discussions
in the meeting.
The following information should always
appear on the Action List:
• The time and date of the meeting.
• All decisions reached on actions to be
taken.
Action List
• The name of the team member
responsible for taking the action.
• The date by when the action should be
taken.
(There is an example of an action list on page
10 of your workbook.)
P10
Besides an agenda and an action list, an
attendance list should be kept by the team to
ensure that all team members are attending the
meetings regularly.

Attendance List
An attendance list is a list that we use to keep
record of which team members were present at
a meeting and which team members were
absent. There is also an extra column to
indicate whether an absent team member has
Attendance List
made an apology for not attending the meeting.
Why is it important for all team members to
attend the team meetings?
• So that there is good communication and
transfer of information in the team.
• So they can share in the decision-making.
• So that they can share their ideas with the P11
team.
• So that they know what the team's plan is
for the day and so will be working towards
a common goal with the rest of the team.
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Why is it important to inform the team

leader or another team member if you
cannot make it to the meeting?
• It is an expected professional courtesy and a
sign of respect for your team and the team
leader. P11

• So that the meeting is not unnecessarily

delayed by the other members waiting for
you to arrive.
• So that someone can take notes for you and
pass on relevant information to you.

What action should be taken by the team NOTE TO TRAINER

when a team member consistently misses Do not spend too much time on this
meetings without good reason? point but make sure that the team leader
and the team have some ideas of how to
Discuss. handle consistent non-attendance at
meetings. If it becomes a serious
(There is also an example of an Attendance List problem, emphasise that proper
on page 11 of your workbook.) disciplinary procedures will have to be
followed, e.g. verbal warnings, written
warnings, etc.

Roles in Team Meetings

As we saw in the learning exercise, everyone
who attends a meeting has a role to play in
making sure that the meeting is successful.
P12
What is YOUR role in the team meeting?
Discuss.

What is the role of the team leader in

meetings?
• To focus the team on its performance
targets. Role of the team leader
in team meetings
• To drive continuous improvement to achieve
performance targets.

The team leader also has many responsibilities

when preparing for and leading the team
meeting.

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He needs to:
NOTE TO TRAINER
• Prepare for the meeting according to the
Divide the team into two groups. Ask
standard agenda. one group to discuss and then draw up a
list on flipchart paper, the responsibility
• Collect and prepare information about team
of the team leader. Ask the other group
performance in each key performance to discuss and then draw up a list on
indicator (KPI). flipchart paper, the role of the team
members.
• Record attendance.
Once the groups have completed the
• Follow up on previous actions and update task, ask them to report back.
the action list. Display the flipcharts on the wall.

• Ask questions, direct the discussions during

the meeting and make sure that all the
points are sufficiently covered before
moving on to the next point.
• Make sure that the time limits are adhered
to so that the meeting does not go over time.
• Listen and summarise what has been agreed
on at the end of each discussion.
• Note the agreed actions on the action list
• Update the action list and measures on the
team scoreboard.

As a TEAM MEMBER, what is your role in

meetings?
• To participate positively.
• To ask questions.
• To make suggestions P12
• To share ideas
• To take responsibility for carrying out
actions, etc.
We have had an in-depth discussion on team
meetings and by now you should know what it
takes to make a meeting successful.
Let's recap by looking at the characteristics of
productive meetings.

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Characteristics of
Productive Meetings
Productive meetings have: Characteristics
of Productive
• a clear purpose Meetings
• a structure which allows the team leader
and team members to achieve their
objectives in the time allowed
• a leader who co-ordinates, directs and
finalises decisions
• positive, active participation from all
involved
• an agenda (list of items to be discussed)
• an action list – recording actions to be
taken, by whom and by when.

Team Meeting Role-play

– Exercise
Purpose:
To set up a team meeting that will allow
delegates to do the following:
• practise running an effective team meeting
• practise their communication skills
• record action points
• draw up a code of conduct for their team
meetings (or revise the existing one)
• draft an action plan for improving
communication skills.

Time:
1 hour

Materials:
• Flipchart paper and pens
• Lined A4 paper and pens/pencils

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Instructions:
1. Inform the team that it is going to run a 30
minute team meeting with the purpose of:
• drawing up a code of conduct for its
future team meetings or revising the
existing one.
• drafting an action plan for improving
team communication.
2. Explain that the meeting will be a
simulation of a real meeting and will
therefore be facilitated by the team leader.
3. Suggest to the team that it spends five
minutes helping the team leader to prepare
for the meeting by drawing up the agenda,
collecting the equipment that will be
needed, setting up the meeting table, etc.
4. Allow the team 30 minutes to run the
meeting and then stop it.
NOTE TO TRAINER
Debrief The team leader and team members
• Did your meeting achieve its objectives? should get valuable feedback from these
Why or why not? questions. However, it is the trainer's
• How did you experience the team meeting responsibility to manage the way that the
feedback is given. Follow these
- was it enjoyable, interesting, boring,
guidelines for giving feedback:
frustrating, etc? Why did you feel this • Focus on actions and behaviour
way about it? rather than on personality and
• Did you at any time apply the steps for attitude.
communication? How well did they • Restrict feedback to things you
work? know for certain.
• Don't use labels, exaggerate or be
• How could you improve on the structure judgmental.
of the team meeting? • Give the person who is receiving
• How could you improve on the level of the feedback an opportunity to
participation of team members? respond and ask him what he thinks
of his performance or behaviour.
• How well did the team leader direct the • Give suggestions for improvement
meeting? or ask the person how he thinks he
• What can the team leader do to improve could have handled the situation
his direction of the team meeting? differently.
• Limit feedback to three or four
• How do you intend to follow up on what
points per person or topic. More
was discussed in this meeting? than this becomes too demoralising
• Did everyone participate in a positive or repetitive.
way?
• Were there any instances of negative
participation?
• How can positive participation be further
developed in the team meetings?
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Conclusion and
Report
In today's workshop we focused on developing
the communication and meeting skills required
to make your team world class.
As is usual in these workshops, you are now
going to prepare an activity board which will
serve to remind you of what we did today and
will help you as you give feedback to your
managers.

Activity Board –
Exercise
Purpose:
To allow the team to review what it has learnt
during the workshop by representing the
learnings on a board in a visual manner. The
board will act as an aid to the team in its report
to management and be a permanent reminder of
the learnings and action plans developed during
the workshop.

Time:
45 minutes

Materials:
• Large cardboard
• Coloured pens
• Sticky tape
• String
• Scissors
• Prestick/glue spray
• Drawing pi ns
• A4 lined paper

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Instructions:
1. Explain that the activity board must reflect
the following:
• Communication – a definition of
effective communication, a list of ways
to overcome barriers to communication,
a list of ways to use written
communication to improve team
effectiveness and the 5 Golden Rules of
Communication.
• Productive Team Meetings – a list of
the benefits of team meetings and
descriptions of the role of the team
leader and team members in meetings. A
sample agenda for the team meetings, a
sample action list, the team meeting
code of conduct and the communication
skills improvement action plan.
2. Divide the team into two groups and task
each group to work on one of the sections.
3. Encourage them to be creative with their
boards and to have fun. They have 30
minutes.

Debrief:
The feedback session with management and the
Task Force will effectively act as a debriefing
session. After the feedback, encourage the Task
Force to ask the team questions about the team
board. This feedback should take about
15 minutes.

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Effective communication is the core skill that enables a team to be productive.
Not only is communication a very important part of maintaining good
relationships in the team but it is also vital for setting goals and discussing team
roles and procedures.
Effective communication is the exchange of information and understanding
thereof from person to person.
The team should ensure that it uses verbal, non-verbal and written
communication effectively.
The 5 Golden Rules of Communication are:
1. State the facts simply.
2. Ask and listen.
3. Discuss and agree on solutions.
4. Summarise.
5. Follow up.
A team meeting is a forum where members of a team get together for a specific
purpose, to discuss and contribute ideas on issues important to the ongoing
success of the team
Team meetings are kept productive through the use of an agenda, an action list
and an attendance list.
Productive meetings have:
• a clear purpose
• a structure which allows the team to achieve its objectives in the time
allowed
• a leader who co-ordinates, directs and finalises decisions
• positive, active participation from all involved
• an agenda (list of items to be discussed)
• an action list – recording actions to be taken, by whom and by when.

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Workshop
Follow-up
Team
After the session, the activity board should be NOTE TO TRAINER
placed where the team will see it regularly If the team is already using a
throughout the month – either on the team scoreboard, ask it to remove the action
scoreboard or in the team meeting place. This plans from the team activity board and
should serve to remind the team of what it has to place these on its scoreboard, for use
during the weeks following the
learnt and of the team tasks it set. workshop.
As each point of the team's respective action
plans is met, the team should mark it off, with
the date, on the activity board. The activity
board should then act as evidence of the team's
achievements and competence.

Trainer
The trainer should follow up the workshop with
weekly visits to the team to check team
progress on the team action plans (as marked on
the activity board) and to discuss any problems
the team might be having in achieving the tasks
it set.
The trainer's role is to entrench the learnings of
the workshop by motivating and encouraging
the team – helping it to celebrate successes and
to overcome difficulties.

Task Force
After the workshop, the Task Force plays a vital
role in giving feedback to the team about its
progress in making improvements on its key
success factors.
Ideally the Task Force or selected members
should also visit the team regularly for a
progress report and give feedback on the impact
that its improvements are having on the bottom
line, the external customer, the smooth flow of
production, etc.

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