The concept of communication

“The term ‘communication’ comes from the Latin communicatio and means ”communication, conversation, exchange”. Interpersonal communication is most often understood as the transmission and reception of information between sender and receiver or in a small group of people in direct contact with each other. The full process of communication should take place in two directions.

On one side, the sender conveys his message, and on the other side, the receiver reacts in such a way that he returns the message to the sender."[1] Correct communication is the key to the success of being noticed in a team. In creating tasks collectively, they are becoming more and more flexible, hence the need for highly effective communication between both team members and clients. Efficient teamwork promotes innovation and increased creativity in the team.

Communication takes certain forms that we are not fully aware of performing. We can divide them according to two criteria: the way information is transmitted and the relationship linking the sender and receiver. According to the first criterion, we distinguish between verbal and non-verbal, oral and written, and indirect and direct communication. We can also divide, taking into account the relationship between the participants in the communication process, we distinguish vertical communication (up and down the hierarchy) and horizontal communication.

Non-verbal communication plays an important role, that is “a set of non-verbal messages sent and received by people on all non-verbal channels simultaneously. It includes: physical appearance, body movement, gestures, facial expressions, eye movement, touch, voice, and the use of time and place in communicating. It doesn't include gestures that contain words, such as sign language, sign language, or written or electronically transmitted words."[2]. Very often, both the sending and receiving of nonverbal messages takes place at the subconscious level. When we say that we have a “hunch” or “vague feeling” that someone is lying, what we really mean is that body language does not go hand in hand with words. Body language is more reliable than words. More than 50% of the meaning of a message is contained in body movements. Albert Mehrabian proposed the following formula regarding communication: overall feeling = 7% feelings expressed in words + 38% feelings expressed in voice + 55% feelings expressed in facial expressions. And verbal communication, , “that is, the primary means is language, which makes it possible to express the meaning of the ideas and feelings being communicated. This happens, however, when sounds and symbols are understood by all members of the communication process."[3] The oral form of communication used in the direct mode of communication allows for a quick response from the participating parties, or feedback. However, this communication has some disadvantages. This is because there may be barriers that arise from the communicative actions used by the participants in the process, stand out putting conclusions on a par with facts.

Concept of team communication

A team is called a small number of people with similar skills, often complementary, focused on achieving a common goal. The team is usually headed by a leader, who is a prerequisite for moving the team in a certain direction. In order for a team to run smoothly, all members must be willing to work together, communicate well and have clearly defined goals.

Key principles of effective team communication:

● , “an important skill: proper listening, which involves listening to what is being said, realizing what is not being said and trying to understand what is trying to be said.”[4],

● , “we don't get into words.

● we are open to discussion,

● instead of judging and criticizing, let us express our concerns and needs,

● let's communicate clearly and consistently,

● let's be assertive,

● let's be mindful of multiculturalism in the group.

,,R. V. Lesikar"[5] distinguished four factors of effective communication in organizations. These include:

- formal channels of communication - used most often by managers. Examples include not only verbal communications, but also memos, reports, letters. Formally, most information can be communicated via email. Formal information spreads vertically from top to bottom and bottom to top and most often concerns matters related to the functioning of the organization, the implementation of tasks and responsibilities.

- Power structure - the effectiveness of communication depends on who holds what position in the organization (position, authority). The differences in power structure determine the content and quality of the information transmitted. For example, the rigidity of a conversation between an employee and the CEO.

- Specialization of tasks - the quality of communication in a group or department specialized in a particular field is different than between different groups, departments specialized in other areas of knowledge. Jargon or language, for example, specialized, may be different.

- Ownership of information - different people have different knowledge and information about their work. Employees with certain skills and knowledge may be reluctant to share knowledge, thus wanting to remain unique to their organization. It is worthwhile to use open communication, but also to actively promote it within the team. Organize discussions to take advantage of the different points of view of team members, and teach them to listen to each other. Confronting different perspectives and skirmishes over factual arguments often lead to very creative discoveries, much richer than if one person came up with them. If, at the same time, employees have their own opinions and are not afraid to disagree with others, the potential of the group increases significantly. It is also worth taking care of the exchange of knowledge and information between employees. This is helped by team meetings and encouraging subordinates to engage in dialogue. There are many benefits of employees knowing and understanding what their colleagues are doing: they don't create projects that harm each other, it's easier for them to help each other, they get more involved in the department's goals and trust grows in the team. In fact, only then do they have a chance to be a truly cohesive team that is moving in the same direction.

We only get one chance to make a first impression. Our interlocutor forms an initial opinion about us in just a few seconds. Making a good impression when meeting people comes in handy in many circumstances playing a big role. Factors taken into account when meeting new people are most often: words, voice, facial expressions and gestures, physical appearance.

Helping us to make a positive first impression is first of all a smile, a smiling person gives the impression of being friendly. The next important factor is our body posture- upright. A hunched posture does not make our interlocutor enthusiastic, while an exaggerated uprightness may be perceived as conceit. Our body posture should also be open. Let's not cross our arms. This posture implies that we feel tense and closed in. This, in turn, does not inspire confidence in our interlocutor. Another important aspect is eye contact. Maintaining it shows our confidence. Our clothing also affects the impression we make on our interlocutor. We should choose it appropriately for the situation we are in. Another important aspect, is our general attitude. It involves, among other things, the tone of voice. It is worthwhile to be natural, because any attempt to become someone else can be immediately read by our interlocutor. This, in turn, will cause us to be seen as a fake person and thus discourage others.

[1] R. A. Podgórski, Sociology of microstructure (academic textbook), Oficyna Wydawnicza Branta, Bydgoszcz - Olsztyn 2008, p. 86.

[2] L. Tkaczyk, Non-verbal communication - posture, mimicry, gesture, Warsaw, Astrum Publishing House, 1996, p. 12.

[3] B. Dobek-Ostrowska, Public and political communication, PWN, Warsaw, 2006, p. 78.

[4] I. Dembińska-Cyran, Basic marketing communication tools in CRM. In: Customer relationship management. I. Dembińska-Cyran, J. Hołub-Iwan, J. Perenc, Warsaw,Difin 2004 p. 128.

[5] R.V. Lesika: A General Semantics Approach to Communication Barriers In Organizations (in:) Organizational Behavior. (ed.) K. Davis, McGraw-Hill. New York pp. 336-337

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