COMMUNICATION
STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE
COLLABORATION
Helen Alexander
halexander@fullerton.edu
Objectives


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To raise awareness of one’s own expectations and
definitions of, and preferences for, collaborative
communication
To discuss factors that affect perceptions about
effective and/or appropriate communicative
interactions
To explore strategies for creating an effective
framework for collaboration, as well as strategies
for recognizing and reconciling misunderstandings
Scenarios I:
Your colleague constantly refers to you as “bro” even in
meetings with others present.
 You need some information to complete a report due to
your supervisor on Friday. Your colleague who has the
info hasn’t returned any of your emails.
When you do get a hold of her, she said she thought it
was due the week after, so she had been working on
something due for her supervisor this week.
 You’ve been working on part of a project for three
weeks. When you arrive at the meeting, you are told
that your work doesn’t address the needs of the project.

Things to Bear in Mind: How Do YOU
Define These Terms?

Communication is . . .
to a purpose:
 Why are we here?
 What is my role?
 What are MY pet peeves?


Collaboration is . . .
 an
equal contribution according to our strengths:
 Who are the players?
 What is the desired outcome?
 What is our timeframe?
The Interpersonal Aspect

Face-to-Face versus Written Communication
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Margin for error
Agreeing on the protocol
Respecting the expectations of all involved regarding:

Language

Medium

Purpose

Pragmatics
Strategies for Effective Communication




Raising Awareness
Negotiation of Meaning
Facework
Habitual Clarification
Raising Awareness

Linguistic disconnect
 What
is the most polite way to address your colleague?
 To disagree?
 To interject?

Paralinguistic disconnect
 What

does this gesture mean?
Socio-cultural disconnect
 What
is the first thing to be discussed?
 The last thing?
 What kind of content information would be useful?
Negotiation of Meaning



A term used often in Second Language teaching, this is
where two or more persons determine what is being
discussed and how by a series of exchanges.
Collaborators often bring different visions of the final
product to a project. Discussing the desired outcome from
the outset and working toward a common vision can often
improve productivity and cut down on heated debates.
Never be afraid to ask questions, and reformulate until you
get the answers you need!
Asking the “right” questions.
What do you think?
What do we want to accomplish?
What do we need to do to reach our goal?
Scenarios II:



You have a colleague that, every time you ask a
question, he responds with a story or tells you about
something he read recently related to the topic.
You ask your colleagues a question about what is
wanted on a project, and you get three different
responses.
You ask a question about what should be done, and
based on the answer you receive, you go ahead. Later
the person who gave you the answer denies telling you
that and thinks something different should have been
done.
Strategies for Negotiating Meaning

Inclusive Language



Avoid Negative Language


Treat this like the group-effort it is.
Avoid responses that seem to center on your view.
Contradictions are rarely helpful, and often misunderstood.
Use Three-Way Communication
A common safety protocol that can be used to good effect in
most high-risk miscommunication contexts.
1. Listen for meaning until the speaker has completed the thought.
2. Rephrase or summarize the utterance for accurate comprehension.
3. Respond to the idea accordingly.

Facework

Facework is a term used in many fields. For our
purposes, it will refer to the extra-context elements
of interpersonal interaction that are necessary to
maintaining a positive group dynamic. Elements of
facework that come into play in collaboration
include:
 Face-threatening
acts.
 Value assumptions.
 Humor or sharing personal details.
Scenarios III:



A colleague tells an off-color joke and every else
laughs.
Another team member doesn’t have all of the data
prepared for the meeting. The team leader asks
him what he was doing for two weeks in front of
everyone.
Your colleagues, who are all single, set a meeting
for 5:30 p.m. on a Tuesday.
Strategies to Maintain Face

Use effective word choice.


Challenge versus Problem (Russell, 2004)
Focus on the objectives decided by the group.
Praise good work done by each individual.
 Keep it professional. Don’t allow anyone to be singled out.
 Find creative ways to deal with perceived failings.

Determine if there was a misunderstanding about what was
wanted.
 Swap tasks to see if there’s a better fit.
 Determine if the task could be done another way.
 Reexamine the desired outcome and brainstorm new ways to get
there.

Habitual Clarification

Our memories often play tricks on us, and we remember
what WE think we were supposed to do, and not what
was expected of us. Ways to stay on task include:
Frequent notes or requests for clarification. When in doubt,
ask!
 A log—email, memo, or other written document—that all
members of the group have access to.
 A chart with the steps clearly outlined and completion dates.
 Planned meetings or check-in points.


Sometimes there is nothing to be done until one part of the project
is complete. It’s still worthwhile to bolster up the “face” and
participate by encouragement/interest.
When it All Breaks Down

Emotional Backlash
 Discomfort

often founded in an unintentional slight.
Personality Conflict
 Perceptions
of the world and how to communicate in it
can be influenced by:
 Family
 Field
 Society
 Culture
 Other
Taking a Step Back

Coping strategies begin with awareness that
something has gone wrong, and the ability to step
back from the personal discomfort and view the
situation dispassionately. There are two
perspectives:
 Recognize
that someone else is upset.
 Body
language
 Tone of voice/word choice
 Attitude
 Recognize
YOU are upset.
 Discomfort
or irritation with someone or something said.
Strategies for communication
breakdown: He looks upset….

Be direct.


Often people don’t realize what has bothered them—they just perceive
that somehow you’ve been disrespectful. Force them to address that
feeling or concern.
Be honest.


Especially if English isn’t your first language, this isn’t your field of study,
or you’ve had a hard time getting the hang of the context, let them know
that perhaps you made a mistake. Ask them to help you pinpoint it. You
don’t have to lose face to say, “Perhaps I didn’t word that the best way.
Maybe I need a bit more coffee. Could you tell me what you
understood, and I’ll see if I can clarify my idea?”
Sometimes nothing is bothering them but a headache, and this concern
becomes attention to their personal well-being. Thoughtful people make
good collaborators. 
Strategies for communication
breakdown: I’M upset….

Do NOT respond. Take a minute and decide WHY you feel upset.

The words they used?


They weren’t polite?


Must I fill this out?
They presumed upon your time or good will?


You look short.
I know you will help me study.
ALWAYS assume they didn’t mean it.

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Give them the benefit of the doubt, and give them a chance to try
again.
Use 3-Way-Communication, rephrasing it as would make more sense in
the conversation before the disconnect.

“You want to know if you need to complete this form, right?”
In Essence
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Especially for situations where a high level of
interpersonal difference can cause points for
misunderstanding, facework and the need for written
reinforcement should be stressed.
Awareness of one’s own understanding of how to
communicate, and the other ways that are possible, can
help keep collaboration a creative and open process.
Agreed-upon protocols and clearly defined terms and
goals will go a long way when collaborating in
interdisciplinary or intercultural contexts.
Some Interesting Reading
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Pauline, F., & Amy Snyder, O. (2005). Negotiation for meaning
and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied
Linguistics, 26(3), 402-430. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Why Clare. (2010, Jan. 28) Three-way communication.
Retrieved from
http://whyclare.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/three-waycommunication/
Russell, N. (2004). Winning at work: Words. Words. Words.
Retrieved from http://superperformance.com/words.php
Arundale, R. B. (2010). Constituting face in conversation: Face,
facework, and interactional achievement. Journal of
Pragmatics, 42(8), 2078-2105.
doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2009.12.021