How to communicate

Do you communicate with your team? Or just talk?

When you talk, words go out, but there's no follow up. You don't even need a receiver to talk—it's just throwing words into the air. It's making noise.

Communication, on the other hand, is a process. It requires two sides: sender, and a receiver. It requires attention, and both parties caring.

I saw teams, where people simply exclaimed what they think, not allowing any discussion or follow up. Ex cathedra.

If you want to make your team stronger, communicate: say things, allow opposition, get aligned. People will have different opinions, and that's okay.

When teams go silent, bad things happen: isolation creeps in, politics become rampant, misunderstandings bring contempt.

Go, and instead of talking over it, communicate.