Tell me about a time when communication became an issue when working on a team.
Give an example of a time you when you couldn't seem to explain what you needed from other team members or, talk about how one of your team members couldn't communicate effectively. Be sure to include what the overall outcome was of the situation, and what you did to repair the communication issue.
"I worked on a team to solve a problem that could have potential affects on our ability to grow the business and reach our goals. Each person on the team was tasked with a different aspect, such as gathering data and analyzing it. We came together to discuss the results but couldn't seem to come to an agreement. We were struggling to listen to each person's opinion. I explained my observation, and I suggested we give each person a chance to talk through their findings and opinions, which helped us take a more collaborative approach."
"My current company recently went through a merger which has caused a lack of communication between the team because people are flooded by thoughts of job security. I made a suggestion to my department head that we have a team building event. Gathering everyone together to remind them that we are still a team was very helpful."
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Anonymous Answer
Communication became an issue in the Navy. My crew was given a task and two other petty officers above my rank changed the performance of the task. I was able to get in contact with both petty officers and figured out what the need was for the task and instructed my crew to complete the task as I had instructed.
Amanda's Feedback
It sounds like this could be a strong example of your ability to resolve communication issues. You can make this answer more impactful by giving more detail that helps the interviewer understand the issue. What was the assigned task and how was it changed by the petty officers? How was the change communicated to you (or not communicated)? How did you approach clarifying it so that the situation didn't become more tense or difficult? What communication strategies did you implement to help avoid miscommunication in the future?
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