1. UniMed Direct | 2015
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
High Performing Teams (HPT):
So What?
Trust has been a buzzword around the office lately, but
what is trust? More importantly, how do you build it?
Research supports employees who can be transparent in
communication with one another are perceived as more
trustworthy.
In this report on communication, you will learn the
significance of being transparent as well as the skills of how
to build supportive relationships with others.
Form Supportive
Relationships
Build
Trustworthiness
Listen
Thoughtfully
Aligned
Goals/Needs
Transparency

2. UniMed Direct | 2015
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
What is being transparent in communication?
But wait- how would it play if we just said what we thought
all of the time or showed what we felt? Probably not well.
Of course, one must be self-aware enough to understand
what is appropriate and not appropriate in the workplace.
This awareness is different in each situation impacting how
we must act and respond.
In fact, when we focus on the definition of transparency we
understand there are 2 important components:
communication and accountability. Trust is the link
between these 2 important components where trust is built
by aligning the goals of the team with your own personal
goals.
Unfortunately, aligning goals sometimes is challenging and
even frustrating, so how do you express your frustrations in a
productive way?
One way is to …
Use “I” language rather than “You” language.
Describe how you feel rather than evaluate others.
Transparency, as used in science, engineering,
business, the humanities and social contexts, implies
openness in communication and accountability.

3. UniMed Direct | 2015
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
For example, instead of, “I can never do my job because
I’m always correcting what you mess up.”
Try, “I feel overwhelmed when work isn’t moved down the
line in a timely manner because I don’t have time to do my
work correctly. How do you feel about this?”
There is no room for inappropriate communication in the
work place. Popular errors include:
 Attack on one’s character, rather than one’s idea
 Paraphrasing another’s idea in a skewed and weak
way to make it seem less credible/valuable
You are thinking, “Wait there has to be a better way?”
You have an idea, but it will challenge the current status
quo. This is something I struggle with frequently,
communicating this isn’t easy.
The best way to introduce a new idea is to first say,
“I wonder.”
For example, saying things like “I think we should,” or “In my
opinion, the best way to do _____ is ______.” Seems to
always lead to unproductive debate.
Guide your conversation with this template, “I wonder-
because _____ is always causing us problems, what if we
tried ______. This might be more productive because _____.”

4. UniMed Direct | 2015
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
This is effective for several reasons:
(1) it takes the stress off the person’s who’s idea you’re
challenging because you are using “I” language,
(2) it structures your argument in a problem-solution format,
(3) your argument is clear and easy to assess by the group.
But when is the right time to bring this up?
Timing for effective communication is as important as the
message itself. A few rules to having the right timing
include:
 Ensure a private setting when frustration is about a
single person
 Ensure you are in the right frame of mind when
addressing the challenge. Be aware of your emotions
and perceptions when speaking to colleagues.
 Ensure the person you need to talk to is in the right
frame of mind. If you are feeling tempered, the best
thing you can do is talk about it the next day.
Knowing the best timing always involves knowing when you
are ready to Listen:
When it comes to human communication, there are very
few truths. The only thing we do have is perceptions, and
what we know about perceptions is that it’s about behavior,
not intent. You will not be judged on what you intended to
do, but rather what you literally did.

5. UniMed Direct | 2015
“We are what we repeatedly do; excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle
Listening thoughtfully to others seems to be the forgotten
skill. When building supportive relationships, listening skills are
the biggest predictors of success. Think,
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Before you even speak, you should fully understand where
the other person is coming from. Perception-check that you
understand correctly by supportively paraphrasing content
back to them. Once you understand the frustration/idea,
use “I” language to respond thoughtfully.
Conclusion
Sharing ideas using competent communication shows that
you care about the process and the results. Building this
trust will drive your personal accountability. Using your
listening skills to understand those around you and the
expectations will set you up for success.
This is how we build trusting relationships- by promoting a
culture of transparency within UniMed.
Intent is not what is going to help UniMed Direct build a
culture of transparency and supportive relationships- Rather,
specific communication behaviors will drive the change
that takes UniMed from Good to Great.