Effective Team Communication In today's environment, it is not unusual to see people working in teams to achieve certain goals and tasks. During our youth, parents and teachers encourage us through various methods to work as part of a team. Whether it's a sports team, a class team, or after-school activities, parents, teachers, and other authority figures begin to introduce teamwork and teach the value of being able to work together to achieve a common goal. As people go through various stages of their lives, everyone continues to strive to communicate. Communication is a part of everyday life. It may be overlooked in some areas, but when dealing with a team environment, communication is vital. A true fact is that communication can make or break any team. Lack of communication can lead to confusion within a team and lack of production on a common task. This paper will look at different aspects of teams with an emphasis on how effective communication can enable a team to achieve its set goals. When forming a team, some things to consider are the challenges of teamwork, the benefits of teamwork, and how you can improve your performance within the team to gain more benefits in terms of effective communication. What is communication? According to Strate. L. (2007) "communication is commonly understood as an act in which a source sends a message through a channel or medium to a recipient. For many, the ideal form of communication is a process that involves the exchange of information and sharing of ideas and emotions between individuals, resulting in strengthening...... half of the article ......phpCrow, K. (2002) Retrieved June 1, 2007, from http://www .npd-solutions. com/communications.htmlFontaine, C. (2004), The Basics Retrieved June 2, 2007, from http://www.professorfontaine.com/HRM201.htmlStrate, L. (2007). GrolierOnline http://gme.grolier.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0068790-0University of Phoenix (2007). 2007 from University of Phoenix, rEsource, Jan 300, Learning Team Toolkit Web Site. http://www.apollolibrary.com/LTT/download/. TeamsintheWorkplace.pdf Whyte, L. (2007). Effective teamwork. Retrieved from the University of Phoenix Apollo Library website on June 4, 2007. http://www.apollolibrary.com