Here's how you can resolve miscommunication conflicts within your consulting team.

In recognizing issues make sure to first get all the facts as well as the areas of dispute. Nothing can be worse than building on a misunderstanding between our team and the client by compounding the situation by making false statements. Not taking the time to do this right is will make going forward very difficult. If you have a team member who is truly at fault, and is persona non grata, you may need to use them elsewhere. If the problem is with the clients employee you might be best off by not having to find fault with them and if there is no other way to deal with it, and you may say it was a chemistry issue and use someone else next time. This will allow the client to save face. Moving forward document everything with all clients

Encourage team members to communicate clearly and concisely. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon that might be misunderstood.

Establish Clear Roles and Responsibilities-Clearly define each team member’s role and responsibilities to avoid confusion and overlap. Document Everything-Keep detailed records of meetings, decisions, and task assignments. This documentation can serve as a reference point and reduce the chances of miscommunication.

Establish regular work retrospective meetings. In these meetings, the team has the freedom to discuss how the work went, highlight the main challenges, add ideas on what can be immediately improved or in similar situations, and analyze the collective performance. These meetings should be led by the team and preferably with minimal interference from the manager.

Provide Training-Offer communication skills training and workshops to help team members improve their communication abilities. Give them continuous feedback. So, the team will understand whether they are working in the right direction or not.

When miscommunication occurs, address it immediately. Discuss what went wrong, how it happened, and collaboratively find ways to prevent it in the future.

Personally, I have always evolved much more through negative (and constructive) feedback than through positive feedback. Of course, positive feedback is always more pleasant to hear, making us proud of our work and feeling recognized. However, it is the negative feedback that helps us understand what we might not see on our own, allowing us to make necessary adjustments and often achieve more than our initial plans. My advice is to listen carefully, take your time to reflect, and if applicable, try to do things differently next time. We are all capable of doing better, and negative feedback provides the opportunity for that.

You can resolve miscommunications/conflicts in your consulting team: 1. Acknowledge issues and try to understand the context behind it 2. Have empathy and encourage open dialogue 3. Move towards solution by listening and propose alternatives 4. Set expectations and have continuous feedback loops 5. Continuously learn and have an open mind to objectively evaluate based on new evidence/data