Know your communication style
A ScrumMaster must speak and listen effectively, and all of us have a communication style. Let's examine a few communication styles and explore the potential impact to your team.
Loud or quiet?
Are you the person in the room with the loudest mouth? You know the type: a big belly laugh or a loud "What the ?!" lets you know when you're in the middle of an overpowering, loud communicator. Everything about this person is at maximum decibels and in your face; she makes sure that you hear her. While effective in that everyone can hear what she has to say, the trouble is that not everyone knows if they're being heard in return. This can cause people to shut down and just let the loud communicator run the show.
Perhaps you're at the other extreme: the team can barely hear you in a meeting. You talk with your head down, hand covering your mouth, mumbling something. Everyone leans in to hear what you're saying. Eventually, you become invisible; the meeting runs off the rails...
