Ever been part of a team where team members didn’t pay attention to what was being communicated?

Yes, in Scrum teams also that happens. Especially in the Daily Stand-ups.

Team members don’t always pay attention to what other team member is saying.

Most people get this habit from their daily lives. They go to doctor and while talking to them, they’re checking their BlackBerry. The same people go to restaurant with their spouse and spend more time with their mobile device than their spouse.

They are just like that. Involved in something else when they’re with someone else.

No wonder that kind of people would want to do the same even when they are part of a scrum team.

That’s not acceptable.

As ScrumMaster, you must coach every team member about importance of attention.

Conversations are most important tools in agile frameworks. They get your work done. And you can’t have a conversation without your team members listening to one another with 100% of their attention.

Listening with intent and with 100% attention is what makes Scrum team successful. That becomes and impediment if not resolved early.

Non-listening frustrates people and they tend to lose interest in the project.

Scrum team members are also human beings with their strengths and weaknesses. Scrum team is a committed team and commitment works when every team member trusts and respects one another.

If that does not happen then Scrum processes might still be there but there won’t be a Scrum team.

As a ScrumMaster, coach your team members to listen. Re-state and coach again and again so that they get why it is important.

Your conversations show who you are. Let your conversations say you’re committed. Let the whole team get it sooner than later. If not, then you’re not doing the right job of a ScrumMaster.