Communication in CS:GO is essential when playing. Knowing how to communicate is half the battle. Communication is not only about giving proper information on the map, but about getting along with your teammates, moral support of your team, personal skill, and sometimes just keeping your mouth shut.
Many players use the radar as the only way to get information about what is happening on the map. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes it can backfire. You probably think that it will not take very long to look at the radar and if the opponent peeks, you will have time to headshot him.
Did you know that the average reaction of a professional player is less than 0.25 seconds? You will need approximately twice as much to look at the radar (or chat), think over the information and then aim. If you want to play at a high level, then the first rule is to always look where you’re aiming!
Besides, the radar will not tell you where the smoke lies, where the flash is going, the steps of your opponents, and much more.
Basic information
The basic information involves quick and simple phrases: where, which way, and how many. That’s all your teammates want to hear from you. No “maybe” and random guesses, no direct orders to your teammates, no panic.
Where?
The location of the opponents is the first thing your teammates need to know in order to gain a strategic advantage. You will need to know all the positions on the map to give detailed, yet clear information.
How Many?
The number of enemies will give an understanding of where the attack is going or how many people are standing up to defend a point, what to focus on and what to remember.
Which Way?
Everything is simple here: changing position on time can save the round. Once your teammates know the information about how many enemies are at a certain position, they will know the approximate direction of attack. Here you should keep your ear sharp. By listening to the steps of the opponents, you’ll be able to tell where they heading to.
Additional Information
While this information is not as essential as the basic information above, this information will make you a player everyone will enjoy playing with. The game will be more enjoyable for everyone.
Grenades
Always tell your teammate about incoming grenades from your side, be it smoke or flash. This also applies to grenades from the enemy. When an enemy throws a grenade, tell your teammates about it. When there is no information about the location of the enemy, any grenade can become a signal but do not rush with it.
For example, a few decoys and the absence of an enemy can indicate that they are likely to fake and have long gone to another position. Three HE or smoke can tell that most of the enemies are going to go to a certain place and give your allies time to change a position.
Bombs
You put a bomb, your teammate got your back and you were killed and defuse started. Your teammate slowly goes to the plant, giving the enemy extra time, in the end, it turns out that it was planted on the other side of the plant. This is a very typical matchmaking situation.
Always say where you put the bomb so that anyone can easily pick and clutch without panic.
For the CT side, the position of the bomb is also a signal to the possible location of the enemy.
Economy
Always discuss the economy of your team and what you should buy for a particular round. When half of your team has money for pistols and there’s a guy who goes for full buy, it would be wise to ask him for a drop.
Kill / Death
There are certain maps with a default CT location, for example, on de_inferno: 2b, 3a. It’s obvious that if you make 2 kills on B plant, 3 other enemies will rush to defend it from the A plant. You can tell your teammates about 2 frags and quickly take a free plant.
Tactics
Unfortunately, we cannot read the thoughts of others, so if you want to attack or cover a specific point, tell your teammates about it, ask for help and then you will avoid the pointless scatter of players on the map.
Always discuss the strategy beforehand. If you feel like it’s comfortable for you to play on B plant, tell your teammates about it.
In any match, you want to find a person in your team you feel comfortable playing with.
Regrouping
If you decide to change position, abandon a spot, then your task is also to warn your teammate about this so that they knows about the “hole” on the map and is ready for the attack from there.
Final thoughts
Talking about something else during the game can only negatively affect the match unless you are doing it to cheer up your teammates.
When communicating, it is also necessary to forget about disagreements. There is no need to explain something to the teammates in the game or to teach someone, this will once again add oil to the fire and you’ll get another toxic game. Simply keep quiet for the benefit of everyone.
Good luck in improving your communication skills in CS:GO!