I would say focus on the content of your answer in which you are able to address the following:
1. Background info. Size of team, project, your position (if assigned), deadline, etc.
2. Identify a set of challenges which are common to working in teams (establishing goals, project management, deadlines, managing disruptions, coordinating schedules, establishing leadership, knowing when to lead and when to follow, raising objections without throwing the team off track, etc.)
3. Identify your strengths with respect to #2. Give concrete examples of how you have brought value to the teams that you have been a part of. Perhaps you communicate well and like to motivate others, perhaps others look to you to organize and enforce the agenda, etc.
4. Identify your weaknesses with respect to #2 (and how you have overcome them). Give concrete examples of what aspects have presented opportunities for you to grow and learn. Perhaps you've worked with a particularly difficult person, worked on a team which lacked leadership, etc. This is your opportunity to show them that you have experienced and are prepared to handle challenges many face when working on teams.
5. Always close on a positive note, emphasize that you enjoy working on teams and that you welcome challenges and opportunities to learn, etc.
The key is to be completely honest but also demonstrate that you are confident, open to feedback and constantly working towards self-improvement. Whatever you do, do not rehearse a script. When people do this they sound like complete robots and the effect is much worse on phone interviews. Just identify talking points in advance and try to inject some appropriate humor and grab their interest (just like if you were talking to someone in the ordinary course of a day). Go out of your way to make the interviewer feel relaxed and comfortable with you.
Try to read the person in front of you (or on the other end of the phone) and not be thrown off guard if you sense that you are losing them, bring them back in and win them over.
The best answers will bring them to the point where they realize that you are self-aware/conscientious of your audience and willing to tailor yourself to the team dynamic to ultimately meet the organizations objectives. Every manager dreams of an employee who can: police themselves, bring harmony and productivity to dysfunction, and is willing to leave their ego at the door to achieve those aims.
Questions that I have asked an interviewer include:
-How does your organization handle communicating across and within groups?
-How often are employees given feedback with respect to job performance?
-Types of clients that they work with
-Where the greatest need is within the organization currently
Really you could ask anything within reason, I try to throw them a couple of bones by reading through materials on their website. Look over your past experiences, what do you wish you knew before hand? What information might help you choose that employer over another? Some of these might require a lead in so they don't catch them off guard, like:
“I've been involved with teams where communication within the group was fantastic but there were no formal channels to communicate our concerns to appropriate stakeholders elsewhere within the organization. How does your organization handle communication within and across groups? Do you feel there are sufficient channels in place?”—This is good for larger firms, not appropriate for local firms.
It is really important that you offer them immediate positive feedback with their answers and really demonstrate your gratitude, understanding, and respect. At no time should they feel like they are in the “hot seat” or offered you a disappointing answer.
ALWAYS, end with expressing your genuine interest in the job (unless you are not interested). Highlight and recap what impressed you most during the interview. You would be surprised how many people do not do this and how often your discomfort/nervousness in the interview comes across as lack of interest or personal distaste for the interviewer.
I have been given immediate positive feedback on my interviewing skills in just about every interview that I've conducted and have landed every job that I've wanted. I have also been on both sides of the table, I figure I'm doing something right and should pass it on. I hope it helps and wish you the best of luck!
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