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Building A Proactive Communication Plan
Working to develop a proactive communication plan is becoming more and more critical as teams become more distributed. Blogs: https://agile-mercurial.com/ and https://twentyfirstcenturyworkforce.com/ The Distributed Workforce is Exposing Flaws in Business Communication: https://agile-mercurial.com/2019/05/15/the-distributed-workforce-is-exposing-flaws-in-business-communication/
Building A Proactive Communication Plan
- 1. BUILDING A PROACTIVE COMMUNICATIONPLAN Avoiding Lazy Communication Practices
- 2. PROACTIVE COMMUNICATION PLANNING With the riseof distributed teams, the lazy communication methods of the past are not working
- 3. LAZY COMMUNICATION RELIANCE •An accidentaloverhearing of relevant information (https://agile-mercurial.com/2019/01/26/what-is- osmotic-communication/) Osmotic Communication •Accidental moments of collaboration “Watercooler Moments”
- 4. LAZY COMMUNICATION EFFECTS •Lack of Standardized Reporting • Departments deciding on the format of information they receive with no input from other departments receiving the same information or the department producing the information • Increases the time it takes to communicate • Over-reliance on “Formal” Communication Methods • Don’t tell me in person, put it on your report • Can cause delays in communication • Reporting of Useless Information • Communicating because you think someone needs to know something • Often results in too many meetings with little relevance to those involved • Failure to communicate • But I thought someone else told you
- 5. Distributed teams are increasing Theremote workforce is growing You can no longer afford to roll the dice with your communication methods
- 6. EVALUATE YOUR NEEDS WhatDo You Hope to Gain?
- 7. FIGURE OUT WHATYOU NEED • Is your team highly distributed? • Does your team include people from multiple countries and/or cultures? • What tools do you have? Do you need new/better tools? • What problems are you currently having with communication? Where has poor communication failed your teams? • Who needs to communicate? Who should communicate? Who is involved in over- communication (meetings or communication with almost no benefit)?
- 8. DEVELOP GUIDELINES •Don’t overdevelop guidelines –this will cause communication and morale to suffer •Keep things as general as you can •Some areas may need more attention than others • For example: ensure that sexual harassment is defined and not tolerated
- 9. LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION CollaborativeCommunication Planning
- 10. ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION INTERPERSONALTEAM MULTI-TEAM COMMUNICATION MULTIDEPARTMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL
- 11. INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION • The coreof the “Watercooler Moment” • Communication between individuals that may or may not be work related • Organizations need to actively work at avoiding the discouragement of this type of communication • Develop opportunities to carryout interpersonal communication for those that wish to engage
- 12. TEAM COMMUNICATION • Communicationthat is intended for the whole team or a majority of the team • This communication may include communication that is not work-related, but it tends to be less personal • Team communication plans should be decided on a team level by the team
- 13. MULTI-TEAM COMMUNICATION • Multiple teams communicatingtogether within the same department • This communication tends to be only business focused • The communication plan should be developed through a collaborative effort involving the whole department using representatives from the various teams
- 14. MULTIDEPARTMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION •Communication between multiple departments or communication that is organization-wide • This communication plan should be facilitated by the highest levels of leaders or management, but include representatives from the individual departments • The plan may be more general in nature, mostly standardizing communication practices • Example: Defining the layout of an accounting report that impacts multiple departments or defining when people should be notified about important events
- 15. REEVALUATE YOUR PLAN AtRegular Intervals, Verify the Plan is Still Relevant and Being Followed
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- 17. EXISTING PROBLEMS Verify problems weresolvedVerify Ensure plans are being adhered toEnsure Look for new problemsLook Accept criticism of the current plan and adapt as necessaryAccept
- 18. BUILDING A PROACTIVE COMMUNICATIONPLAN Joshua Render https://agile-mercurial.com/ https://twentyfirstcenturyworkforce.com/ https://agile-mercurial.com/2019/05/15/the-distributed-workforce- is-exposing-flaws-in-business-communication/