Agents of Agile Communication Tips and Techniques for Agile Teams
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This is the slide deck from the user group meeting on January 17, 2018. Agents of Agile is a Scrum Alliance user Group.
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Agents of Agile Communication Tips and Techniques for Agile Teams
- 1. COMMUNICATION TIPS & TECHNIQUES for Agile Teams 1
- 2. 2 The Agile Manifesto states “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to communication” However, more often teams are cross cultural and distributed.
- 4. MISCOMMUNICATION ORIGINS 1. Too many communication channels 2. The message isn’t in the tailored to the audience 3. Delays in response 4. Message sender and receiver are out of synch 5. Distractions 6. The medium 4 Q: What else can cause miscommunication?
- 5. 2(2-1)/2=1 4(4-1)/2=6 8(8-1)/2=28 COMMUNICATION CHANNELS Communication Channels represent the flow of communication within the team and stakeholders. 'n' equals the total number of stakeholders and team members More members makes more channels that increases risk of miscommunication 5 n(n-1)/2
- 6. TIP #1: TEAM AND PROCESS FOCUS 6 Tame communication tangles with Information Radiators Physical or virtual space where meeting notes, tasks, pipeline, and status are visible to the stakeholders and team. Pin the Information Radiator to a Slack Channel. Make a Confluence page Setup a process to address communication needs, e.g., talk to the Scrum Master or Product Owner Use a Scrum of Scrums to keep teams small, but still communicate and maximize value Problem - too many channels Bonus: These tips also help with lack of communication!
- 7. TIP #2: FIT THE MESSAGE 7 Know your audience, e.g., executives, developers, analysts Consider culture Ask the team to use a common language, e.g., buzzwords, acronyms, what not to say, Understand the communication style of the receiver (see next slide) Take time to review before you speak or hit send Problem - The message isn’t in the tailored to the audience
- 8. FITTING THE MESSAGE 8 Expressive Drivers Relational Analytical Focus on WHO Focus on WHAT Focus on WHY Focus on HOW Inspire and challenge Provide the goals Provide goals and methods Provide data and information Recognize them Be efficient Collaboration Structured response Avoid long explanations Bullet points and no filler words Provide specifics and plans Numbers, charts, graphs What is the best communication style your audience?
- 9. GAME TIME 9
- 10. TIP #3: RESPOND QUICKLY 10 Don’t delay responding to a question, even if you only say “Got your message” Even a “get back to you in an hour” de-escalates tension People want to be heard Problem - Delays in Response
- 11. TIP #4: DON’T ASSUME 11 Empathize with the receiver Refer to tip 2 (Tailor the message) Re-read/review your communication to this person/group Take time to get your message right Use the Information Radiator as a support Problem - Message sender and receiver are out of synch
- 12. TIP #5: PAY ATTENTION 12 Read emails and chats thoroughly - no skimming! Restate the question, response, or decision Remove yourself from distributions Listen during meetings and conversations Close your computer Turn your phone to silent mode Problem - Distractions
- 13. TIP #6: THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE 13 Know when to stop the thread and try a different medium (Stop the thread if no one else does) Decide what is acceptable - ALL CAPS, punctuation Check the autocorrect & grammar Take the time to write complete sentences Use tools to your advantage - Slack to Jira, Aha! Problem - the medium
- 14. TIP #7: EXPECT PROBLEMS 14 Problem - things happen –Brian Tracy “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bicycle or typing.”
- 15. TAKEAWAYS • Discuss with your team the best ways to communicate, e.g., Reflection, Team Charter • Use the best method for your team • Adjust communication methods as needed • Be consistent in your communication • Ensure you are understood 15
- 16. 16 …Reflect on how to become more effective, then tune and adjust behavior accordingly. - Paraphrased from Agile Manifesto
- 17. QUESTIONS? 17 •WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU •WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE TO SHARE?
- 18. UPCOMING EVENTS 18 Wednesday, February 7 from 6:00-8:00 Be Ready, Be Done: The Art of Slicing Stories Special guest speaker, RAJ INDUGULA, VP Technology Services of Lithespeed, LLC Thursday, February 1 at 5:00 Happy Hour at Refraction, https://www.meetup.com/Refraction-Reston-Experiments-in-Collaboration/
Editor's Notes
- Welcome to the Agents of Agile meetup where, everyone gathered here is a catalyst taking an active role in promoting the principles of Agile methodology. Thank you for coming tonight to share information on how Agile Methodology can transform teams and the enterprise.
- The communication process looks simple. We communicate all the time in person, over the phone, texting, conference calls and email. Why are there so many problems? Companies have access to the latest communication tools, like screen sharing, chat, web conferencing, but why do teams suffer from miscommunications? Doesn’t matter if you are co-located or distributed, teams always face communication challenges. The Agile Manifesto states “The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to communication”, however, more often teams are cross cultural and distributed.
- This is a tangled mess. How do we handle this using Agile Methodology? What about face to face communication, transparency and collaboration? Communication can flow upwards, downwards, and across levels.
- Don’t stop communicating - communicate smarter People circumvent the process when they don’t get the information they want, when the want it. Build a bridge of understanding and trust. Be transparent Invite them to listen-only at Standup Add a Scrum of Scrums Information radiators Answer promptly, but think before you speak Define a process to address communication needs
- Cultural differences and language - “We will bury you!” With those words Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev escalated the Cold War and horrified the world in 1956. He said was a reference to the Marxist saying, "The proletariat is the undertaker of capitalism", based on the concluding statement in Chapter 1 of the Communist Manifesto. Playing Pictionary in the Netherlands Tailor your message - Examples: Executives want a summary, customers want clarity and don’t drown them in details Ask for examples
- DiSC profile Who is your audience and how do they best receive messages? Expressive - Excitable. Don’t like boring explanations. Argumentative, Value feedback and challenges. Drivers - My way, strong viewpoints, hate wasting time, take charge, goal-oriented, competitive Relational - value human connection, show that you care, relax, forge a relationship, provide details Analytical - Methodical, systematic, value data and information
- Battle of Trenton was a decisive battle in the American War of Independence between George Washington and Col. Johann Rall, a Hessian (German solider) aligned with the British. When a Hessian spy saw Washington on his way to Trenton, wrote a note, in German, and handed it to a British soldier who didn’t speak English. Not understanding the importance of the note, Rall put it in his coat pocket and never read it. The note was found after he died, in the Trenton battle. General Washington gained provisions and weapons that enabled the troops to continue fighting.
- Fall of the Berlin Wall - The fall fo the Berlin Wall wasn’t planned; was caused by the fact that Gunter Schabowski, a lower level employee, was not being given enough information and said in a live televised interview that the new border regulations were effective immediately. Anyone with a paper to visit could go to West Berlin. People in East Germany swarmed to the boarder and the soldiers didn’t stop them. Ask for examples
- don’t work and no Skype/Slack/Chat during the meeting No have side conversations during meetings Hearing is not listening
- Isn’t it funny that this tip is also the problem? Audience participation When Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase, “The medium is the message,” few could have imagined today’s variety of communications media (e-mail, IM, texting, videoconferencing, online discussion boards, etc.). The resulting communication issues have multiplied as well. Check the auto-correct! Buzzwords, slang, acronyms, tech speak, colloquialisms can confuse your message. What does that exclamation point mean, emphasis, excitement, frustration? Check that you don’t send terse e-mails with half-sentences, bad grammar, and atrocious spelling. The underlying message is that those individuals are far too busy to be bothered with writing perfectly polished text. Unfortunately, sloppy e-mails at best require wasting time trying to decipher them, and at worse cause workplace misunderstandings and costly errors.
- You never stop learning on improving communication skills