Establishing A Culture Of Communication In Your Business
The first and most important aspect of setting up a well-oiled business is establishing healthy communication. The problem here doesn’t revolve around a lack of communication so much as an overabundance of it. There is an endless supply of channels, brands, and tools that your team can use.
With that said, one of the first steps that management should take is to establish clear communication guidelines for their team. You may have already done this to a degree, but codifying your decisions into formal guidelines is a wise option as well. A few things to include in your “communication handbook” include:
- What video, voice, and text platforms everyone should use:
It doesn’t matter if you use Zoom, Skype, Whatsapp, Microsoft Teams, or anything else, however, you must choose your company’s communication tools and then stick to them. - Your preferred method of communication for various scenarios:
Make sure that employees understand that they should use email for proposals, Zoom for larger meetings, Google Docs for marketing content, and so on.
- What tools are required:
Each employee should be aware of what hardware — i.e. a computer, camera, microphone — is required for your remote workspace and whether or not they can expect you to provide them.
Setting up clear guidelines is an excellent way to pave the path towards a functioning, healthy communication culture in your organization.
If you can create clear lines of communication, establish collaboration channels, and encourage a mindset of continual learning, you can set your team up for success. Not only does this enable you to survive the ups and downs in the short-term, but you will be able to realize prolonged success far into the future, regardless of your working situation.