This recap blog was written by Tony Brock of the Anthony Brock Group, a  Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce member, as part of our Business Resource Sessions.

Stop the Confusion: The 7 Steps to Developing a Team Communications Charter

Effective communication is a big challenge for business teams. Although we have greater access to more information than ever before across so many channels, we’re often overwhelmed. Leaders tell me they’re losing time and money dealing with miscommunication issues that, when investigated, stem from not having a common understanding of how we’re expected to communicate with one another.
 
People are frustrated with information routinely being sent across a random combination of channels (email, text, etc…), with little thought given to importance, urgency, format, purpose, or target audience. They feel like they were “always putting out fires” and that “no one could find the information they needed to actually do their jobs when they needed it”. Ultimately, people in the organization were increasingly irritated, productivity decreased, and it was starting to become a retention issue.

The solution? Develop a Team Communications Charter – a simple written agreement outlining how we’re going to communicate effectively as a team or organization. This agreement, designed to “get everyone on the same page”, consists of the following 7 Considerations: Purpose, Mindset, Quadrants, Synchronicity, Operations, Channels, and Etiquette. Developing this charter together results in increased clarity and a shared understanding of how we’ll communicate with one another moving forward. Ultimately, putting this into practice will decrease team frustration, and save you time and money. An easy win!

Get a FREE copy of the facilitation guide and lead your team to develop your own Communications Charter. Contact Susan Brock at susan@anthonybrockgroup.com for a free PDF copy. 

What programs are best for you and your team? www.anthonybrockgroup.com