Communication System
Communication is key to the success of any relationship, team or business. And yet, all too often we fail to discuss how best to communicate with one another. By creating and sharing a communication system with your team, partner, or company, you can increase clarity and help everyone communicate more easily.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Benefits of having a communication system
How to create your communication system
Best practices to share with your team
If you want help getting started on building your communication system, you can get our free template here.
What is a communication system and do we need one?
Communication can make or break a team and in the modern workplace there are a dozen different tools people may use to communicate. If your team struggles with too many meetings or knowing what to communicate where, you may benefit from having a shared communication system. A communication system is a shared set of expectations and protocols for which tools to use for communicating what type of information.
The potential benefits of communication system include:
Accountability and reduced frustrations with shared expectations
By creating a shared system, everyone is using the same standards and tools and has the same expectations about when to expect responses.
Save time deciding on right channel
With clarity on when to use which tool, your team can save time trying to decide where to send each message or whether to schedule a meeting for an upcoming decision
Reduce stress trying to be "always on"
By setting a standard for when to respond in each tool, the team can manage their communication channels within their own schedule which can reduce context switching, prevent unnecessary distractions, and help teammates unplug when possible
Reduce unnecessary meetings
When given a framework for what requires a meeting, the team can make smart choices about when to schedule meetings and when to use a more appropriate channel for communications that can happen asynchronously
If you want to realize any of these benefits for your team, try creating a communication system. Luckily, it’s very simple to create and you can use our free template to start your own today.
Create your communication system
Below are the basic steps to creating a communication channel for your team.
Define your communication channels
First, define all of the channels you use for communication. This can be a simple list that outlines each of the channels your team uses to communicate, such as phone calls, emails, instant messaging tools, project tools, and more.
Define when to use each channel
After you’ve listed your communication channels, then write down when your team should use each tool. You can create a flow chart like the one we’ve included in the template, or simply write down when you use each of the channels based on whether your communications are synchronous, rich, urgent, and internal.
Define response expectations and hours
Once you outline the channels and when to use each, then write down how quickly the team should respond in each channel within which timeframes. For example, if someone reaches out in an instant message, they should get a response within 2 hours on weekday working hours (M-F, 9am-5pm)
Capture everything in a shared document
Write down all of the channels, when to use each, and what the response expectations are in a shared location you can easily send to the team
That’s it! Once you have this document created, this can be the foundation for your communication system and you are ready to share it with the team.
Share your system with team
Once your system is defined, you are ready to share it with your team, and below are some best practices.
Make system readily accessible
When sharing your system with the team, share the document you created and review it with the team in a way that allows for questions and discussion. Then, store it in a location that the team can easily find and regularly access.
When questions arise, point them to the shared document as a way to reinforce its use as a tool.
When new teammates join, review the guidelines with them and teach them how to access it to reference.
Reinforce expected behaviors
Once the system has been shared, be consistent about following the guidelines included. Set the example for the team by using the standards you’ve established yourself, such as responding within the defined windows and not sending messages during “off” hours.
Adjust over time
As you begin using the communication system with your team, there will be areas of friction that arise or expectations that need to be adjusted. Create space for discussion about communication with your team at least once a year, and provide channels for feedback as issues arise. If your expectations or channel guidelines change, update your communication system document accordingly.
Hopefully these steps and recommendations will improve the communication across your team by making it more consistent, less stressful, and easier. If you want help creating your communication system document, start with our template here.