Communication 101: Teaching your team to talk it out

Every marketer knows that communication is key - it’s literally what we do every day. But while we may be well-versed in communicating with our clients, we often neglect to set up effective channels of communication for our own team members. If this struggle sounds familiar, you got here just in time. We’re here to help you learn how to communicate with your team while also teaching your employees to communicate with each other.

Check in regularly

We know that 2020 and 2021 have given us more Zoom calls than we care to remember. While Zoom and other video services can definitely be overdone, they are also a great tool to use to check in with your team on a regular basis. Whether your group is spread out around the world or a local company that’s not ready to get back into the office, facilitating a face-to-face check-in can give your team the time they need to ask questions and give updates. 

If you don’t think video calls are the best fit for your team, that’s okay, too! Communication isn’t as much about which method you use as it is about keeping everyone in the loop. Consider doing a team-wide phone call every month and speaking with your employees on an individual basis every few months. If you have a large company, you can also delegate this task to your managers or supervisors. As long as communication happens, you can customize your process to your team’s needs. Just be sure to make yourself available to your team as well so you can keep your finger on the pulse of your employees’ and company needs. 

Make information accessible

The best kind of communication is the kind that answers employees’ questions and gives updates long after the monthly meeting has ended. For ongoing projects or updated company policies, create a singular place where your team can access the information they need on a regular basis. This might be a team email, or you might prefer to set up some documents on an online workspace. Again, this is your chance to determine what platform works for your business. 

Once you have established a place for your team to access relevant documentation, it’s time to actually add the information! Upload documents, link to tutorials or examples, and create a process where your team can leave comments or questions. This is not only a great way to make sure everyone is updated with the same information, but it also cuts down on the amount of questions you receive each day regarding project updates and other routine information. Bonus tip: After you have everything set up, you have to tell your team what it is, where it is, and how to access it! Communication is key, remember?

Establish a routine

With so many different forms of communication available, it can be easy for updates and action items to get lost in the shuffle. Your project manager updated you on Slack, but you continued the conversation with your social media team over email, and they updated the rest of the team through Basecamp, which is where you usually track ongoing projects. All the information is out there, somewhere, but now everyone who needs it has to track it down. While some services make more sense to use in different scenarios, it’s important to establish a routine that sends everyone to the same finish line. 

For instance, let’s say a new project is coming down the pipeline. You already updated your team in the monthly meeting, and you have two writers and your graphic designer standing by to help. As you get information about the project, you can post it in whatever service you use to track projects. While most of these services allow you to send notifications to relevant team members, you can also send a group chat or email letting those team members know that the details are online for them to view. Any project updates should stay in the same place, while individual questions or ideas can be communicated in whatever format works best for your team. Just be sure to remind everyone that all project-related information must be accessible in a singular place so everyone knows how to find it.

Communication can be tricky, even for marketing experts. But between the many communication channels available and your desire to keep your team running smoothly, we know you will find the method that works best for you. Try out some new apps, work on establishing a routine, and always be sure to check in with your team to make sure everyone is up to speed. With these steps in place, your team will start communicating like the pros they are.