Say What?

As ScriptEd continues to grow, and as I continue to get involved in helping to organize other passion projects, I have started to think a lot about communication and how very, very hard it is to do well.

There are lots of reasons people don't communicate well.  Some people don't have enough experience to understand why explicit communication is important.  Other people don't want to be responsible for hurting, offending or disappointing and then might withhold a full story.

When we're not clear and explicit in our communication, we usually run into trouble.  People can start working hard in a completely wrong direction, or inadvertently offend and annoy other people. When people misunderstand expectations and ground rules, small problems can turn into bigger ones pretty quickly.

Here are some communication strategies I try to implement to make sure that projects go smoothly when I'm working with teams of people.  (Teacher friends: these might sound a lot like classroom management techniques).  These are also good strategies for life in general, not just for the work place!

1. Establish ground rules.  Think about a time you've been chastised for doing something that you had no idea you were doing wrong. Did you feel defensive? Embarrassed? For example, several ScriptEd staff members have recently gotten scolded by WeWork staff members for not following certain etiquette rules on using our shared kitchen, but these new rules and norms were never communicated to us.  Being proactive and establishing the ground rules for how to operate in a group or relationship is a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page and can help avoid these awkward and annoying interactions. Never assume someone will know the ground rules without first communicating the rules to them.

2. Call something out directly and as quickly as possible.  If someone does something you don't like or is out of line with whatever your ground rules are, do not let it slide. Address it and enforce (or establish, if necessary) ground rules quickly and consistently. If an action isn't called out, the person might believe that the rule isn't really that important, or might not understand why the behavior is corrected sometimes and not others.

3. Talking is always better than emails or texting.  It's so easy to read tone into writing that does not actually represent what the writer means to communicate. If you are questioning the writer's instruction or intent, talk it out.

4.  Re-iterate instructions / to-do items / plans to ensure everyone is on the same page.  After a meeting, discussion or exchange, synthesize and summarize with everyone. This will help ensure everyone has a common understanding.

5. Try to not react negatively when someone gives you bad news.  This is a big one. If a one of my employees tells me something has gone wrong, the absolute worst thing I can do is overreact or get angry. If I do this, it's pretty likely that bad news will be kept from me in the future.  Be supportive and thank the person for bringing the issue to your attention, then work on solving the issue.  Doing this will help ensure that people are being open and honest.