6 Ways to communicate effectively with your team

Having a happy and thriving team is so important. This is why my team and I make sure we have regular conversations about how we work together. We look at what is working and what can be improved.

Last week was one of those weeks. I asked my team for feedback on our communication and if there was room for improvement.

Here is what they said:

Things that worked well:

1. The weekly dashboard.

This is a word document which details the team’s key priorities for the week. We email these to Ashlea my PA and then she circulates this and prints a copy which I keep on my desk.

This is a way to see how we are all supporting our clients and to prevent any duplication.

2. One 2 Ones

The team said they value their meetings with me where we discuss their portfolio of workstream, their performance, any issues and areas for improvement.

The team have taken this one step forward and have their own meetings without me to share and keep each other informed.

3. Team meetings

This is our time to come together, and in these meetings, we tend to talk about the business development activities and overall client performance.

Sometimes we sit down over lunch or I may just grab a few minutes with them.

4. Voice notes

We use WhatsApp to share updates, touch base, share funny stories and questions. It's a quick and personal way to communicate. See blog on increasing your productivity using voice technology.

5. White and black boards

As we are spread over 2 offices, these board display our meetings allowing us all to easily keep track of each other and increasingly we Claire, Rebecca and I are out of the office a lot with our clients

6. Room for improvement

One area for improvement the team requested was more social activities. Whilst we have a team away day on 13th Feb I could do more to ensure I commit this going forward. They have told me before and now I have publicly shared this. I will do this!

It’s really nice that the team wants to spend time together away from the office and know how important things like this are.

What are your top tips you would recommend for keeping in close communication with your team and are there any areas you could improve on?