How to Prepare Your Communication Plan with Your Team

According to a 1972 Journal of Communication study, we spend about 80% of our workdays communicating. Sounds about right. Communicate is what enables us to disseminate information, understand what is being communicated, and express how we’re feeling. It’s perhaps the most important life skill to possess and develop.

Reflect on how to prepare your communication plan

Learning how to prepare your communication plan is fundamental in developing and honing your communication skills. Start by simply taking a moment to reflect.

Do you always plan out what you’re going to say to your team?

Exercises to prepare your communication plan

Now, it's time to put your reflection into action. Finding opportunities to implement your communication skills can allow you to prepare your communication plan.

• Send pre-meeting and after-meeting notes to your team. Prepare an agenda with high-level topics to discuss and after send notes on decisions made to your team.
• Follow-up with peers who you’ve given feedback to for past projects. Check to see if they’ve made progress, hit roadblocks, or offer helpful suggestions.
• Close support tickets for team members until they’ve been fully helped. For pending Trello tickets, ensure all checklist items are marked completed before archiving the ticket.