3 Useful Ways to Improve Team Communication for Good

As much as we hate to admit it, communication breakdowns happen.

I loved playing telephone at sleepovers when I was a kid. One person whispered something to someone else, they’d whisper it to the next person in the circle, you get the idea. At the end, we’d laugh about how "chocolate chip cookies" turned into "mom has cooties."

As small business owners, it’s not so entertaining. Playing telephone when working from home or in the workplace spells lots of problems. Details get lost. Expectations are misunderstood. Tracking project progress is a wild goose chase when your team’s not on the same page. Even getting everyone to meet deadlines is like herding cats. And without clear communication, managing multiple projects is the ultimate juggling act.

It’s all fun and games...Until it’s not. Any mishap in one of these areas could mean huge repercussions for your business.

You do your best to communicate with your team. You get them the right information. Then when it comes time for projects to be completed, crucial tasks haven’t been done. Two people unknowingly worked on the same items. A client was given the wrong instructions. Someone didn’t see the assignment... Yeah, that’s stressful.

Many small business owners improve team communication by relying on an online tool to manage their work, like GQueues. Keeping information somewhere everyone can access means the details stay consistent. If you’re transitioning to online, growing your team, or managing your day-to-day projects, it pays to have a system that works.

How can I improve communication with my team?

Using an online tool that everyone on your team can manage their work from is a big step in the right direction. Even as your business changes and grows, having a shared work management tool means clarity, every step of the way. Working from one place ensures the right information gets where it needs to go. And GQueues has tons of features to help reduce misunderstandings across your team.

Here are 3 ways you can use GQueues to boost your team’s communication:

• Team Queues: Store details in one shared location so there’s one source of information
• Calendar syncing: Shared, project-specific calendars that update in real time
• Comments: In-app communication attached directly to the work itself
  

One source of information

It’s pretty clear that playing telephone with your team doesn’t work. It’s better to have one source of information all teammates can access so the details are always correct. No need to search through lengthy email chains to find the answers (if you even saved the email!) If there’s something you or your team needs to know, go straight to the queue‍

No more guessing games

GQueues offers shared task lists for the whole team, so details are always consistent, no matter who’s viewing the agenda. When playing telephone as kids, the messages changed as they were passed from person to person, meaning no one ended up with quite the right information.

That’s where having one place to store those details comes in handy. There’s no guesswork when anyone on the team can go to the original source and see the right info for themselves.

Stay on top of changes

With everything going on in a business, things change fast. Without a shared source for tracking those changes, important details can get missed when last-minute updates happen. Since changes in GQueues display in real time, everyone on the team can check the task list for the most up-to-date information. So you don’t have the stress of wondering if you have the specifics when you need them.

This transparency is huge for communication. Anyone can get in the know by going right to the source. No more playing telephone!

Shared calendars for the whole team

GQueues syncs with Google Calendar, so you can see team tasks and all the relevant details right alongside other scheduled events in your Calendar almost instantly.

Stay up-to-date as a team

When due dates change, updates are reflected on the Calendar for the whole team right away. No extra steps. No missed communication. Last-minute updates won’t go overlooked since everyone can see the same Calendar updating in real time. Anyone with permission on the team can update the same calendar for everyone else. Edit details from GQueues or Google Calendar and save yourself clicks.

Project-specific Calendars

If your small business involves multiple teams with different projects and responsibilities, things can get hectic, fast. Having separate calendars makes it easier to track what each of your teams are up to. Plus, it makes it easier for team members to focus on what’s important to them, without getting distracted by what’s going on with everyone else. The marketing team only needs to see deadlines for the marketing team. Sales, management, customer service, you name it! They can all have their own calendars, so tracking multiple projects is a breeze.

When everyone’s in the loop with shared calendars, there’s less confusion and fewer missed deadlines.

In-app communication connected to the work itself

One of my favorite ways GQueues improves team communication is through task-specific comments.

Team members can comment directly on a task so conversations are specific and clear. Since comments and their replies are attached to the task, communication stays connected to the work it applies to. The conversation thread is easily viewable in the comments panel so you don’t need to remember who said what, or when. Anyone on the team can jump in and reply, so the conversation keeps rolling.

Use comments to improve communication as a team across the digital divide. Ask questions, offer updates, or make suggestions. GQueues makes staying on top of communication a no-brainer.

New habits for communicating online

Encourage your team to use your online system for their project updates so this style of communicating becomes a habit.

When we work together in person, it’s easy to drop by someone’s desk and give them a couple quick project updates. But just like the telephone game, in-person communication doesn’t always stick. And collaborating online means adjustments need to be made. Set the expectation with your team from the beginning that communication should happen from somewhere it can be easily stored. It’s a great way to get everyone on the same page. (Psst! This is a great practice even if you’re working face-to-face!)

Make sure you follow the same communication habits you want to cultivate in your team! Lead by example with whatever expectations you set. Add comments of your own, set deadlines from the team calendar, or add all project details directly to your shared task lists and set the pace for your whole team.

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Improve team communication with GQueues

Communicating online with your teams doesn’t have to be challenging. Make it easy by using a system everyone can work from. No matter how business changes day-to-day, clear communication is the glue that holds your team together, online and off. With GQueues, you can stay connected through it all.

Give GQueues a try for yourself!

Start my team’s 2-week free trial