Communication Strategies for Research TeamsMarie Garnett and Mark Childs

Learning and Development Centre

Workshop Outline

What are the common issues in communication?

Pros and cons of various communication tools

Sharing `good practice’ Preparing a `communication strategy’

Individual Activity (1)

Capture the essence of effective communication in your team in a short descriptive paragraph.

(Two or three participants will be selected to summarise their picture / paragraph to the rest of the group.)

Individual Activity (2)

Make a brief note of any communication issues that your team have faced in the last 12 months.

- What was the specific problem?- What do you think caused it?- How could you plan to avoid it happening again?

(These will be shared and discussed at the end of the workshop).

What communication tools are available? Meetings One-to-one conversations Telephone Blogs Email / mailing lists Discussion boards Social networking sites Wikis Instant messaging / VoIP / Videoconferencing / MUVEs

Individual Activity

Complete the first three columns of the `Communication Strategies Matrix’ for a team that you are currently working in:-

1. Who do you need to communicate with?2. What do you need to communicate with them

about?3. When do you need to communicate with them?As we go through the next section of the workshop

note down the communication tools that you could use, with some of their pros and cons.

Features of Communication Tools

Synchronous or Asynchronous Adhoc or Planned `Push’ or `Pull’ Conveyance or ConvergenceAlso consider, can you Rehearse? Revise? Archive?

Activity

In small groups, select three or four of the communication tools. Brainstorm the pros and cons of each. Note them onto a flipchart paper and be prepared to discuss them with the full group.

Meetings

Pros Help to build relationships. Use non-verbal as well as verbal cues. Can be good for making group decisions. Can share and discuss ideas. Can discuss allocation of roles and

responsibilities. Usually result in a formal record which can be

kept and referred to.

Meetings

Cons Can be difficult to schedule. Expensive in terms of time. Everyone may not contribute. Hard to get the balance between formal and

informal. May be too structured or not structured enough.

One-to-One Conversations

Pros Can sort problems / issues out quickly. Doesn’t have to be scheduled in advance. Can focus on individual’s contribution.Cons There is often no formal record. Other team members are not party to

discussions or decisions reached.

Telephone

Pros Instant access (if recipient answers!). Widely available technology. Can conclude `business’ quickly.Cons No non-verbal cues. Usually no record of what was said / agreed. More difficult to establish rapport.

Blogs

Pros Easy to use. Good for recording ideas spontaneously. Can `tag’ entries, which makes them easy to

sort.Cons Only intended for one-way communication. May require a change in practice.

Email

Pros Everything arrives in one place. Widely available and easy to use. Good for conveying information.Cons Can be difficult to get a response. Can be inundated with emails. Can be difficult to archive and search.

Mailing Lists

Pros Ensures everyone on the team receives emails. Requires only one email address.Cons If users press `reply’ then everyone may receive

a personal email. Can become inundated with emails. Users may still use individual email addresses.

Discussion Boards

Pros Correspondance is archived. Threads make separate dialogue easier to

follow.

Cons May have to visit a specific URL to access. Can require a separate password.

Social Networking Sites

Pros Incorporates several communication tools. High degree of user configurability.

Cons These are primarily designed as social

spaces. May require a change in work practice.

Wikis

Pros Multiple users can work on a single piece of text. No version control problems. Previous versions of the text are kept.

Cons Wiki platforms can be difficult to use. Reticence to alter colleague’s work.

Instant Messaging…

Pros Facilitate adhoc communication between individuals or

groups at a distance. Can be a good substitute for `face to face’. Technology / software costs are minimal.Cons Requires a change in working practice. Spontaneity can be negative. May still be difficult to schedule meetings. Technical issues may be a barrier.

Activity

In small groups, select three or four of the communication tools. Share tips and guidance on how to use each tool effectively.

Note these down on flipchart paper and be prepared to share them with the full group.

Meetings

Good Practice Agree an agenda and circulate in advance. Use meetings for discussion and not for

conveying information. Establish and agree a schedule of meetings. Circulate minutes and agreed actions as soon as

possible after the meeting.

Telephone

Good Practice Check it is convenient to talk. Prepare notes and use them to guide the

telephone conversation. Make brief notes of the conversation plus

actions agreed and forward them to the recipient for confirmation.

Blogs

Good Practice Ensure users update regularly. Share and agree specific `tags’. Be careful about privacy settings. Interlink the blogs so that they can be

accessed from the same portal.

Email

Good Practice Determine who needs to be contacted with

what information. Use for conveying information rather than

making decisions. Observe netiquette guidance. Never hit “Reply All” without reading who’s in

the recipient list.

Mailing Lists

Good Practice Check that members of the team wish to

have a list set up for them. Remind team members to use mailing

lists, where they exist.

Discussion Boards / Forums

Good Practice Get agreement to set up email forwarding from

discussion boards. Assign someone to moderate the discussion

board. Discussion boards require a minimum level of

activity. Sometimes `time limited’ debates work better.

Social Networking Sites

Good Practice Use only where team members are

comfortable with using the software. Ensure all users understand how to use

the privacy levels.

Wikis

Good Practice Explain the process and requirements in

advance. Give everyone permission to alter each

other’s work. Nominate an editor to format the entry. Give a deadline for working on the text.

Instant Messaging…

Good Practice Do not have them constantly turned on. Establish time when you / team will be

available. Have trial runs with new users. Provide training where appropriate. Register separately to use the site for social

activities.

Preparing a Communication Strategy Use a small number of communication media. Anticipate time spent on communication. `Push’ technologies work best with people that

have less time commitment. `Pull’ technologies require more effort to be

successfully implemented. Agree and commit to a communication strategy.

Individual Activity

Review your `Communication Strategies Matrix’ and draft out a possible communication strategy for your project team.

Question and (hopefully) Answers!

Looking back to your `critical incident log’ do you feel that you now have the `tools’ to address the issues that you outlined? If not, what questions would you still like to raise?

Looking back to your descriptive paragraph of effective communication in your team do you feel that you now have the tools to implement this? If not, what questions would you still like to raise?