Nothing can stall a project or spin it into chaos like uncontrolled communication. In either case, productivity comes to a standstill. Having the right detail and team communication management tools in place (like the publisher of this article, hint, hint), wedding pros can keep their clients, team members and partners linked together and informed 24/7. And, team communication is open and clear, and all parties can be an active and essential part of the team.
Be Open
Open team communications is the key to making sure everyone involved in your business, events or projects feel heard and included. Setting guidelines, however, ensures all communications lead to answers and actions. By customizing the permission settings for each stakeholder you invite into you project, and establishing clear, general guidelines for communications allows for everyone involved to freely comment on inspiration in your Design Studio style guides, on checklist items you've assigned them or in Notes you've assigned them to provide critical information to your clients. It also creates the direct opportunity for feedback, and allows them to display how their particular portion of wedding production fits into the bigger planning picture.
Be Clear
Like a freshly Windex'd car window, each team member needs to be clear about their roles and responsibilities. Unclear team communications and confusion keeps people from completing assigned tasks promptly, if at all. When team members know their role, and clear expectations are communicated, things will run smoothly and productivity will increase.
Be Thoughtful
Different team members and various tasks require different forms of team communications. There will be some tasks where members of your team may need one-on-one coaching. However, others will stay on track with just a few follow-up texts, emails, or phone calls. Get to know the strengths and weaknesses of all of your team members and how they communicate best. Knowing this can greatly benefit your team so tasks get done efficiently and effectively.
Stay Connected
With some team members working remotely, part-time employees only working the day of, and new pros working with your team for the first time, you want to make sure you stay cohesive and connected. Consider participating in a team building activity or hosting a potluck dinner, for example. This allows people to meet, bond, and work together on a common project outside of the day of an event.
That’s A Wrap
One of the best ways to grow both internally and externally is to ask for a post-event report. Team members all have different roles and see different things. What went smoothly for a wedding photographer may not have been so smooth for the caterer or wedding planning team. Know how all of the pieces fit together for each of the team members. Get input on what they would've done differently to help grow a stronger team overall. Did you know you can use the Client Reviews feature in Aisle Planner for team and partner reviews, too? Whether you choose to publish them to your Marketplace listing or not, show them their input matters to you in your efforts to build a better team and a better business.
Hero photo courtesy Amira Gray Photography
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