Having a communication plan

Last week my team experienced a bit of a communication meltdown, which is only somewhat ironic considering we are communication researchers. So after some triage and promises to give each other "the benefit of the doubt," my thoughts now turn to how we could have better planned for communication disaster.

Those outside the field of communication sometimes dismiss it because they think that communication just occurs naturally, like breathing. But communication scholars and teachers are fond of saying that communication doesn't just happen. Communication is, among other things, a skill. If it is a skill, it is something that can be refined and improved with practice, and something that can be planned for, should things go wrong. The key is awareness and intentionality. Know how communication can go wrong on your particular team and think about what you will do if it does. Does your team respond better to discussions as a group or individual conversations? Do they respond to writing or face-to-face interactions? Thinking about your team's communication style before blow-ups occur will better equip you to address problems as they come up and even catch little problems before they become big meltdowns.