One of the reoccurring communication issues I see people make is failing to “close the loop”. Which can create real problems for business owners that are busy trying to build a successful business. The key to effective communications is to have a plan and a crucial part is who is responsible for responding to communications. 

What I find is most small business owners are busy running their business and simply don’t have the needed time. This is why it’s important to invest in resources, be that people or tools, that help you nurture your customer relationships. Nothing is more important or costly for a business than customer churn. Social media can be a great tool to help your business grow but only if you are engaged with your audience. 

When it comes to communication tools, PowerPoint is one of the tools I see that is most often misused. We know that a picture is worth a thousand words and a PowerPoint is intended to help your audience remember what you say. However, when you use it to keep track of your talking script you are doing your audience a disservice. The point of any presentation is to make people interested in your topic or provide the information they need to make a decision. Think about presentations as speeches and structure your content in a way that tells a story. If people can’t remember what you said then your presentation has no value. 

Through the Back to Better Podcast, I host with Tim Sanders we discuss how companies are learning and growing through the crises of 2020. The standout companies we found that are being successful approached their situation with a mindset of what’s different and how do we use what’s changed to our advantage. 

I think more often than not, meetings are the worse way to communicate. Not to mention meetings often interrupt productivity and prevent more work from getting done. But not having meetings doesn’t mean you’re not communicating anymore. Rather what you will find is your communications get better because it is more specific and more to the point of solving problems. 

Learning to manage remote teams comes with unique challenges, especially during a pandemic. A key mindset shift you need to make is to focus on output, what are the tasks that need to be accomplished, and how well are those getting completed. 

Resources Shared: 

• Back to Better Podcast 
• Thryv