Get your team on the same page with one simple trick

Has something like this ever happened to you?

👉  You’re working on a project and you need support from another team member. Maybe you need them to outline a presentation or loop in a client—but when you ask for the support you need, you feel like…

• your request gets dismissed (or worse, ignored!) 
• the support you receive doesn’t equal the support you were hoping for… 
• somehow asking for “help” leads to more work on your plate…

Well, you’re NOT alone!

When working with a team, it’s easy to get stuck in sticky miscommunications about who’s responsible for what, and what following through really means.

So how can you avoid miscommunications and set clearer expectations for your team?

Use this handy trick I learned from one of my heroes, Brené Brown. It’s called: “painting done.”

“Painting done” means…

✔️ sharing a clear and detailed picture of what “done” means to you

✔️ explaining how the project fits into your overall goals

✔️ bringing everyone in on a shared purpose and vision

“Painting done” works because it gets your team crystal clear on both what the final vision is and why.

In the words of Brené herself, painting done “unearths stealth expectations and unsaid intentions, and it gives the people who are charged with the task tons of color and context… It fosters curiosity, learning, collaboration, reality-checking, and ultimately success.”

Putting “painting done” into practice

👉  Your assignment, if you choose to accept it?

Next time you delegate a project or ask for support…

1. Paint a clear and detailed picture of the final vision.

Explain what “done” means to you. Or if a task is being delegated to you, ask, “What does ‘done’ look like?”

2. Explain how this vision fits into your overall goals.

Create a shared purpose for everyone involved by explaining WHY this is what “done” looks like, and how this project ties into your big picture objectives.

3. If necessary, have a conversation about the steps it’ll take to get to “done.”

For more complicated projects, it can be helpful to talk out what the individual steps are to get to “done,” so that the road is just as clear as the destination.

Want some extra tips for extra-clear team communication? I’ve got ya covered!

1. For meetings that empower your team to…

✔️ stay on top of quarterly goals and weekly to-do’s 

✔️ anticipate problems that *may* arise and devise back-up plans

✔️ make the most of your time together (and avoid convos that can happen over email!)

✔️ and even get to know each other better in the process…

👉… use this free in-depth guide to run the most productive meetings your team has ever had!

2. If your team could benefit from learning skills like how to…

✔️ ditch distracting habits and project credibility through a screen

✔️ structure your meetings and presentations so they work for you instead of against you

✔️ translate your in-person communication style to the virtual world, so you hook your audience from the beginning and keep them engaged the whole way through…

👉… then you’ll want to contact us to book one of SelfSpoken’s Signature Team Trainings!

Talk soon,