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INTERNAL COMMUNICATION SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL

WHAT ARE OUR COMMUNICATION NORMS?

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INSTRUCTIONS

  1. The purpose of the exercise is to facilitate a dialogue and reach clarity on working norms.
  2. The exact placement or “ratings” don’t really mean anything - it’s to see where there is alignment on the team.
  3. There is no wrong answer!
  4. Even if you’re not 100% sure in the moment, we ask that you give your rating. You can always change it.
  5. Read through the spectrum, choose a card 1-5 and then put it on the table face down. We will flip them all at once together.
  6. We’ll have an opportunity to come back to previous ones at the end.

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GETTING STUCK

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GETTING STUCK

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5

When I get stuck, I immediately ask my colleagues or supervisor for help.

When I get stuck, I prefer to solve it on my own.

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GETTING HELP

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5

When I’m having a problem and I need help or a thought partner, I prefer to go talk to someone in person in the office, call, or gchat them without warning.

When I’m having a problem and I need help, I prefer to send an email and schedule a meeting to talk it through.

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MEETING ATTENDANCE AND ETIQUETTE

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COMING TO MEETINGS ON TIME

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2

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5

It is OK if I show up 5 minutes late to meetings - everyone knows we are juggling too many demands.

It is important to show up for meetings on time out of respect for others and I will let people know if I am running late.

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LAST-MINUTE MEETINGS

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5

It is OK if I plan a last minute meeting with my colleagues. Sometimes our work requires that we come together quickly to discuss something.

I try to avoid scheduling last minute meetings, knowing that a last minute meeting can disrupt my colleagues’ work. I try to use other forms of communication first (email, etc.)

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MULTI-TASKING

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It is OK to multitask and work on other work while in a meeting.

It’s not OK to multitask and work on other work while in a meeting.

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SPEEDY MEETING

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5

When I set a speedy meeting I always end at the correct time.

When I set a speedy meeting I assume I can use the full 30 or 60 minutes.

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MEETING ATTENDANCE

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5

It’s clear to me which meetings I need to attend and which ones I don’t.

I often don’t know if I am required to go to meetings, and so I’m often sitting in meetings wondering if I really should be there.

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AGENDAS

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5

It is important to have an agenda for every meeting.

Agendas are not always needed or possible. I’m comfortable with talking through things openly and flexibly without a clear agenda.

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MEETING STRUCTURE

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5

I appreciate the current structure of the team meeting, as being largely report-out focused.

I would appreciate if the team meeting had more opportunities for participation and interaction.

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LUNCH

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5

It is OK to schedule meetings over lunch.

It’s usually not ok to schedule meetings during lunch, only in extreme circumstances (or if there is a team lunch).

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CONNECT & REFLECT

  1. What surprised you?

  • What insights did you gain about yourself or others?

  • What are some communication norms you want to put in place to help us work better together?

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INFORMATION SHARING

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POST-EVENT INFORMATION SHARING

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5

After a key/relevant meeting with partners or field visit, I always share notes or highlights with the whole team. It’s important that everyone knows what happened.

After a key/relevant meeting with partner or field visit, I don’t share notes or highlights with the whole team. I don’t think its relevant for the whole team to know those details.

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CURATING CONTENT FOR SHARING

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5

When a report is created or notes need to be shared, I always send bullets or highlights along with the document so the team knows what is relevant for them.

When a report or notes need to be shared, I usually send the just full report or notes document with the team. I trust my teammates to scan the document and find what is most relevant to them.

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EMAIL COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE

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EMAIL RESPONSE TIME

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5

It is best to respond within two hours, even if the message is, “I will get back to you with a response in XXX days.”

It is OK to respond in a few days - everyone knows we will eventually respond.

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COMMUNICATION CHANNEL

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2

3

4

5

If someone needs something urgently from me, they should Gchat me.

If someone needs something urgently from me, they should email me.

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COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE

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3

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5

It bothers me when someone emails me and then pings me on Gchat to bring the task/email to my attention.

It’s helpful when someone pings me over Gchat to flag important emails or tasks.

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COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE

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2

3

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5

It is better to send me a number of short, focused emails on subtopics.

It is better to send me one long comprehensive email on the topic with multiple subtopics/questions.

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COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE

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2

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5

I keep organized to do lists and update them multiple times a day.

I have my own way of tracking my to dos that wouldn’t be easily visible to others.

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COMMUNICATION ETIQUETTE

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2

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5

On any given day, I always make sure to run through the emails that come in and respond to urgent ones.

On any given day, I usually don’t get through my emails and sometimes I don’t go back to previous emails the following day.

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CONNECT & REFLECT

  • What surprised you?

  • What insights did you gain about yourself or others?

  • What are some communication norms you want to put in place to help us work better together?

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CALENDAR USE

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VISIBILITY

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5

I accept and decline calendar invites regularly and try to keep my calendar up to date.

I keep some meetings on my calendar unaccepted as I am unsure about whether or not I can attend (or for some other reason).

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VISIBILITY

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5

I like sharing and viewing other people’s calendars so I know what they are up to and when I can schedule time to meet with them.

I don’t like sharing my calendar. I prefer to find other ways to share specific information that my team needs to know about my tasks or availability.

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CALENDARS

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I accept and decline calendar invites regularly and try to keep my calendar up to date.

I keep some meetings on my calendar unaccepted as I’m unsure whether or not I can attend until the date gets closer.

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CALENDARS

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5

I like sharing and viewing other people’s calendars so I know what they are up to and when I can schedule time to meet with them.

I don’t like sharing my calendar. I prefer to find other ways to share specific information that my team needs to know about my tasks or availability.

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CONNECT & REFLECT

  • What surprised you?

  • What insights did you gain about yourself or others?

  • What are some communication norms you want to put in place to help us work better together?

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CLOSING REFLECTIONS

  1. Commitments: What am I doing that’s counterproductive to communicating? What are the needs that people have that I should pay more attention to? How can I adapt? What am I committing to?

  • Requests: What requests do I have for the team based on my communication/working style?