Mark Mohammadpour, APR, Fellow PRSA

Keep your communication tight, solution- and action-oriented. Your manager or client does not have all the answers. That’s why you’re there in the first place! Have you uncovered a problem? Great! What is your recommended solution? And how quickly and effectively can it be communicated? Recommendation: One way to do this is to analyze your email structure. One example: Are you using subject lines effectively? Use a consistent approach for subject lines in sending emails. Examples include: • FYI, only — no action needed: “There’s a great case study I want to share.” • Response needed by 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET: agenda topics for Tuesday’s planning discussion. • Jane, I welcome your thoughts: recommendations for the upcoming launch.

Be prepared in case of an emergency. Does your boss or client constantly postpone or cancel your meetings? Suggest alternative options to the meeting so that decisions can still be made, and projects don’t stay stuck. Recommendation: Always have a Plan B if your 1:1 or group call needs to be postponed or canceled. Create and send short pre-reads to those you’re meeting with that address agenda topics and points of discussion. In case the meeting doesn’t happen, there’s a record available so you can continue to advance the conversation via email, text or other forms of communication.

Interject and lean in on email threads, virtual calls and other opportunities to engage strategically and consistently. Share trends and recommendations that are timely and to-the-point that illustrate the critical thinking trait that got you hired in the first place! Your clients and bosses are managing multiple deadlines, not just the ones you’re leading. Need more time on that deadline? Have active discussions on key priorities so you know what’s truly important and when. Ask for extensions early, not late in the process.

I make time to talk to my teams often about their current role, what they are interested in doing, and how that mapped to the goals of the company. Based on their feedback we did what we could to make sure their career trajectory was a fit for the client and the firm. As a result, that meant shuffling around responsibilities, creating brand-new roles, or finding opportunities for team members to work on other teams. More than anything, the team members appreciated that their careers were being thought about first. Recommendation: Host 30-60 minute conversations with your team members every six months specifically focused on their role and how it ladders up to their career ambitions. Listen to what they are saying.

I was recently chatting with a communications director for a global company. They’re building a brand-new team and asked for my thoughts on best practices to keep up team morale. They’re concerned about their team burning out, and they want to do what they can to ensure they are showing their team that they are prioritizing their well-being. I recommended to them, and you, to develop a workplace expectations charter. You need a set of norms that help set boundaries around work expectations. Such a charter is a short document and shouldn’t be more than one page. Getting buy-in from your teams will show leadership, demonstrate that you care about their well-being, and ultimately a reduction in employee turnover.

Have actionable backup plans. How is your team ensuring that their established schedules and boundaries will be respected? How is your team cross-trained and equipped to effectively back each other up when taking much-deserved time off? How does your team know that their manager will go to bat to ensure time off and boundaries are being respected outside of the team? Schedule time on a routine basis to ensure that your team is prepared to cover, not just in the case of emergency, but also so your team can take a guilt-free and well-deserved vacation!