How do people get in touch with you?
If someone wants to send you a message, assign a task, or share some information — how do they do it? Email? WhatsApp? Slack? SMS? Teams? A quick phone call?
In this video I want to share a simple process that can drastically improve communication across your team.
I’ve just spent the day with a large leadership team — around 20 people — and we had a deep dive into workload and communication. I asked them two very simple questions:
1. “How many messages do you get per day?”
That’s when the first issue popped up.
Some people said 70. Others said 150. A few said 200–300 messages per day. The volume alone was overwhelming.
2. “Where are those messages coming from?”
And that’s when the real chaos revealed itself.
There were emails, WhatsApps, Teams messages, SMS, Slack, calls, Trello boards, Asana tasks, JIRA tickets — you name it.
Everyone felt buried. Not just by the number of messages, but by the scatter. Important messages were being missed. Deadlines forgotten. People weren’t sure where to look — or which tool to use for what.
So I introduced a really simple (but powerful) process I recommend to all teams:
The Communication Norm Framework
Now, the name might sound fancy, but the idea is simple.
You get your team together, and you agree on three key things:
1. What tools are we going to use?
Pick 2–4 tools. That’s it. Agree as a team — these are our main channels of communication. Nothing more, nothing less.
2. What do we use each tool for — and not for?
This part is crucial.
Be clear about:
- Which tool you use for internal updates
- Which one you use for client communication
- Which one to use in an emergency
- Which one is not to be used for certain things (e.g., “No more work tasks via WhatsApp!”)
The goal is clarity. Everyone should know which channel to use and when.
3. What’s the expected response time for each tool?
This avoids a lot of frustration.
For example:
- Email: 24–48 hours
- Slack/Teams: within the same day
- SMS/Phone: within the hour (only for emergencies)
Setting these expectations makes things smoother — and way less stressful.
A client of mine, Alex, recently implemented this with his team. He created a simple one-pager that outlined the whole framework — and the difference it made was huge.
Communication became faster, clearer, and way more efficient. Less confusion. Fewer dropped balls.
So, my question to you is: Do you have a communication norms framework with your team? And if not — would it be worth putting one in place?
This week’s Work Smarter, Live Better tip is to put this logic to the test.
Wishing you have a beautiful and lovely day!
A bientôt,
Cyril
