This Is The Way We Roll — Communication Methodology

Being part of a small team can be fun, efficient, and beneficial — as long as you identify how the team will operate. We have found the ways that work best for us as a three-part leadership team.
Active Communication is Key
For us, virtual and face-to-face check-ins mean a lot. We want to make sure that everyone is on the same page for each project we take on. Virtually, we use GroupMe, Canvas, Slack, and Google Docs. All with the purpose of communicating and getting things done together. Face-to-face, we meet after each of our in-person classes for just a couple minutes to check each of our progress. We also plan to have face-to-face weekend meetings once a month. We believe that as long as each of us is actively communicating, our team will work well together.
Problems Can Lead to Successes
No matter how prepared you can be, problems will arise. It’s up to us to resolve and move forward from each issue. We plan to handle conflicts as a team. When something comes up, we will discuss what needs to be done and create a plan. Each final decision will be made up of each of us. In less serious situations, online is the route we will take to communicate. In more serious situations, in-person meetings will be held.
Sharing the Road to Success
In a three-person group, workload can be overwhelming if it isn’t shared equally. The overload of work can cause inefficiencies, frustration, and anxiety for the team. To try and avoid these situations, our team plans to set apart specific portions of work that will be assigned to each team member. We plan to check in on each other’s progress to ensure that everyone is successful in their project. If the workload gets to be overwhelming, we plan to help each other by actively communicating and being honest with each other.
We are all driven by each other’s efforts and value each other’s opinions. With that in mind, we want to keep our team as it is — a team of leaders. We will divide leadership between the three of us; each is responsible for directing the team in different aspects:
- Project leader: Will ensure that progress is being made on each member’s assigned portion of the assignment and will submit group assignments.
- Communications leader: Will ensure that the discussion is going well without any conflicts while everyone is evenly participating. They will also help out other team members with speaking their opinion.
- Scheduling leader: Will schedule and manage team meetings, as well as remind other team members of due dates and meeting dates.
Failure and Triumph Go Hand-in-Hand
With each project, there is something to be learned, no matter the outcome. We plan to have reflective group discussions after each project is completed to discuss three questions:
- How did we accomplish each of our tasks?
- How well did it work and what good things came out of it?
- What didn’t work and how can we improve for the next time?
Reflection is a good way to gain insight from each member. It’s a way to learn from mistakes and successes so that the next project can be even better. Keeping everyone in-tune with these aspects promotes active communication throughout the team.

