Recently we had a discussion about communication in one of our teams. It’s a regular bugbear in any department:

• Do we miss important messages in the dozens or hundreds of emails we receive in a day? (Disclosure – I have switched off emails when preparing this blog, so I can concentrate)
• How should we manage circulars? (When I started work we used to have a paper system with sign off sheets that took many months to circulate around even a relatively small department. While we don’t have paper circulars any more, we still have plenty of emails with links to reports, conferences, consultations, and it remains difficult to keep on top of all this information)
• Are meetings a waste of time? (They don’t need to be, but frequently are, usually because of problems with communication. Well described by Guy Browning).
• How do we update colleagues about our work (i.e. internally)? (There are lots of different approaches – weekly information exchange, huddles, notice boards, posters, and of course quarterly and annual reports for corporate objectives)
• How do we communicate with the outside world (i.e. externally)? (Many public services still don’t even have an up to date website, let alone a blog or social media feed; also peer reviewed journals, freedom of information requests, public committees and other forums).

A group of 3 team members met to discuss options. We weren’t all sure why we were there as the meeting invite hadn’t given context, or if it had it was hidden away. At least had managed to arrive, on time, with only one person missing. We started to explore options. In the spirit of better communication I have written up the meeting as a blog that can be shared on social media.

This blog is also available as a PDF to download.

Continue reading “Communication in a complex world – perspectives for Public Health/ NHS teams” →