Creating a Communication Charter for Teams

I've watched so many hours wasted because nobody talked about the basics upfront. A few years ago, I made the mistake of assuming everyone had the same idea of what "done" meant. By the time we found out, we had done three iterations, with much frustration on all sides. That's when I saw the value of using team charters. It’s like a relationship contract for your work team. You sit down together and hash out the stuff that usually stays unspoken: What are we actually trying to accomplish here?  How do we like to communicate?  What drives us crazy?  What does good work look like to us? The beauty of that isn't in the document itself. It’s more in the conversations you have creating it.  Suddenly everyone's speaking the same language. One of the best parts?  When someone new joins, they get the playbook.  Instead of trying to decode unwritten rules for six months. And the charter isn't set in stone. We update it when things change. Since none of us are perfect at team communication, we need tools like charters to help us get aligned. When was the last time your team had an honest conversation about how you want to work together?

More communication ≠ better understanding. During consultations, clients frequently mention similar problems: "The team isn’t working together." "Important messages get misunderstood between departments." "Everyone has their own way of working, and it creates confusion." "There's too much confusion about roles and responsibilities." These issues usually trace back to a missing communication framework. The reality is, it’s not just about how much you communicate but how clearly and consistently you do so. Without a structured system, even frequent messages can lead to more confusion than clarity: - Teams struggle to align on key objectives. - Miscommunication leads to costly mistakes. - Delays occur because no one knows who’s responsible for what. To create a strong communication system, start with these essentials: 1. Define clear objectives Make sure everyone understands the goals, their specific roles, and the purpose of their involvement. 2. Establish communication channels Choose reliable platforms—like email, phone, or internal technological platforms —and stick to them. 3. Set regular monitoring metrics Supervise activities, such as weekly or daily syncs, to keep everyone aligned and track results. 4. Encourage open feedback Allow team members to voice concerns and clarify doubts immediately. 5. Communicate challenges on time Inform others of issues early so they can support you. With a structured communication system, teams work more efficiently, projects stay on track, and objectives are met with fewer hiccups. Effective communication is not about the quantity of messages, it's about quality and consistency.

Every team should have clear communication guidelines that are taught and enforced for all employees. Teams should make a cultural communication guideline document that lists out the channels they uses to communicate and how each team member is expected to use them. By defining how the team should communicate it becomes easier to enforce the cultural norms you want and accelerates how quickly new team members can onboard into the culture. Check out this example from Proletariat: https://lnkd.in/drGPdH3T What should be in a Cultural Communication Guide? For the guide to be useful it should include at least three sections. By reading this document every employee should be on their way to becoming a great communicator with the rest of their team. 1. Choosing the Right Communication Channel Teams often use multiple channels—email, Slack, meetings. Clearly define which type of communication belongs where based on message content, urgency, and response needs. 2. Communication Channel Usage Guidelines Once a channel is chosen, the guide should outline how to use it effectively. This includes setting expectations for tone, timing, format, and best practices for emails, meetings, and other interactions. 3. Examples and Best Practices Include examples to show the guidelines in action, making it easier for employees to understand and follow. How do you use a Cultural Communication Guide? The two primary uses for this guide will be with existing teams and with new team members. For existing teams this should be used for creating consistency and agreement on how the team wants to communicate. For new employees it should be part of their training and onboarding. At Proletariat we would include this guide as part of the employee handbook, send it to new employees when they started, and also give a presentation covering these details as part of their onboarding. It is up to company leadership to decide how to enforce these guidelines. The way these are enforced, and how strictly, is also a major reflection on the culture of the team. Do not define these rules and then decide to not enforce them! How do you make a Cultural Communication Guide? Crafting a document like this should be a group effort with feedback from the full team. If there is no agreement on ways to communicate, use the creation of this guide to find compromises. The process of choosing how the team will communicate is a great step to improving efficiency across the team. The best way to start making this guide is to simply write down all the ways the team communicates now. Taking stock of the current communication practices of the team sets a good foundation for discussion around what areas of team communication are working well and what areas could be improved. This should be a living document, something that is updated regularly as your team grows and changes. I have found that certain communication styles can work well when a team is small but fall apart when a team is big. 

14 Key Elements To Include In Your Team Charter A team charter is a document that outlines the purpose, goals, roles, responsibilities, and processes of a team. It serves as a guiding document that helps team members align their efforts and expectations. Still, a team charter is a dynamic document that can evolve over time. It's important to regularly revisit and update the charter to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with the team's changing needs and goals. Here are the key elements typically included in a team charter: Team Purpose and Mission: Clearly define the team's purpose, goals, and the reason for its existence. This section should answer questions like "Why does this team exist?" and "What are its primary objectives?" Scope and Objectives: Outline the specific tasks, projects, or areas of focus that the team will be responsible for. Define the objectives that the team aims to achieve within a certain timeframe. Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member. This includes both individual roles (e.g., team leader, project manager) and shared roles (e.g., facilitator, note-taker) within the team. Team Membership: List the names and roles of all team members along with their contact information. Communication Guidelines: Define preferred communication channels, frequency of updates, and expectations around response times. Decision-Making Process: Specify how decisions will be made within the team and clarify who has the authority to make certain decisions, as well as the process for reaching consensus on larger issues. Meeting Structure: Outline the types of meetings the team will hold (e.g., regular check-ins, brainstorming sessions) and their purpose. Include details about meeting frequency, duration, and how they will be conducted. Conflict Resolution: Describe how conflicts and disagreements will be addressed within the team constructively and how to seek mediation if needed. Timeline and Milestones: Provide a rough timeline for major deliverables, milestones, and project completion. This helps the team track progress and stay on schedule. Resources and Support: Identify the resources, tools, and support that the team will need to accomplish its goals. Metrics and Success Criteria: Define how the team's success will be measured including KPIs or metrics that will be used to evaluate progress and outcomes. Accountability and Evaluation: Describe a team accountability framework for tasks and contributions. Consider including methods for performance evaluation and feedback. Continuous Improvement: Highlight the team's commitment to continuous improvement. Encourage the team to regularly review and update the charter as needed to reflect changing circumstances and lessons learned. Signatures and Agreement: Have all team members review and agree to the contents of the charter by signing it. This formalizes their commitment to adhering to the charter's guidelines.

In a time when so many companies can feel toxic, it's our responsibility in leadership to double down on team culture.  I'm not talking about escape rooms and icebreakers. 🗝️ 🗺️ I'm talking about a team charter.  It's not just an exercise. It's a collaborative agreement on your team's purpose, roles, goals, and how you want to treat each other.  Sit down together and ask your team to answer the following questions: 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲  - What is the point of what we do? - Why does it matter that we showed up today?  - What value do we provide? 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀  - How do we know when we're winning - what metrics are we looking at? - Are our goals crystal clear? - Do we know how to achieve them? 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀  - What matters to us? - What do we want to be known for?  - How do we want to treat each other? 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘀  - What does each team member need to know? - How do we keep each other informed? - What are the expected turnaround times on emails and slack messages?   - Do certain things get communicated only in certain channels? - Are after-hours messages okay? 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? - What is decided as a group and what needs to be decided by leadership? - How do we work on strategy together? Having a sense of purpose, and a say in how you want to work together makes a HUGE difference in how people show up every day. Have you ever done this with your team?

If you're a HR & people leader struggling with communication, silo’s, and collaboration.. here's why 'team charters' could be your best friend... 💡 👇 Firstly, any of these resonate? 💭 📣 Poor comms between Exec & business 📣 No context on decision-making 📣 Misalignment on expectations across teams 📣 Information is scattered, not accessible, slowing things down 📣 Silo’s are created, fuelling a culture of secrecy and frustration This is a big, big area to fix, so there's not one single solution, but one that we reference a lot at Open Org which is quick & simple is the idea of team charters 📃 ⏩ TL;DR .. a living, breathing team-level document that shows the rest of the business: 🎯 Your team's mission 🎯 What your team does, & doesn't do 🎯 Who's in your team (& their roles) 🎯 Your team's goals & accountabilities 🎯 Your team's in-flight projects & workstream 🎯 How your team communicates (e.g. when & where we work) Things this can help with... 🧠 Educating others about your roles 🧠 Helping others understand how best to contact & work with you 🧠 Team accountability, through open sharing of goals & work 🧠 Less duplication of work 🧠 Encouraging input & ideas on WIP It's such a great way of working more in the open, rather than in silo's. 📚 A few useful resources that might help... 👉 Example: PostHog's People Team Page is amazing. https://lnkd.in/edT7STuC 👉 Template: Miro have two nice templates on their Miroverse https://lnkd.in/eCNSxajG https://lnkd.in/e6bijKdV 👉 We build a little playbook to help people teams with this too, which could be adapted for other teams... https://lnkd.in/eUCs9pxD Good luck! DM if you want a ☕ to go a little deeper on this!

How do you build a remote communication strategy in 3 simple steps? Yesterday, we concluded a transformative final workshop with an electrical engineering company, where they created a remote communication strategy. Here is how they did it: Step 1: Audit Communication Purposes ↳ We looked at various communication purposes the team has, identified the most important ones and those that the team did not have but should. These are the 6 possible team communication purposes: • Ideation: Brainstorm new and creative ideas. • Planning: Set goals and plan how to achieve them. • Coordination: Figure out who does what and when. • Alignment: Make sure everyone knows the team's goals and context. • Social Connection: Help team members bond and strengthen their teamwork. • Decision-Making: Have conversations where the team makes important choices. Step 2: Analyze the Remote Communication Tools Matrix ↳ Then the team looked at all the tools they use (like email, chat apps, video calls). ↳ They chose the best tool for each type of conversation. ↳They agreed on how and when they use these tools. Step 3: Create Communication Guidelines and Protocols ↳ And finally, they made rules for how to communicate (like response times, important updates). ↳They scheduled regular check-ins and meetings. ↳ And discussed how their personal communication preferences can be aligned with what is best for them as a team. Over three 2-hour sessions, this strategy now empowers them for more productive meetings, enhanced knowledge exchange, stronger social connections, better project tracking, and improved stakeholder support. How have you been managing your remote communication? Share your experiences or tips below!

💬 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸? You’re not alone. Most teams lose hours every week just trying to find information they already shared. I see this again and again in my keynotes on asynchronous communication and hybrid collaboration — teams drowning in noise because no one agreed where communication should happen. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 🧭 In one of my recent keynotes on collaborative clarity, we mapped out what happens when everyone has their own logic: A key decision gets buried in a chat thread. Feedback on a draft hides in someone’s inbox. Deadlines are tracked in three different places. And suddenly, people stop trusting the system. That’s why high-performing teams create a communication charter — a simple agreement defining what goes where. For example: 📧 Email → External, formal, or long-form updates 💬 Chat → Quick questions, daily coordination 📝 Docs → Feedback tied to specific content 📂 Project tools → Tasks, progress, and final decisions It sounds basic — but it’s one of the most overlooked collaboration foundations. When teams don’t define this, they don’t just lose time — they lose trust. 👇 If someone joined your team tomorrow, would they know exactly where to find what they need? 🌐 This is what we do at collabify. The Collaboration Company We help organizations build clarity, strengthen communication, and reduce friction — so collaboration actually feels easy again.