The hidden superpower of a whiteboard

Sometimes digital communication is messy.

Especially in a business like mine where teams aren’t necessarily in front of computers all day.

When they finally get to catch up, there’s a barrage of notifications from every platform we use…

Email, Slack, employment platforms, text, WhatsApp, Zoom, whiteboards, printouts, training, 1:1s…

It can be properly overwhelming.

Not only is it hard for Managers to master all those platforms, it’s near impossible for the team to stay up to date with everything.

Last week I worked through a way to help our Executive Chef simplify the mess and build a memorable communication system.

It ended up becoming a personal brand discussion but for a management style.

Something he would eventually become known for.

And it circled back to using old-school comms methods like whiteboards instead of digital platforms.

Let me quickly share how we got there…

We tackled our comms problem by looking at the current behaviours of the team.

If we can fit in with how they operate now, there is less resistance and more likelihood that all future communication will stick.

When we looked at the people in his care and the environment they work in each day, digital comms didn’t actually suit.

Things like email, slack and video meets are really challenging because most people on his team are doing hands-on work making pastries and sourdough all day.

They’re not in front of a computer and their phone isn’t on them.

Yet, here we were pumping out most comms on Slack (and wondering why engagement is low…).

The reality is, in his case things like whiteboards start to emerge as a really powerful tool.

If it’s big enough and sits inside their workspace, everyone on the team can observe it and interact with it all day.

In the past, we kept overlooking it because it ‘doesn’t scale’...

But do we really need it to?

The job to be done is to communicate updates, track progress and align their focus.

What if every time he entered the room to brief the team, check in on the progress of a project, or outline new objectives, he stood in front of the same huge whiteboard?

If he focused on it, others would too.

After a while, it would start to be the source of truth and information.

A lightbulb went off in each of our minds.

It’s such a simple and good solution.

But there’s still one problem, how do we get others to buy into the idea of using it too?

I haven’t got the answer yet because we haven’t tested it.

but I believe the answer lies in recognition and appreciation.

Seth Godin talks about it in his book Tribes.

There was a time when he was given a huge project with no resources.

His only option to get it done relied on him pulling colleagues in to work on it in their own time (unpaid).

So he started posting updates on a notice board.

A physical printout pinned to the office noticeboard that outlined the project, the progress made, and the individual contributions of those who helped during that week.

(This is pre-internet by the way)

Then a remarkable thing happened.

By publicly recognising the efforts of others, more people offered to help.

So he continued updating the noticeboard each week with the wonderful contributions from more people in the team.

By the end of the year, he had nearly everyone in the company working on delivering the project using their own time.

It’s an incredible story all from using low-tech solutions to align teams, demonstrate progress and praise the efforts of individuals.

I suspect that in our case, the results will be similar if we use it right.

At the end of the day, it’s about picking a communication style that not only suits you, but it suits your team too.

Make it your trademark style so they start to know you for it.

Reward people with praise and recognition for engaging with you on that platform.

If it’s digital, get back to people quickly, respond to their comments in detail, and give public shoutouts to those who interact with you on that platform.

If it’s physical, conduct your meetings in from of the whiteboard, post updates and recognition on there, modify and use it often so it’s not static.

This is incredibly hard to do if you’re trying to use 10 different platforms to communicate with the team.

So the key is to pick one (or two) and go all in on it.

Build your trademark style.

And ultimately help your team align, solve interesting problems and celebrate progress together.

I hope this helps.