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Kata 3

Kata 3 - Communication: Get to know your tools

This week you will learn about suitable tools for communication.

Humans have almost unlimited communication options. And there are always more possibilities than we are aware of. For example, have you ever tried not speaking for a day? Or have you ever been to a country where you couldn't speak the language? You still manage somehow, don't you? Studies suggest that our non-verbal communication outweighs our verbal communication by a factor of 3 or 4 to 1.

When we communicate and collaborate digitally, we need to think carefully about what tools are available to us and what advantages and disadvantages they have.

How do your tools work and how do they help you communicate your message most clearly?

Preparation (individual work)

  • Read the Kata "Get to know your tools" (see below) and do the exercises.
    Tip: You will always find the task text for the Kata after the agenda.

Agenda (circle/group work)

  • Check-in: (10 minutes)
    What has been on your mind this past week in relation to digital collaboration?
    Two-minute timebox per Circle member.

  • Main topic: (45 minutes)
    Present your results and findings from Kata 3 - Get to know your tools (below) and share them with each other

  • Check-out: (5 minutes)
    What will you do before the next meeting?

Kata "Get to know your tools"

Communication tools offer many settings options and functions to make your daily work easier.

  • Select your preferred communication tools and think about how you have been using them so far.
    Do you use the tool for push or pull communication? Is it a tool officially managed by IT? Which functions of the tool excite you? Do you find interesting functions that you have not yet used? (see evergreen approach)

  • Take a look at the following programs and points, for example:

    E-mail (example Outlook, Thunderbird):

    • File" or "Start" menu area: e.g. save templates

    • Extras" menu area: e.g. set up rules or set automatic responses

    Chat (example MS Teams, Slack):

    • Define notification options: e.g. when do I want to be informed about new messages and how?

    • Edit messages (edit mode)

    • Use @mentions

    • Use emojis in a targeted manner (e.g. thumbs up = read confirmation, heart = like)

    • Status: e.g. what does "busy" / "do not disturb" mean? How is the status interpreted by colleagues?

    Online meetings (e.g. MS Teams, Zoom):

    • Share/present screen options

    • Raise your hand & use emojis

    • Set up and use breakout rooms

    • ...

  • What new functions have you found?

  • Which functions will you use in the future and how?

  • Collect functions that inspire you and that you would like to pass on to your Circle as a tip.

If you want to do more:

  • Look on the Internet and search for further instructions for the tools you are using.

  • Take a look at other tools that you have not been using so actively so far but would like to use more often.

Note for companies that adapt the guide for themselves:
Here you are welcome to link guides to your tools (and, if you have one, to communities in your ESN = Employee Social Network) where tips, tricks and questions are shared.