How to Avoid Misunderstandings and Get More Work Done

Any event planner knows where there is an event there is planning.

Where there is planning there are people, vendors, artists, guests you have to communicate with.

Considering the amount of time we spend planning, it’s important that we are able to communicate clearly and save time.

Here are our top tips on avoiding misunderstandings when planning, having clear communication and saving time while getting more work done.

1. Communicate based on where they are

Everyone has a different schedule, time zone maybe, and routines.

Consider who you are talking to when planning.

Are they crunched for time? Keep comments short and brief.

Are they in a different timezone?

Schedule your emails. Take time to consider who you are communicating with.

If they are less experienced, provide more context as to what you want and more encouragement to get it right. Always consider your audience as your communication changes depending on who they are.

2. Edit and proof before sending

We get it!

Event planning is stressful, fast-paced, something always needs to be done.

However, it will save you time, in the long run, to edit everything before sending. It could be notes to your vendor, quick thoughts for your event planners and ideas.

Whatever it is, read what you write before sending. No one wants to have to decode what you send or respond with a “What?”.

Try to avoid leaving voice messages that send through text or email.

Most of the time your device won’t be able to pick up everything you are saying and it’s going to come our funky and unprofessional on their end.

I know you want to save time, but don’t waste theirs because their time is your time essentially.

3. Be clear and concise: choose your words carefully

Words are a powerful thing!

You have it in your power to communicate wisdom, feedback, and educate others, or you can sound rushed, dumb, unorganized … it’ s your choice.

Be conscious of the words you choose and use them to build a successful event community and team.

Choose words of positivity such as “great job”, “what an improvement” etc. instead of negativity that can discourage your community.

Every word matters so think before you speak, know who you are addressing and understand language edict in the industry your working in.

4. Avoid unnecessary fluff

Like we said, event planning is fast with a lot of moving parts. If you want to save time, cut the fluffy emails and text and get to straight to the point.

Only provide the necessary information to get your thoughts across, avoid long emails with paragraphs of ideas.

5. Know when to go offline

In a technology-based world, we always seem to believe online communication is the fastest form of communicating.

However, this isn't always accurate. Sometimes you can't always demonstrate your ideas remotely online, sometimes lines get crossed and we need to go offline.

Meeting in person at the beginning of forming a professional relationship is always a great idea to get to know who you are working with offline, instead of only knowing their online persona.

Meeting in person is also a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page, get feedback and communicate your concerns while saving time.

With emails, depending on schedules, response times are not always fast and efficient.

Understanding each others wants, plans, and concerns from the beginning, in person, will save you time in the long run.