Market Your Business with Online Video

One of the most popular activities on the web is watching video. People of all ages and backgrounds love watching videos, and the genre has grown well beyond funny clips, sports highlights, and music videos. In fact, online video isn't just for entertainment purposes now, and you can use that to your advantage to help promote your business.

First, let's talk about just how popular and powerful online video is. Here are some stats about online video consumption.

1. Nielsen reports there were over 141 million unique viewers of online video in 2010
2. That figure represents a year over year increase of 10.5%
3. The average time spent per viewer watching online videos was 181.9 minutes
4. YouTube alone pulled in 108,776,000 million unique viewers monthly

Are those numbers large enough to get your attention? Within such huge audiences, there are bound to be people out there looking for the products and services you provide. And what's more, these consumers exhibit high engagement levels. Not only in the amount of time they spend watching videos online as referenced above, but also in the fact that in order for them to see a video, typically they have sought it out or had it sent from a credible source like a friend or family member. So someone watching your online video is doing so of their own free will (as opposed to someone subjected to a commercial during a TV show) so they stand a much better chance of converting to becoming a customer.

Of course, it is easy to say there's a great opportunity out there on the web. It can be more difficult to figure out exactly where your specific opportunity is. There are lots of potential starting points. For instance, how-to videos have a huge audience on the web. These could be anything from how to repair something to how to apply makeup and put together the perfect outfit to how to increase your fuel efficiency. You need to think about what you can offer the public that adds value to their lives and will help position you in their minds as a positive, helpful force. To do this, you could ask yourself, "What questions do my customers most frequently ask?" or "What parts of my web site draw the most visitors?" Knowing what people are interested in will help you determine what kind of content to produce for them.

A second way to go is to produce an interactive Q and A type video. You could invite your customers to send in questions about your products and services, and then you could respond to them via online video. You could make this a weekly or monthly occurrence, and then customers would know to visit your web site, YouTube, or wherever you decide to post the video on a regular basis to see if their question was answered.

If you produce commercials for your business, you can upload those to video sites as well. People search for your brand online on lots of different sites, including sites you may not initially think of like YouTube. By uploading your commercials, you will be able to have more control over what people see when they search for your brand name. Wouldn't you rather have them exposed to your professionally-shot commercial than someone on a webcam reviewing your product?

Video promotions are always a big hit as well. One popular way to execute online video promotions is to have customers submit videos of themselves doing some specified action, and the person who does it the best or correctly wins a prize. This is an especially powerful form of online video marketing because in this scenario, your customers begin creating your marketing messages for you. Even if the videos they make do not mention your brand, the fact that people are making videos at your request lends credibility and respect to your brand.

Getting these videos online is quite simple and costs nothing. The best course of action is to begin by uploading your video to YouTube. Why is this the ideal starting point? 

1. YouTube is owned by Google, and Google constantly crawls YouTube for its search engine results. So by posting a video to YouTube, you are increasing your odds of it also showing up in the Google search results.
2. Whenever you post a video to YouTube, you will be given a code snippet that you can copy and paste on pretty much any site. So you can then add the video to your site, your blog, your social media pages, and anywhere else you want to promote your web site.

Online video offers more opportunity to your business than you may realize. It gives you access to an audience that is quite large in size and extremely engaged with the content they are consuming. There are many different ways to successfully execute an online video marketing campaign, and the barriers to getting videos online are quite low.

Taken from blogspot.com  Written by Stanley Quinn

How to Write a Press Release to Promote Your Business

Press releases are on of the easiest and most inexpensive forms of advertising for any business. Yet most business owners don't know how to write a proper press release for publication in a newspaper or magazine. Here are some simple tips to write a press release to promote your business.

Things you'll need

• A business
• Typing paper
• Story ideas
• List of magazines and newspapers in your niche market
• Editor's names and addresses

1. Make it newsworthy. A press release is often published in a newspaper or magazine as an article, so you want to present a story about your business to the editor. One of the best ways to make your business appealing is to show what is exciting and new for that community. What makes your business unique from other businesses similar to your in town?
2. Find your niche market. You may have a great story ready for publication, but you won't receive much business if the readers don't need your product or service. Research the newspaper or magazine before submitting your press release. If you offer child care services, submit your press release to magazines geared to mothers. If your company provides secretarial assistance to companies, you'll probably want to submit your press release to the business editor of a newspaper.
3. Keep it simple. Remember that you're not the only business out there! Editors receive hundreds, even thousands, of press releases on their desks every day. They probably scan only a few, looking for key words that are specific for their publication. Keep your press release to about one page, focusing on the highlights of your business.
4. Write new press releases as your business changes. It's a good idea to submit a press release any time you add new services or products, change your location, add new staff members, or expand. Keep your community aware of your company so that they will be more likely to do business with you.
5. Continue to submit! Even if your press release is rejected from one newspaper or magazine, keep submitting. Not every publication is right for your business. But someone is in need of your press release right now, and you will be published before you know it.

Tips and Warnings

• Submit, submit, submit!
• Keep your press releases to one page
• Know your niche market
• Don't be discouraged by editor's rejection; someone needs your press release
• Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed; anyone can write about what they know

Taken from ehow.com 

10 Low-Cost Ways to Market Your Business

Too many small business owners think marketing is like a trip to the dentist - something you gotta do every six months or so. But when marketing is continuous and targeted rather than occasional and shotgun, business gets easier. If prospects have a positive view of your wares and reputation before you call or before they start shopping, you're that much closer to nailing a sale. The next news flash is that ongoing marketing isn't tied to a price tag. It's defined only by putting the right message in front of the right person at the right time. Here are 10 ideas for doing that - on the cheap.

1. Take steps to make customers feel special. Customers respond to being recognized, especially in these rush-rush, get-the-lowest-price times. "Even with a Web-based business, good customer service is possible," says Denise McMillan, co-owner of Plush Creations, an online retailer of handcrafted travel bags. McMillan encloses a small, rose-scented sachet in every jewelry and lingerie bag she sells and also sends a handwritten thank-you note. "The sachet and not cost pennies but add something special to the purchase," she says.
2. Create business cards that prospects keep. Most business cards are tossed within hours of a meeting. Instead of having your card tossed, create one that recipients actually will use - say, a good-looking notepad with your contact info and tagline on every page. "The business card notepad is referred to almost daily, kept for 30 days or so and carries a high remembrance factor," says Elliott Black, a Northbrook, IL, marketing consultant who specializes in small businesses.
3. Stop servicing break-even customers. If this idea makes you gasp, think harder. You're failing for the fallacy of increasing sales instead of boosting profits. If you stop marketing to unprofitable customers, you have more time and resources for customers who actually grow your business. "More than likely, 20% of your customer base is contributing 150 to 200% of total annualized profit; 70% is breaking even; and 10% is costing you 50 to 100%," says Atlanta marketing consultant Michael King. Take a detailed look at your customer profitability data and then direct premium services and marketing to customers who count.
4. Develop an electronic mailing list and send old-fashioned letters. Most businesses have harnessed the power of e-newsletters - and you definitely should be sending out one, too. It's very cost-effective. But exactly because email marketing is now nearly ubiquitous, you can quickly stand out by occasionally sending personal, surface mail letters to customers and prospects. Just make sure the letter delivers something customers want to read, whether an analysis of recent events in your field, premium offers or a sweetener personalized for the recipient (a discount on this next purchase of whatever he last purchased, for instance). "This mailing has to have value to those that read it, so it reflects the value of what you offer," says Leslie Ungar, an executive coach in Akron, OH. "Remember, the best way to sell is to tell."
5. Boost your profile at trade shows and conferences. You can quickly create signage, glossy postcards with your contact information, product news inserts or an event mini Web site in a publishing program.
6. Combine business with pleasure - and charity. Spearhead an event, party or conference for a cause you care about. That puts you in a position of getting to know lots of people, and shows off your small business leadership skills. "I host an annual baseball game where I take hundreds of clients to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field," says Kate Koziel, who owns a public relations agency in Chicago. "Last year, I took 300 people and we raised $10,000 for a local children's hospital. Few people turn down a game and it's a great networking opportunity for guests. It lets me reconnect with current clients and impress potential clients."
7. Create a destination. Bookstore chain Barnes and Noble has its coffee bars. Furnishings giant Ikea offers child-care centers and cafeterias. Why? So customers gravitate to the stores and enjoy an experience, to hang out for a while. Sunday morning at Barnes and Noble becomes a pleasant weekend routine, rather than a shopping errand. Steal this idea. This tip isn't limited to offline destinations, either. Using pay-per-click advertising, you can cheaply drive traffic to a one-time news event or specialty offerings, points out Jay Lipe, a small business marketing consultant based in Minneapolis, MN. Lipe set up a web site for Games by James, a retailer of board games, and quickly attracted customers via pay-per-click ads. "The effect was overnight," says Lipe. "Traditionally in the marketing world, it takes weeks or even months to generate acceptable awareness and traffic. Here we saw traffic spike overnight."
8. Become an online expert. This is the "free sample" approach to bringing in business. Research active email discussion lists and online bulletin boards that are relevant to your business and audience. Join several and start posting expert advice to solve problems or answer questions. You may need to keep this up for a bit. But the rewards come back in paying clients and referrals. "Email discussion lists have been my single largest source of clients over the last eight years," says Shel Horowitz, a small business marketing consultant based in Northampton, MA.
9. Court local media. Editorial features convey more credibility with prospective clients than paid advertising does. To get coverage from the local media, whether from the town newspaper, from TV or radio stations, or from trade journals, you need a fresh, timely story. It's usually worthwhile to hire an experienced publicist to position the stories, target appropriate media representatives and write and send press releases. Usually, you can work on a short-term or contingency basis.
10. Finally, don't let the customers simply slip away. Make an effort to reel them back in. It costs a lot less to retain a disgruntled or inactive customer than to acquire a new one. If you haven't heard from a customer in a while, send a personalized email, inquiring whether all is well. For a customer who suffered a bad experience, pick up the phone, ackknowledging the unpleasantness and ask if there's anything you can do. A discount can't hurt either. Being kind to customers is the smartest low-cost marketing you can do.

Taken from microsoft.com/business  Written by Joanna Krotz

How to Market Your Business

In order to get people to notice your business or services, you need to get the word out. For those on a tight budget, you need to spend your money wisely, and advertising agencies can quite expensive to work with. Here are a few ideas on what is most important when getting your business noticed.

1. Have a noticeable sign in the front of your office or store. Make sure it's big enough to get noticed and that the color scheme doesn't blend with its surroundings.
2. Next, work with a free-lance writer and/or designer to create a brochure for you. List the main services you want to advertise and list the prices next to it. Make sure it is full color and has pictures on it because this will make your brochure more memorable.
3. Get business cards that are attractive and that represent the type of business you have. For example, if your business is geared toward children, make your business card (and other marketing materials) colorful and fun. But if you want customers to know that you run a professional, upscale business, make sure your marketing materials are classy.
4. Write a press release, or work with a free-lance writer to write a press release. Have it sent to all the local press in your area.
5. Then follow-up with a call to the editor to see if the media needs any additional information.
6. Have an event to celebrate your opening. Try hosting an Open House or a sales event to welcome customers inside your building.

Tips and Warnings

To find a free-lance writer who can help you with marketing materials, search your local newspapers and shoppers for ads or call the newspaper editor to ask for referrals. You could also ask other business owners who they have worked with on these types of projects. If you want to try using a college student, contact the English or Mass Communications department and ask for an intern. Otherwise, you will need to contact an ad agency to meet with a local writer.

Taken from ehow.com

Email Etiquette

Of all Internet activities, email is the most popular. Almost 88 percent of all Internet users in the US use email. This information comes from a survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy. According to the same survey, approximately 90 percent of those who use the Internet at work use it to access business email.

There are two reasons I decided to write an article about email etiquette. The first one is the sheer number of people using email, especially those using it for business communications. Since you are reading this article which appears on the Web, there's a good chance you use email to communicate with others, including your boss, colleagues, clients or prospective employers.

So, what's the second reason? Well, as the Career Planning guide here on About.com, I receive a lot of email. A lot of it is well written. A lot of it isn't. Some messages go on and on and on, until finally the question is asked. Sometimes the length is necessary - other times the writer could be more concise.

Some messages get right to the point... a little too quickly. The writer wastes no time asking for what he or she needs without bothering to be polite. Some of my younger readers (I assume) use what I can only describe as some sort of shorthand, i.e., "Can U plz send info on careers?" This may be appropriate for communicating with your buddies through instant messaging, but not for writing to someone you've never met. Besides, being a little more specific might help me find the information faster.

Sometimes there are glaring errors, such as misspellings and very poor grammar. While this annoys me some, I can only imagine what a prospective employer would think when receiving a poorly written message. Because your correspondence says a lot about you, you should be aware of some basic email etiquette, sometimes known as netiquette.

Manners and Tone

What three words have a total of 14 letters yet carry a great deal of meaning? People may not notice these words when they're there, but if you forget to use them, you'll come across looking disrespectful and ungrateful. Give up? These very powerful words are "Please" and "Thank You." Please take my advice. You'll thank me later.

This isn't something that especially bothers me, but there are others who are very sensitive to being addressed by their first names. When in doubt, use Mr., Mrs., or Dr. (if appropriate). When you are replying to an email and the sender of the original message has used his or her first name only, then you could safely assume it's okay to use that person's first name as well.

Tone is a difficult thing to explain. Remember when your parents would say "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young lady (or young man)?" Your feelings come across by the way you say something. It is easy to change your tone when you're speaking. When you're writing it's very hard to do. Whenever I write an email, I read my message over several times before I hit send. I want to make sure I come across as respectful, friendly and approachable. I don't want to sound curt or demanding. Sometimes just rearranging your paragraphs will help.

If you're writing to someone you've communicated with before, you may want to begin by saying "I hope you are well." Email writers often use emoticons to convey a certain tone. For those of you who don't know what these are, emoticons are little faces made up by arranging parentheses, colons and semi-colons. Use good judgment here. If you write to someone frequently and you have a less formal relationship, then emoticons are okay. If, however, you're writing to a prospective employer, stick to words only.

Avoid writing your message using all upper case letters. It looks like you're shouting. Don't use all lower case letters either. Some people say it will make it seem like you're mumbling.

Be Concise and Be Professional

When possible, be brief. Get to your point as quickly as you can. However, please don't leave out necessary details. If providing a lot of background information will help the recipient answer your query, by all means, include it. You may even want to apologize for being so wordy at the beginning of the message.

My teenage nieces send me email using all sorts of abbreviations - U instead of you, 2 instead of to or too, plz instead of please, and thanx instead of thanks. It's fine for personal email. Business email should be more formal. Of course, frequently used abbreviations such as Mr. and Mrs., FYI, inc., and etc. are fine.

Take a look at your email address. What does it say about you? Are you a sexymom@isp.com? Maybe. But do you want a prospective employer to think so? Think of getting a more formal address. Perhaps your first initial and last name would be good. If you're really attached to your address and don't want to change it, consider adding a second one for professional use only. If your ISP only provides a single address, look into getting a free account. If you're currently working, you may have a company email account. Do not use this address for job hunting purposes. Use a personal account only.

Spelling, Grammar and Attachments

Use your spell checker. That's what it's for. Don't rely entirely on the spell checker though. If you're using the wrong spelling for a particular use of a word, i.e. two vs. too, the spell checker won't pick it up. Don't try to guess the spelling of a word. Look it up. Personally I use Merriam-Webster Online.

Good grammar is important. As you can see, I believe in using a conversational tone when writing. It sounds friendlier. Contractions are okay. Slang is not. Under no circumstances should you use offensive language.

Attachments - the bane of my existence. I don't open them unless I know the sender. And even then, I hesitate. As one of my colleagues said recently, "I don't open attachments unless they're from my own mother." To which another colleague responded: "I don't open attachments especially if they're from my mother." Attachments often carry viruses. The sender may not even know they're sending you a virus. As a matter of fact, they may not even know they're sending an email. There are many viruses that cause your email program to send everyone in your address book an infected file.

You can contact the recipient first to ask if it's okay to send an attachment. Then that person will know to expect it. If you're sending a resume, you're best off cutting and pasting it right into the email message itself. While we're on this topic, let me remind you what when sending email, avoid using hypertext markup language, or HTML. Not every email program can interpret it, and what the recipient winds up with is an unreadable mess. Use plain text only. Sorry, you will have to change that beautifully formatted resume into something a little less fancy.

I love email. It's much less intrusive than a phone call and faster than a letter. It may be your introduction to someone you never met before. Take your time putting together a well-written message. Once you hit the send button you won't have another chance.

Taken from about.com  Written by Dawn Rosenberg McKay

The Risks of Electronic Communication

If you're tempted to

• broadcast or post a funny message
• send or post an angry message
• be sarcastic or ironic
• criticize others in public
• post a message or send email late at night
• send a message about a person that you wouldn't want them to see

please think twice. Ask somebody else to talk you out of it.

It's easy to damage your reputation and productivity by saying the wrong thing: it's ten times as easy to do this with electronic communication.

By using electronic mail, USENET news groups, electronic bulletin board systems, irc, chat, and so forth, you can make a fool of yourself to many strangers rapidly.

Sending an electronic message is a lot more permanent than saying something; long after your feelings change, the words are still there. Unlike messages on paper, electronic messages are hard to stop once you've sent them: they can be delivered and read seconds after you send them. And electronic messages are awfully easy to copy and resend - you can't be sure who will read them eventually and form a negative impression of you for sending them.

Messages you post to news groups are remembered forever. Anyone can issue a simple command to search all posted messages for a keyword, or for a name. When you post a message, ask yourself if you'd like a potential employer to read it several years from now.

Broadcast messages and Netnews

If you're mad at the company, and really want to hurt it, don't broadcast a message; just kick in the monitor on your desk. In a big company, it costs about as much, and the advantage of wrecking your tube is that fewer people will know about it, and the consequences won't go on as long.

If you're not mad at the company, weigh the cost of company resources your broadcast will consume against the possible benefit of this broadcast.

Jokes

What seem hilarious when you type it in may offend others. And somehow, people are more offended by offensive jokes when they come through the electronic medium than they would be by the same joke told face to face. People also misunderstand electronic messages, because tone of voice doesn't come along with the message; and when they misunderstand, they get mad. My rule is "Computers and humor have nothing to do with each other". After all, what joke can be repeated a million times a second and stay funny for long?

Anger

If you're upset with someone, talk to him or her in person. If you send an angry message, it is likely to make the problem, whatever it is, worse. Because people often react quickly to online messages, without reading them carefully, each emotional message causes more an stronger emotion in the receiver.

Sarcasm and irony

You can't count on sarcasm and irony getting through. Some people read hastily; others just take your words literally and don't understand that you really meant the opposite of what you wrote. Even a smiley or "just kidding" won't always work.

Public criticism

If you are tempted to criticize another person, don't do it online. This includes everything from flaming others to spelling corrections. People are touchy; if they feel attacked, they attack back. It's very hard to disagree with somebody in a way that lets dialogue continue. Search for non-judgmental ways of disagreeing: try saying "That doesn't work, because..." instead of "That's wrong."

Suppose somebody says something really dumb. Lots of times, the thing that works best is to pretend you didn't notice. Pointing out that the remark was dumb won't work, we know that; the person is just going to dig in and push back. Arguing, saying what you think is smart instead, may not work either, no matter how nice you are, because some people take any disagreement as criticism. If you ignore the remark entirely, though, you've done the best thing you can to kill it off.

Some news and mail systems have a feature called a "kill file" that silently hides messages if they're from a given sender or about a chosen topic. If you have this feature, use it. If you don't, pretend you do: you can ignore completely any message that you disagree with, and then you don't have to react to it.

Late nights

Be especially careful about messages you compose late at night. Some mysterious influence seems to start operating after a certain hour, 9 PM or so, which makes us think we're typing in sensible messages, when in fact they are subject to severe misunderstanding. "Oh, not me," you say. Well, even so, could the message wait? If it can, my advice is to save it to a file and look at it tomorrow morning. Chances are you'll want to make some changes to make it more clear and more polite.

Personal remarks

Making derogatory remarks about others is a bad idea. Doing it behind their back is worse. Doing it in public is worse still. And doing it in a way that suppresses the human side of the communication, the smile or "just kidding" shrug you might have included face to face, makes it even worse. Electronic messages are the last place for any kind of uncomplimentary remark. I know of a case where a mail user hit REPLY instead of FORWARD and accidentally sent the nasty crack about someone to that person. Just don't do it.

Know your tools

If you insist in posting a message or sending mail, make sure you do it the right way, use the correct mail class, and avoid spamming people. Read your company's mail policy. If you don't know, ask.

Electronic mail is insecure. Your most private messages can be read by others as it travels through the Internet. System administrators at your company, at your intended recipient's company, and at points in between, can read your message. And a security breakin, or a software bug, might allow others to read your messages also. Unless you are sure that you are using a secure channel, don't send any kind of information in a mail message that you wouldn't announce in public.

If you are replying to a message, check the list of recipients; your software may have copied this list from a previous message, and your message may be unwelcome in some of the places you're about to send it. Sometimes a spammer will send a message to many inappropriate news groups; then people will make things worse by responding to the message saying "this is off topic" - spamming the news groups again.

Never count on being able to cancel a message. A recipient or agent may read it before your cancel catches up with the message. Some mail systems send the recipient another copy of the message if you cancel it after they have read it.

Taken from multicians.com  Written by Tom Van Vleck

Communication Mistakes Every Office Makes

There's no doubt about it - the workplace can sometimes feel like an endless entanglement of conflict and confusion. Miscommunication accounts for some of the most common work issues, like employee dissatisfaction or forgotten tasks. Luckily, good communication skills are easy to learn and endlessly helpful in navigating the office jungle. Here's an account of some of the most common flaws in workplace communication, and how to avoid them:

Silence isn't always golden.

The problem: According to a Cornell study, over half of the workers surveyed said that they rarely spoke to their superiors about problems or ideas (only five or fewer times each year). Fifteen percent admitted to never speaking up at all.

Why so speechless? Some said they had nothing to say, but the majority said they believed sharing was a waste of time or potentially detrimental.

The effect: Employees at every level can make valuable contributions. "We believe the answers don't all stem from better financial models or decision-making at the top," says Harvard Business Review (HBR). "Rather, employees have knowledge and ideas that could help head off organizational malfunctions and drive performance, if only they'd speak up."

"When only execs contribute to the debate, businesses risk missing out on hearing fresh and interesting perspectives. And employees who keep quiet about dissatisfaction in part ensure that the problems won't get fixed."

How to avoid it: According to HBR, it's not enough to leave a suggestion box on the reception desk. Employers should be proactive and ask their employees, "What do you think?" Soliciting feedback will make employees feel comfortable speaking up, not just about good ideas but workplace concerns. Employees can improve their sharing skills by asking questions. Real Business suggests managers give their staff a quota of two suggestions per month on how to improve business.

Emails can create more problems than they clear up.

The problem: The Internet has transformed the way business is conducted and email has become a standard professional communication. So why do people still struggle with it? A 2005 study found that although 50 percent of all online communication is misunderstood, senders believe that, for the most part, their message is being received clearly.

The back-and-forth nature of email "makes text-based communication seem more informal and more like face-to-face communication than it really is," said Dr Nicholas Epley, who spearheaded the research. Plus, the results show communication is further hindered by the lack of interpersonal nuances like body language and tone of voice.

The effect: Email can create problems or confusion in an otherwise tranquil situation, according to a study in the Academy of Management Review. The article said that messages tend to be interpreted as less positive than intended. Tensions can arise from misunderstood sarcasm, for example.

The solution: They say voicemail is dead but it might be time for a comeback. Leaving a quick message can prevent the kind of misunderstandings brought upon by the informality and emotional vacancy of email. Seventy-five percent of the Epley's subjects were able to correctly interpret phone messages - a vast improvement from the 56 percent success rate for emails.

Listen up.

The problem: Communication isn't just about saying the right thing. It's also about knowing when and how to listen. Too often these days, says the Huffington Post, the listener os physically present but mentally engaged elsewhere. He or she hears - but does not digest - information.

The effect: If a fellow employee's eyes seem vacant or glued to his/her Blackberry screen, the speaker may feel ignored. And the supposed listener might be missing out on valuable information even if he or she thinks they're getting the gist of it.

The solution: When someone's talking to you, listen. Put down your Blackberry, turn off your thoughts about last night's American Idol, and synthesize the information handed to you. Listening builds better relationships, facilitates the spread of ideas, and helps improve workplace communication.

Don't let details fall through the cracks.

The problem: With teamwork, especially in bigger teams, an assignment can reach many people before it's done. With all the handoffs, little details can be easily missed if a group is disorganized, says HBR.

The effect: Failing to stay organized leaves much room for dropped balls. HBR says that even employees who think they're communicating all the necessary information during handoffs may be missing key details by assuming certain facts are implicit or by not being specific enough. And when a task is miscommunicated, it reflects poorly on the team as a whole.

The solution: HBR has a simple way to stay on top of an assignment for every step: make a checklist. During each handoff phase, discuss questions like, "What do you understand the priorities to be?" and "What are your key next steps?"

Taken from openforum.com