Michael Sliwinski | The Pyramid of Communication System

Step 1: Deep Work.

• This fundamental step requires a lot of time as it is the basis of all work.
• During this phase, you allow your team members and yourself to submerge yourselves in deep work.
  • Spend 2-3 hours in deep work.
  • Use your best tools.

• Utilize great project management software so you know who does what by when.
  • Capture the tasks in that software.
  • Email should not serve as your project management software.
  • Do not use email for collaboration.

Step 2: The feedback loop.

• Once you’re done doing some deep work, you should show it to your team members and ask for feedback.
• This step helps people develop their patience.
• Do not rush to hear feedback. Avoid pressuring your team members.
• Do not aim at the first impression of your work. Aim for in-depth feedback.
• If you’re impatient to hear feedback, you’ll end up getting crappy feedback.
• It is important that the people in your business develop this habit of seeking feedback.
• The first two steps are the main foundation of this system.
• Using a project management tool lessens the pressure on team members and supervisors.
  • Delegating the task to the appropriate person will notify them.

• This step is also about trusting and respecting your people.
• If the person assigned to a task cannot give feedback on the agreed time, they can simply comment on the project management tool task.
  • Having your team members trusting and respecting each other when soliciting feedback could be a long wait but it’ll be all worth it.

• Set the right culture and be an example.

Step 3: Real-time chat.

• This brings out real-time collaboration in the team.
• It happens after the feedback loop.
  • You do some deep work.
  • You send it for feedback.
  • Feedback is received.
  • Revisions are made.

• Do a real-time chat with the reviewer to discuss or ask for additional details.
• This is to avoid wasting time.
• Because it’s on level three, you should allocate less time than the first and second steps when chatting.
• Chatting is more advantageous than talking as it leaves traces of the conversation.
  • People can jump into conversations.
  • You can refer people back to the conversations.

• This step may serve as an escalation step.

Step 4: One-on-one conversation.

• This is when you decide to hit the phone and call your team member when asking for details on their feedback.
• Chat with the person you’d like to call first and discuss the reason behind it, so you’ll spend less time during the phone call.
• Show respect to other people’s time by asking what time suites them best to do a phone call.
• In an office setting, the initial action of someone who needs something from someone else is to just walk up to them and ask.
  • Michael suggests still know the best time the other person is best to talk with.
  • This lets people finish what they’re working and focusing on.

• By saying your intention before the actual call, it gives both parties the time to prepare and make an efficient phone call.
• During one-on-one and meetings, it is proven that chatting about anything in the first five minutes of the conversation will produce healthier results.

Step 5: Meetings.

• This is on top of the pyramid structure of the system as it requires the least amount of time to be spent.
• When you involve the number of people and take into account all of their salaries, meetings would deem pretty expensive.
• Meetings should be the last resort and all meetings should be strategically planned.
  • Do a meeting when you only need one.
  • Establish an agenda at least a day before scheduling a meeting so people would have time to read and prepare for it.
  • Come to the meetings prepared.
  • Cancel the meetings if there is no agenda.

System Notes

• Once this pyramid system has been excellently implemented, you will notice that you have more power when making a decision.
• This structure makes sure that the owner’s ego doesn’t cloud his/her decision making skill because it opens up discussions about different matters along the way.
• Good ideas can come from anybody, not just the owner.