Small Bites- Methods of Communication – Part 2
Authored by Coaches Polly Shyka and Abby Sadauckas
Small Bites are short, informational articles with practical ideas about stress reduction, improved communication, and farmer well-being. They are written by coaches from UMaine Extension’s Farm Coaching team. Farm Coaches are available at no cost to work remotely with farmers and farm families.
Methods of Communication – Part 2
As mentioned in our previous Small Bite, there are many ways to connect with and hear from the important people in your life and farm
business. While the primary modes of communication (text, email, and phone calls) are crucial, it may also be helpful to consider the secondary means of communication. Secondary means of communication include:
- Calendars
- Task lists
- Your website and/or
- Online store
How you use these to both “set the tone” and to convey important information is worth considering.
On our farm, a weekly calendar guides our decision making and helps us clarify who is doing what. It helps our employees understand who they will be working with on which days and what’s happening on the farm on days they are not there.
A weekly task list is kept on our (the farmers’) phone helps deepen this understanding as prep work for a new batch of chicks involves moving older chicks to the field houses, cleaning out the brooder, and washing feeders and waterers.
In the same way, thinking critically about the wording of our website and online store conveys a great deal. “Order by Wednesday Midnight” sets clear expectations of our customers. We can enhance that messaging by adding it to our posts on social media, in our email footer, or in our weekly newsletter.
Find ways to communicate with consistency and clarity for the farmers, customers, and anyone engaging with your farm.
Want to talk through how to improve communication with customers or employees? Reach out to the Farm Coaches.