Collaborative Writing is Still Key to Success

A recent survey by telephone equipment maker Polycom found that more than 90 percent of workers toil in locations different than their bosses. That means that long-distance management and approvals are the norm and the idea of walking down the hall to check on the progress of a project is becoming rare. But even in that new working environment, collaboration is the key to successful teamwork.

Bringing together minds to write one cogent piece is an idea as old as the printed press. However, as our teams become more geographically dispersed, the idea of collaboration on writing projects can sometimes get lost. Fear not. New conferencing tools such as application sharing, where one document can be edited by an entire group during a conference call, and the use of simple track-change software features can bring collaboration back to the forefront of normal business practice. But bringing a younger staff into this idea of share and share alike is something all companies must work on.

The challenge is that public relations pros new to the workforce today are used to going it alone when it comes to writing projects. Forcing them into over-the-shoulder writing sessions that begin with a blank slate and a room full of staffers to hammer out a piece of writing can be intimidating.

The trick is to build the idea of collaboration slowly and encourage senior leaders to conduct more sharing sessions such as group writing and brainstorms. There are a few best practices to consider:

• Plan for frequent group brainstorms – practice is important and conducting regular creative sessions can bring teams into a habit of collaboration. Start with making the time fun for all and incorporate creativity games such as word association and role-playing exercises.


• Write key releases and strategies as a group – the old newsroom method of standing around a desk with notes in hand to write a story is one of the more valuable exercises in collaboration. Forcing regular group writing sessions is a great way to take advantage of all the minds on a team, but most find it saves enormous amounts of time while producing superior work.


• Compose near-final drafts during a conference call – the use of Web conferencing tools, such as application sharing, are vastly underused and extremely valuable. Make it a point to use conference calls as a time for collaborative brainstorming, writing and thinking. Focusing on the completion of a written document on these calls can encourage collaboration among cross-country teams.

The old adage of two minds are better than one is still true in the New Media 2.0 age of communications. The fact that teams no longer sit together but are spread around the world make the goal of sharing more difficult, yet not impossible. Take advantage of the hours of conference calls and the precious face-to-face time during each week to collaborate with teams. By concentrating on delivering completed strategies or written drafts out of these sessions, teams begin to see the value in working together.