Hi Darla,
Great question, as I think the team communication aspect of SFI worries many new beginners. It did worry me at first, I just had no idea how to send or construct newsletters, or what I was expected to write about.
The best way to learn is to just get started and practise. As soon as you have somebody in your downline, take the first step and head over to your Genealogy and send a TeamMail to say Hi and introduce yourself.
You can learn a lot by reading the communications you receive from SFI and your sponsor/co-sponsor, or from general emails and letters you receive in everyday life.
I think what worries most people about team communication falls into these general areas:
1. Spelling, grammar, punctuation
2. How to construct the letter and develop a template - take letter to mean newsletter, personal email, ecard, whatever you are writing
3. Mind your language
4. Ideas for what to write about
1. Spelling, grammar, punctuation
Write your letter in a good word-processor program, and be sure to use the proofing tools, which will check these for you. You can set the language you want it to use - many may prefer to use US English.
If you are not English-speaking yourself, you can use a translator program first, then copy and paste the result into the word-processor to check it further.
If you have someone around you whom you believe to be more experienced at writing, you could ask them to check it over for you too. You could even use the SFI Forum for this, it´s good to get feedback from people interested and experienced in the program, and your examples will also help others here who may be facing a similar difficulty.
2. How to construct the letter and develop a template - take letter to mean newsletter, personal email, ecard, whatever you are writing
Begin with your title and address.
Your title should give a short indication of what you are going to help with, e.g.
- Easy steps to... e.g. achieve EA
- Want to... e.g. increase your sales/commissions?
- How to... e.g. bid in auctions and win!
Give a friendly address
"Hi/Dear ~FIRSTNAME~¨ - using this code anywhere in the letter will insert the first name of the recipient if you are sending TeamMail or PSA/CSA mailer. This works in the title too, so I usually begin my title with this so the recipient knows it is from someone they know, and not a spam or junk mail, and it feels more familiar.
Begin the body of your letter with a brief description of what you are going to talk about and why.
Then write the main body of your letter.
Set this out clearly in short paragraphs.
Simple sentences and bullet-point lists are easier to read than long blocks of text.
It is a good idea to use the ´Sandwich Method´, particularly if you are giving feedback to your team or any individual. This means to begin with something very positive, such as ¨It´s great that you... (e.g. achieved EA)¨ or ¨I´m pleased to see that you... (e.g. have been logging in and doing your tasks every day)¨.
Then go on to deliver your message, which may be to build and develop further ideas, or suggest easier ways of doing something.
Finish with another positive message, e.g. ¨Keep up the great work. I´m excited to be following your progress¨.
Invite the recipient to email you if they have any further questions or need help.
Sign off with your name, your position at SFI, and email address.
3. Mind your language
It´s important to remember that your team are your equals, even though you may have more experience of the SFI program. You are their mentor, not their employer or boss.
Your team members will only work at the pace they are comfortable with, and will generally respond better to motivational suggestion rather than demanding, so it is better to use phrases like ¨You may wish to consider...,¨ rather than ¨You must...¨
Focus on what is in their best interests in their progress with SFI, not your own. For example, do not insist they set up a Standing Order, but suggest to them why they may wish to consider setting up a SO, what is the benefit for them?
4. Ideas for what to write about
There is never a shortage of topics you can communicate with your team about.
You can discuss:
- Guidance for getting started - think about what you needed to know when you first started
- How to build a team - how to recruit, how to keep them motivated
- Latest news and developments - you don´t need to repeat the SFI Weekly News, as your team should be reading this anyway, but you could remind them to read it and discuss your own thoughts, experiences and tips
- Posts in the forum and topics in Ask SC - if you see a particular item of interest you can discuss this in a newsletter, linking to the item and adding your own experience
- Develop a training series, in a number of weekly instalments perhaps, referencing related SFI Training resources
- If you have a particular success, share this with your team and describe how you achieved it and how they could duplicate it
- If a team member asks you for advice on how to do something, respond to them personally and also share that question and answer with your entire team, as if one person asks it, you can be sure others will benefit from it too
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To save time for the future, create a folder on your computer (or online storage like Google Drive) and keep a 'bank' of documents you can use again in the future, adapting them as necessary.
You can find lots of Sample Messages here
https://www.sfimg.com/PopUp/sampleMessages
which you can copy and adapt to your needs.
If your upline sends you a TeamMail that you find helpful, copy and paste this to a document and adapt as necessary.
Keep a spreadsheet or list of helpful Forum and Ask SC posts that you may refer to often - these can also be bookmarked within SFI now.
Written communication is a vital skill to develop if your intention is to run your own online business. There are so many articles on the internet to help you learn. When you think about it, in this digital age, we probably use as much written communication as we do verbal and face-to-face.
Notice what appeals to you when you are browsing the internet:
- What catches your attention?
- What makes you want to read more?
- What puts you off reading (so you don´t make the same mistake)?
It does get easier, and practise makes perfect.
Best wishes!
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