Post 1: Communication Styles: What communication style have you observed in this organization, in other words, what communication methods are most prevalent among supervisors and employees? Is this communication style effective?

This summer I am going to be spending eight weeks interning for Seattle CityClub. Nestled in the heart of downtown Seattle, CityClub is a political non-profit dedicated to inspiring civic engagement and nonpartisan dialogue about local politics. CityClub keeps the public and its group of loyal members engaged with panels, individual speaker events, and other programs such as civic "boot camp". Seven passionate, hardworking, and especially kindhearted women are responsible for anything and everything that is Seattle CityClub.

The first two things that were handed to me on the first morning of my internship were a copy of the most recent edition of CityClub's longest and most renowned(published once every three years)  civic health report, and a branding/marketing manual. I was told to immediately read these documents comprehensively and thoroughly. CityClub is a well oiled machine. Work gets done properly and efficiently. It is shocking and humbling how many events and how much online content CityClub's seven dedicated employees are able to produce. As I started to read through the civic health index and the marketing manual, it became very clear to me that, at CityClub, the employees all share a broad and deep knowledge base that makes it possible for the organization to run as smoothly as it does. And, it also became clear to me that if I wished to become a cog in such an efficient and optimized entity, I was going to need to get up to speed. So, for the next two hours, I studied those guides like a textbook before a final exam. The effort paid off. I now understand about 75% of the office jargon, and am able to contribute by doing the right work at the right time in the right way.

It is intuitive that effective communication is crucial in a large work environment, but I think that the importance of clear communication in a small work space is often overlooked. Since CityClub has only seven people making it run, the consequences of leaving even one of them out of the loop are enormous. If even one out of seven CityClub employees is misinformed, then at least one seventh of CityClub's output will be in jeopardy of being wrong or redundant, and such error could quite easily have repercussions on the work of CityClub's other six employees. Everyone knows that you are only as strong as your weakest link. And when the chain only has seven links, even one weak link can and will drag the whole chain down.

I've been very impressed with the synchronicity, connection, and understanding present between the people who make CityClub what it is. To be great, communicate!