3. Make meetings productive with an agenda and a report. Whether it’s an internal staff or client meeting, keep it on track with an agenda. Nothing gets accomplished in staff meetings without a focus, and an agenda helps with that. Make sure every agenda has a short time allocated to discuss new business. After meeting, write a report, or minutes, so everyone is on board with decisions made during your time together.

4. Get it in writing. This is a basic tenet of business, but we all forget it from time to time. Don’t let someone pass you in hall at office and ask you to do something – tell them to send you an email. Have clients sign off on work by emailing or faxing their approval. Put everything in writing and make sure that anyone affected by actions in document are aware of their role and that they put it in writing, too!

5. Don’t rely too much on technology. Who hasn’t been victim of a crashed hard drive, a cell phone dropped in a coffee cup, a misplaced PDA or a stolen laptop? As great as technology is, backup systems are imperative. Be sure you have yours in place!

Any business guru will tell you that better communication means fewer delays, upset customers and improved productivity. That means a better bottom line and a lot fewer headaches!