wiki_ghostguild/content/wiki/resources/communication-norms-guide.md

title	collection	path	parentDocument	outlineId	createdBy
Communication Norms Guide	Resources	Resources/Communication Norms Guide	null	a3cd4519-be7f-48d7-84b1-b1d0f2d4aa9a	Jennie R.F.

A guide for cooperative game studios to establish shared expectations around how you communicate with each other, both in and outside of meetings. (This is the resource referenced in the Conflict Resolution Policy Template under "Make agreements about communication norms.")

Good communication norms create the conditions where hard conversations can actually happen. When everyone knows what to expect from each other, it's easier to navigate tensions without things spiraling.

Why write communication norms down?

Most teams have unspoken communication norms. Say someone always answers Slack messages within an hour, and someone else takes two days. Nobody's talked about which one is the expectation, so one person feels ignored and the other feels pressured.

Unspoken norms create unspoken friction. Writing them down does a few things:

• Brings out the assumptions people are already operating under (which often don't match!)
• Creates a shared reference point when something isn't working
• Takes the personal edge off when you need to address a communication pattern.

Your norms should come from a real conversation with your whole team. Don't copy a list from the internet and call it done. In a discussion, you'll learn more about your teammates and how they prefer to communicate, and probably identify some assumptions that could bite you down the road.

Areas to cover

You don't have to address every one of these. Pick the ones that are most relevant to your studio and add more over time.

Async communication (Slack, Discord, email, etc.)

This is where most small studios spend the bulk of their communication time, so it's where misunderstandings happen most of the time. Text misses tone, body language, and context. Things that would be fine in person can read as curt or hostile in a message.

Questions to discuss as a team:

• What's our expected response time? Is there a difference between channels (general studio channel vs. direct messages vs. time-sensitive requests)?
• What does "urgent" mean for us, and how do we signal it?
• Are there hours when people shouldn't be expected to respond? What about weekends?
• How do we handle a message that comes across badly?
• Do we default to public channels or private messages? When is each appropriate?
• If a conversation is getting heated or complex over text, at what point do we move to a call?

Some practices that help:

• Default to shared channels. Private messages create information abysses and can make people feel excluded. Use DMs for personal or sensitive matters, not for studio decisions.
• Be specific about what you need. "FYI, no response needed" vs. "Need a decision by Friday" vs. "Thinking out loud, would love input." This saves everyone the mental work of figuring out what kind of response you're looking for.
• Don't initiate conflict conversations over text. If something feels charged, move to a higher-bandwidth channel (audio, video, or in person). The Conflict Resolution Policy Template covers this in more detail.

Sync communication (meetings, calls, video chats)

Your Meeting Agenda Template covers the mechanics of running meetings. These norms are about the communication culture within those meetings and any other real-time conversations.

Questions to discuss:

• How do we make sure everyone speaks, not just the people who are fastest processors or most confident?
• What's our agreement about interrupting? (One conversation at a time? Raise a hand? Use a chat queue?)
• How do we handle it when someone is dominating the conversation?
• Is it okay to have cameras off? When?
• How do we handle people who are consistently late?

Some practices that help:

• For important topics, go around the room and have everyone share briefly, in turn, so that no one is waiting for a gap that never comes.
• Before a discussion, say whether you're brainstorming, deciding, or just sharing information.
• Leave space… awkward space! A beat or two (or three) of silence after someone finishes gives people who process more slowly (or who are less comfortable fighting for airtime) a chance to contribute.

Giving and receiving feedback

Feedback is where communication norms matter most and where they're most likely to break down. Your conflict resolution policy handles the bigger stuff, but day-to-day feedback - like creative critiques and project check-ins - also benefits from shared norms.

Six principles of helpful feedback

adapted from the DAWN cooperative evaluation framework

1. Descriptive, not evaluative. Describe what you observed. "You spoke for 10 of the 15 minutes" is different from "you dominated the discussion." Your feedback is your perspective, not objective truth.
2. Specific, not general. "Your character design work is strong, especially the colour palette choices" is useful. "Good job" is nice but a bit useless. Same goes for critical feedback: Specifics give people something they can actually work with.
3. Relevant to the receiver's needs. Think about what would actually be useful for this person to hear, not just what you need to say. You want to meet the receiver where they are.
4. Timely and in context. Feedback is most useful close to the event it's about. Saving it up for months and then unloading it all at once can create conflict - and you've just wasted time that could have been spect improving your processes or communication.
5. Desired by the receiver. Ask before giving feedback when possible, especially if it's unsolicited. "Can I share an observation about the meeting?" gives someone the chance to consent (or say "not right now"). The receiver needs to be ready to hear it.
6. Usable and about behaviour. Focus on things the person can actually change. Feedback about behaviour ("when you interrupted twice during the pitch") is more useful than feedback about character ("you're not a good listener").

Learn each other's preferences for receiving feedback. Some people prefer direct and immediate, others need longer processing time. Some want it in writing so they can sit with it.

Communication across difference

People communicate differently based on culture, neurotype, language, personality, and life experience. A communication norm that works for one person might be inaccessible or uncomfortable for another.

Things to be mindful of:

• Not everyone processes at the same speed. Build space for both into your meeting practices.
• Directness reads differently across cultures. No one style is "correct."
• Humour is tricky. It can be a great connector, but relying on it as your primary communication tool risks alienating people who aren't neurotypical or don't share your references. Pair humour with sincerity.
• Written communication is harder for some people and easier for others. Offer multiple channels where possible.
• If someone communicates in a way that doesn't match the group's norms, get curious before getting frustrated. Ask about their needs and preferences.

When someone goes quiet

In small studios, someone going silent is one of the most common communication breakdowns and one of the hardest to address. It can mean a lot of things: they're overwhelmed, they're avoiding a conflict, they've checked out of the project, they're dealing with something personal, or they disagree with a direction and don't know how to say it.

What helps:

• Set an expectation together about minimum communication frequency. What does "checking in" look like for your studio?
• When someone goes quiet, reach out directly and with curiosity "Hey, I noticed you've been quiet this week, just wanted to check in."
• If someone is consistently disengaging, that's a conversation to have directly (using your conflict resolution process if needed). Don't assume silence is agreement.
• Create on-ramps and deliberate openings for people to re-engage.

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Building your norms

Talk through the sections above as a team. You don't need to address everything. Start with the areas where you've had friction. Write down whatever you agree on. Keep it short, accessible, and somewhere everyone can find it. And remember that these are living agreements you can revisit and revise as your studio grows and changes.

Finally, review your norms at least once a year, or whenever you add a new team member.

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Blank template

Copy everything below and fill it in with your team.

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[Studio name] communication norms

Last reviewed: [date]

Agreed to by: [names of all members]

Async communication

Expected response time: [e.g. within 24 hours on weekdays]

How we signal urgency: [e.g. use @here, DM, specific emoji]

Quiet hours: [e.g. no expectation of response after 7pm or on weekends]

Default channel: [e.g. public studio channel for project-related stuff, DMs for personal matters]

When to move to a call: [e.g. if a text exchange goes back and forth more than 3 times without resolution, or if anything feels emotionally charged]

Meetings

Cross-reference your [Meeting Agenda Template](/doc/031b561a-8922-481c-87a9-4d619b9d1102) for structure. Add any communication-specific norms here.

• How we handle interrupting:
• How we make sure everyone speaks:
• Camera expectations:
• Lateness expectations:

Feedback

• How we prefer to give feedback: [e.g. direct and in the moment, written, scheduled]
• How we prefer to receive feedback: [ask each team member to share their preference]
• Before giving unsolicited feedback, we: [e.g. ask if the person is open to it]

When someone goes quiet

• Our minimum communication expectation: [e.g. check Slack and respond at least twice a week]
• How we check in: [e.g. direct, kind message from whoever notices first]
• When it becomes a concern: [e.g. after a week of silence, we raise it directly]

Other agreements

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• \
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Review schedule

These norms will be reviewed: [annually / when adding new members / etc.]

Next review date: [date]

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This guide adapts the AORTA Collective's communication practices, the DAWN cooperative evaluation framework's feedback principles, and Gamma Space Cooperative's communication norms.