Your team is divided on content standards. How can you navigate conflicting opinions to maintain quality?

1 Listen Up

The first step in resolving any conflict is to listen. Take the time to understand the perspectives of each team member. Everyone has their reasons for their content standards, and these are often rooted in their professional experiences and expertise. By actively listening, you create an environment where all voices are heard and respected, which is essential for collaborative problem-solving. This doesn't mean every idea will be implemented, but it ensures that decisions are made with a comprehensive understanding of the team's viewpoints.

2 Identify Goals

Once you've listened to your team's opinions, align them with the overarching goals of your content strategy. What is your content meant to achieve? Whether it's to inform, entertain, or convert, your content standards should serve these end goals. By refocusing the conversation on what you're collectively trying to accomplish, you can move from subjective preferences to objective criteria that serve your strategy. This helps to depersonalize the conflict and focus on what's best for the content.

3 Find Balance

Finding a middle ground is often about compromise. Encourage your team to prioritize the most critical aspects of their standards and be willing to flex on others. This balance ensures that while not every preference is met, the most important elements for each team member are considered. It's about creating a shared set of standards that everyone can agree on, even if it's not their ideal. This step is crucial for moving forward without lingering resentment.

5 Train and Enforce

Training is essential to ensure that all team members understand the new standards. Hold workshops or training sessions to walk through the guidelines and discuss how they apply to your content. It's also crucial to enforce these standards consistently. This might involve regular reviews of content or having an editor who ensures that all published content meets the established guidelines. Consistency in enforcement helps to solidify the standards as part of your team's routine.

6 Evaluate Regularly

Lastly, remember that content standards should evolve with your audience's needs and the changing digital landscape. Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of your guidelines and be open to making adjustments when necessary. This evaluation can be based on feedback from your audience, performance metrics, or new trends in content management. By staying adaptable, you ensure that your content remains relevant and high-quality, no matter how the industry changes.