Something you need to get used to as a freelancer is regularly starting new work. And it\u2019s not just the work that\u2019s new \u2013 it\u2019s often a new organisation, new people\/team and even a new industry to what you might have worked in before. New starts are always steep learning curves \u2013 a period where you need to take on a lot of new information fast, make new connections and most importantly broker trust. You often don\u2019t have the same bedding in period as employed roles, so it\u2019s all about how to get off the starting block quickly and effectively. And one way to do that is a user guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A user guide is exactly what it says on the tin, except instead of a manual for how to operate a TV or microwave, this is about how you operate. It\u2019s a way of introducing yourself to others and a way for you to learn about them. Instruction manuals for things are incredibly helpful \u2013 so why not take the same approach for people?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s thought to have been started by Norwegian Ivar Kroghrud, who recognised the challenge of how long it can take to get to know people. And sharing the knowledge about how we each like to work is vital to working together better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all these quirks that make people people,\u201d Kroghrud says. \u201cThe user manual is just a shortcut to finding them and understanding what makes your coworkers tick.\u201d A guide for the ‘all about me’ generation – BBC Worklife<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In practical terms they\u2019re usually one side of A4 \u2013 a series of maybe 8 top-level level questions about you and how you like to work. Key topics include your working pattern, your communication preferences and how you like to receive feedback \u2013 it\u2019s all about giving colleagues the best possible chance of working with you well. They\u2019re a great way to start a new working relationship \u2013 whether you\u2019re new into a team, or new to working in partnership with someone. They can also revolutionise an organisation\u2019s ways of working \u2013 giving insights that would otherwise take years to build up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve seen them used by freelancers and organisations. Doing one yourself can feel a little uncomfortable \u2013 but I think it\u2019s because most careers don\u2019t encourage us to consider these questions openly and honestly enough and own the answers. How do you like feedback \u2013 do you even know? If you could choose what this would look like, what would it be? Email? Face to face? Immediately? Later? Most people might know the reason for their working pattern \u2013 a long commute, a caring responsibility on Mondays, or feeling more focused later in the day but we don\u2019t always consider the value in sharing this with our colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with most things, it\u2019s a balance between being open and honest in sharing information for others to use and retaining responsibility for flexibility when working in teams. Where I\u2019ve been involved in them, they\u2019ve been invaluable in jump-starting working relationships. So, if you\u2019re looking for new ways to on-board new starters or expediate better working relationships, they\u2019re definitely something to explore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Photo by\u00a0Ben Pattinson<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Something you need to get used to as a freelancer is regularly starting new work. And it\u2019s not just the work that\u2019s new \u2013 it\u2019s often a new organisation, new people\/team and even a new industry to what you might have worked in before. New starts are always steep learning curves \u2013 a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[28],"tags":[13,11,12,21,25,10],"class_list":["post-517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-productivity","tag-charity","tag-consultant","tag-freelance","tag-non-profit","tag-self-employment","tag-start-up-2"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tHow To Use One?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Does It Actually Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n